Not so much a claiming…but a promise.
When I pull back, I press my forehead to hers again.
“I’m not walking away,” I whisper. “Not now. Not ever.”
And this time she doesn’t tell me to.
“Go on inside, baby,” I say, forcing myself to release her. “When our guest leaves, I’ll come get you.”
She gives me that soft smile that still knocks the wind out of me.
“Then we can walk the compound and decide where we’re putting your shop.”
The softness vanishes, instantly replaced by fire.
Her hands land on her hips, and she glares up at me like I’ve personally offended the fashion gods.
“Tank.”
I grin before she can finish and turn toward the gate.
“Inside, Abigail,” I call over my shoulder. “Lock the door.”
“Hold up,” Eli says, jogging toward her place. “We were all ordered to lock ourselves in, so we’re heading to Max and Lila’s, so Micah doesn’t have to be moved. You coming?”
“Yes,” she answers without hesitation. “And you can all help me figure out how to convince my brother and that walking mountain not to move my shop inside the compound.”
I huff a laugh despite myself.
“Wait,” Eli says. “That could actually be fun. We can help out a lot more.”
“But she might lose business because people are too scared to come in here despite our successful fundraiser,” Sunny adds.
The door shuts.
Their voices disappear, but Sunny’s words don’t.
She might lose business because people are too scared to come in here.
Damn it.
I drag a hand down my face and stare toward the gate just as Maverick’s twin steps out of a black SUV.
I can’t move her shop here.
Not if it cages her.
Abigail fought too damn hard for that place. Built it with nothing but raw talent and stubborn grit. I’ve watched her losesleep over fabrics and fittings. Watched her forget to eat because she was chasing perfection.
She shines in that space.
It’s hers.
Every stitch. Every crystal. Every damn dream.
I won’t be the man who steals that from her.
But I also won’t be the man who buries her because I didn’t act.
