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She was right. I wouldn’t have traumatized Liam by putting him in the middle of a custody battle. “Still, you were leaving without saying goodbye.”
“He’s staying in a hotel with Mom and me. We’re not flying out until tomorrow.” She looked down at the stack she’d built, chewing her lip. “I was trying to come up with a way to do this. I wasn’t going to sneak off, believe me. I would’ve called at least.”
“Thanks for the consideration.”
She sighed, and there was pain in her sigh, and any anger that still lingered in my heart was wiped away. Grayson was right, but then I knew that before today. I knew she was only doing what she thought she had to do. What she figured was the only way out.
“You don’t have to go. It’s over now. Just like I told you, it would be over.” Stepping up behind her, I took a deep breath, and something inside me sang at her familiar, sweet scent. I would never smell vanilla or lavender again without thinking of her. “And it wasn’t my mother. I thought you should know that. It was Christian Lawrence, Isobel’s dad.”
“Really?” she whispered as a shudder ran through her, probably at the memory of her close call.
“Grayson dug into his finances and communications after the assassin he hired gave up the name,” I explained. “He’s drowning in debt, the casino’s mortgaged to the hilt, and he’s behind in payments. He owes money to loan sharks. Isobel’s trust was supposed to get Bennett Entertainment out of the red, but he was counting on that money to save his ass once she had access to it, not to mention thinking he could convince me to produce shows at his casino and bring in more money. Turns out everybody had their secret reasons for wanting the marriage to go through.”
Taking a deep breath, I concluded, “When I blew the whole thing up, he decided to make us pay. I am so sorry you had to suffer because of it. You have no idea how sorry I am.”
“And what happens next time?” Still staring at the plates, she ran a hand under her eyes. Her voice was thick with tears when she asked, “How do I know you’re not going to make other enemies without thinking about how it would affect Liam or me?”
“I don’t make the same mistake twice,” I replied, finally giving in to the urge to touch her by placing a hand on her shoulder. She flinched but didn’t move away. “And you’re right. I was stupid. I didn’t think about the consequences. All I wanted was to tell them to fuck off, so I did, and I was arrogant enough to think that would be the end of it.”
“How do I know that won’t happen again? That you won’t piss off a casino owner or another producer who wants the rights to a show you purchased? There’s a dark side to things in this town that I didn’t even know existed until now. How do I expose Liam to that?”
The answer to her soft, tearful question was obvious. “Fine. Then I’ll come with you to New York.”
“What?” Finally, she whirled around to face me. Her mouth was hanging open, her eyes bulging. “You can’t mean that. You’re only saying it.”
“Try me.” I took her face in my hands before she could look away, forcing her to meet me eye to eye. “I’ve never meant anything more. I will go to New York with you or anywhere else. I’ll sell Bennett Entertainment, take the money, and build something of my own. Something of our own,” I amended.
Closing her eyes, she whispered, “Jackson…” I couldn’t tell if there was disbelief or longing behind it.
“Whatever you want. So long as you’re part of it, you and Liam, because I can’t live without either of you. Don’t ask me to do that,” I begged, my heart clenching when I imagined the prospect. “I fucked up, I was stupid and arrogant, but I swear here and now I will never make another decision for the rest of my life without thinking of the two of you first. I mean that with all my heart, Winter. I love you. Time cannot erase what I feel for you.”
After releasing a shuddering breath, she murmured, “I love you too. I want you to know that.”
“So whatever it takes, I’ll do it. Just please…” I begged, my voice shaking, my hands trembling even as my soul soared. She loves me. “Don’t ask me to go back to living without you because I can’t do that.”
“But…” Her chin quivered, and her breath came in short gasps. “Plans have been made. I accepted a job. We’re all packed up.”
“Like I said, I’ll go with you. I’ll leave tomorrow, the same as you. There is nothing keeping me here that I couldn’t visit. You are all I want. I want us to be a family. I want Liam to know me as his father, and I want you and me. Us. I always have.”
Her eyes closed again, squeezing tears that rolled down her cheeks. “Me too.”
“Then please tell me you won’t ask me to live without you. I’ll follow you to New York and haunt you every day if I have to,” I warned, and her laughter was encouraging.
“I don’t really want to go,” she whispered. Those six words were all I needed to hear before I gathered her in my arms and clutched her to me, almost crushing her before kissing her hard, pouring all of myself into it the way a person did when they knew they were the luckiest son of a bitch alive. I had another chance and was not about to waste it.
Once I let her up for air, there was nothing else left to say except the only truth I knew. “I love you.”
“I love you. I’ve always loved you.” Her tears wet my cheeks as she clutched me tight, heaving against me with every ragged breath. “And I’m sorry I blamed everything on you. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“I understand. I’ll never give you another reason to do that. I swear.”
“You better not because I don’t feel like packing up an entire goddamn house by myself ever again.” Then she touched her hand to her head, groaning. “And I just had them load everything into the trucks too.”
Compared to convincing her to stay, this was nothing. “Have you sold the house yet?”
She shook her head. “No, I was going to get that all settled once we were in New York.”
“Then I’ll tell the guys to bring everything back in. I’ll make it worth their while,” I promised. If it meant keeping her and Liam here, they could have my wallet and the cards in it for all I cared. I had everything I needed.
