Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Red
Blue's side of the bed is empty when I wake, but not cold. The sheets are rumpled, her pillow indented, the faint scent of her shampoo still clinging to the air.
Bustling sounds come from the direction of the kitchen. I get out of bed and find her stirring creamer in her coffee.
She's dressed for work, hair pulled back, blouse buttoned, and nerves tucked carefully beneath her composure. It's the first day she's agreed to return. She still hasn't spoken to Adrian, but she and Skylar have agreed it's time for her to return to work.
She looks grounded and tired, but steady like someone who slept instead of fighting her own head all night. And that makes me happy.
I step behind her and slide my arm around her stomach. "Morning."
She turns and smiles. "Morning."
I kiss her forehead first, then her mouth. I don't rush, having learned that love, with her, lives in restraint as much as devotion.
She breathlessly claims, "I'll be late. It's inventory day."
"I'll make dinner tonight," I reply.
She arches a brow. "You don't cook very well. Well, unless you're grilling."
I grin. "I can learn."
That earns me a soft laugh that loosens something in my chest. She finishes her coffee, grabs her bag, and kisses me. Then she pauses at the door. She locks her gaze with mine. "I'm okay."
"I know," I answer, because I do.
She nods and exits. When the door closes behind her, my eyes sweep the condo. Her sweater's draped over the chair. Her shoes sit by the door. It's all evidence that we're beyond anything casual, and this is the life we're creating.
I shower, dress, and move through my routine, but my mind keeps circling back to the same thought.
She chose this.
Chose me.
Chose us every day since we met.
Before I leave for work, I reach into the nightstand and pull out the ring.
It's small, custom, heavy in my palm. The center stone is a deep red garnet, almost wine-dark and cut imperfectly on purpose.
It catches light in unexpected ways. Around it is a thin halo of pale blue sapphires, subtle unless you're looking closely.
It screams protection as it circles the garnet, holding it in place without dimming it.
It represents us just like the hourglass she gifted me, fire wrapped in calm, chaos anchored by intention.
I close my fingers around it and slide it back into my pocket, right over my heart. I don't need to propose yet to know the answer. I already know she'll say yes, so I just have to figure out how to make it special when I ask her.
I leave for work. The day passes in a blur of routine and distraction. Emails, meetings, and the familiar faces of clients fill my day. Amy checks in more than usual, eyes sharp, instincts honed, but I'm unsure why.
"You good?" she asks near the end of the day while packing up to go home.
"Yeah, I'm perfect. Why?" I question.
"Just checking," she says, then zips her purse.
There's a knock on the door, and Adrian steps through.
My stomach flips, and my chest tightens.
Neither of us says anything. We stare at the other.
Amy clears her throat. "Can I help you?"
Adrian turns toward her. His Russian accent flares, "I'm here to see Dr. Mercer. I'm Blue's father."
"Oh! It's nice to meet you," she says, steps closer, and holds out her hand, gushing, "I'm Amy. I love Blue! She's so talented! She made me this skirt I'm wearing!"
Adrian offers a warm smile. His eyes light up. "Yes. Her mom and I are very proud of her." He shakes her hand. He turns to me, and the warmth disappears. "Do you have a few minutes?"
Is he going to kidnap me again?
No, he'd have someone else do it.
Blue needs her parents in her life.
"Please. I'll join you in a moment," I instruct, motioning for him to enter my personal office.
He nods and obeys.
I turn toward Amy. "Have a great night."
She hesitates. "You want me to stay until he leaves?"
I shake my head. "No need. Go home."
She studies me for a second, then nods. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." She steps out the door, and the office feels instantly smaller.
I take a few deep breaths, then enter my office.
Adrian stands inside, his hands folded neatly in front of him, posture calm in the way men like him get when they're trying not to explode.
He looks the same as always in his expensive dress shirt, sharp eyes, and controlled breath.
Yet there's also something different. He isn't scanning the room like he's measuring threats. He's waiting.
I gesture toward the chair across from my desk. "Please have a seat."
He hesitates, then sits.
I remain standing, arms crossed, leaning against the hutch, my body angled just enough to remind him that whatever power he thinks he has doesn't apply here.
For a long moment, neither of us speaks. The silence stretches. It's the kind meant to make the other person crack first.
"I owe you an apology," Adrian says finally.
It's so unexpected that I almost laugh, yet I hold it in. I deadpan, "You owe me more than that."
He nods once. "I know."
I pull my chair out and sit, my eyes never leaving his. "Now that we're past that, what else would you like to discuss?"
His jaw tightens. He looks down at his hands like he's not used to needing words for anything. He fumbles, "I didn't know. Not really. Except I need to make things right with Blue."
A familiar heat coils in my chest, anger rising fast and sharp. "And you came here to tell me you're sorry for the violence and want my help?"
"I know," he cuts in, raising a hand. "I know it was wrong, and I didn't have any right to go there with you. I just..."
I wait.
He looks away, and his nostrils flare as he takes several inhales. Then he looks back at me. "I didn't know how badly she was hurting herself. I didn't know it had gone on so long. I didn't know that when she said she was fine, it wasn't because she was strong, it was because she was hiding."
My hands curl into fists at my sides. Since Blue told her mom and there's no more patient confidentiality to worry about, I speak freely. "She's been hiding her struggles her whole life."
Pain flickers across his face so harshly that I cringe inside.
He admits, "I didn't know. If I had, I would have.
.." He shakes his head and closes his eyes.
When he opens them, they're glistening. "Hell, I don't know what I would have done, but Skylar and I would have done something to try and help her. "
The admission hangs between us, fragile and dangerous.
His jaw twitches, and he adds, "I didn't know about the stalking. Not the truth of it. I thought… I thought Brax was interested in her. I never believed him when he insisted he wasn't. And then I assumed you took advantage of her, but Skylar told me what she did to Brax and you."
I laugh under my breath, bitter. "Yeah. Blue doesn't take no for an answer. I get the feeling she gets it from you."
The corners of his mouth curve. "Maybe."
"She was drowning," I assert.
His smile falls. "Yes. I now understand."
Silence explodes again.
Vulnerability lights up his expression. He asks, "Why does she stalk men? I don't understand it. She's a beautiful, talented woman. Tons of guys would want to date her."
My pulse ticks upward. I explain, "Yes. I agree.
But stalking behaviors can feel like survival to someone whose nervous system equates distance with danger.
She fears abandonment intensely and seeks constant reassurance that a connection is real.
And for Blue, she needs someone who doesn't disappear when she shows her worst parts. "
He swallows hard. He asks, "And you? You don't want to run from her?"
"No. I love her, and there's nothing you can do to make me stop loving her," I insist, and reach into my chest pocket. My fingers brush the familiar weight. The ring feels heavier now than it did this morning, like it knows what's coming. I pull it out but keep it in my fist.
Adrian continues, "I didn't come here to convince you not to love her or fight. I came because my wife made me listen. And because Blue made it clear that if I didn't change…I would lose her."
I nod. "Yes. She meant it."
"I know. When I came to your house—before I had Mikhail pick you up—I-I've never seen her look at me like that. Like she already wrote me off."
I stay silent.
He adamantly asserts, "I will not lose my daughter."
"Then don't." I uncurl my fist. The garnet catches the light, deep red fire flaring against the polished metal. The blue sapphires glow softly around it, calm and steady, a quiet promise. I declare, "I'm marrying her."
His breath hitches.
"I'm not asking your permission. I'm telling you. I love her, and I choose her. And I will spend the rest of my life doing whatever I have to for her to not make herself bleed," I state.
His eyes drop to the ring.
"I designed it for her," I add, unable to stop myself.
"The red is her fire. Her intensity. The parts of her that burn too bright for people who are too weak to stare at it straight in the face.
The blue surrounds it, not to cage it but to protect and steady it.
It's a reminder for her that she doesn't have to destroy herself to be powerful. "
Adrian leans closer, peering at it.
I continue, "I haven't asked her to marry me yet, but I already know she'll say yes."
Adrian reaches for it and holds it in the light, studying it.
My honesty flows. "I would like your approval, not because I need it but because she does. Whether she wants to admit it or not."
He closes his eyes, releases a chaotic breath, then pins his gaze on me. Something has shifted in it. He carefully asserts, "If Blue wishes to marry you, then I will welcome you into the family."
The words hit harder than I expected.
Adrian places the ring back in my hand and shifts in his seat. "I was wrong about you and your position in her life. It's bad on paper, but when you see all the facts, I can't condemn it. If you're the person saving my daughter from herself, then I won't interfere or cause problems."
Relief hits me. "Thank you. And so you know, I'm working with Blue to not be dependent on me while not feeling abandoned. It's important she finds her inner strength, and I do believe she gets closer to it every day."
"Good. That's good to hear," he praises, then adds, "And I will spend the rest of my life trying to earn back what I almost destroyed."
I slide the ring back into my pocket and rise. "So we're good now?"
"Yes." He stands then hesitates. "Tell her…please tell her I miss her."
"I will," I say.
He pauses at the door, hand on the handle. His voice turns rough. "Thank you for helping her. And loving her. She deserves to truly be loved by a man."
"She is. I promise you," I vow.
He leaves, and I sink into my chair, then scrub a hand down my face. My breath leaves my lungs in a rush. Relief fills me.
I pull out my phone and stare at her name on the screen.
Blue
I smile and text.
Me: I'm leaving work now.
Blue: Great. I'll be home in another hour or so.
Me: I'll start dinner then.
Blue: Don't burn it.
I laugh.
Me: I'll try not to. See you soon. Love you.
Blue: Love you, too.
I pull out the ring and look at it again thinking about the future I'm about to ask for. Ironically enough, I realize for the first time in my life, I don't feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I'm finally standing exactly where I belong.