Chapter 28 Blaine
Chapter twenty-eight
Blaine
The morning light spilled pale across the sheets, and for once, I didn’t immediately think about missing meetings for my beauty sleep or contracts or the thousand fires Killian swore I should be putting out. All I thought about was her.
My little Sunshine, curled against me, her breath warm on my chest, body still trembling faintly from the night before.
Last night wasn’t just sex. Not in the way I usually took her. That was me laying myself bare like some lovesick idiot, confessing things I swore I’d never tell anyone. And the worst part? I didn’t regret a damn thing.
I brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and kissed her temple. God, I wanted to stay in this bed forever, keep her mine forever… but duty calls. Or rather, Lucifer calls.
She stirred once, sighing softly as I tightened my tie in the mirror. I almost ditched the day right there. Almost. But if I missed another meeting, Killian would send a search party.
So I left her with the sheets still warm and my scent all over her skin as I slipped back into the role of the charming billionaire everyone knew.
Killian didn’t even look up when I walked into his office, just kept flipping through a stack of reports like the world would collapse if he didn’t. Typical asshole billionaire behavior at play.
“Congratulations,” he muttered dryly, scribbling a note in the margin before finally meeting my eyes. “On the rare occurrence of you actually doing your job.”
I smirked, dropping into the chair across from him. It was the closest thing to a compliment I’d get. Hell, I’d take it. “Careful, you almost sound proud of me. Don’t want to make it a habit.”
Killian finally glanced up, eyes sharp. “I wouldn’t get too ahead of yourself. Drummond’s deal is dragging. You’re still stalling.”
“I am…” I murmured, contemplating whether I should just let the cat out of the bag now. “He’s digging his own grave. Calvin is funding his demise.”
“That was just a speculation. We still don’t even know if they’re doing business with one another.”
I leaned back, stretching out like this was just another Tuesday. “Drummond is running half a dozen shell corporations, bleeding money through loan sharking and side hustles. Calvin fronts the cash, hides the proceeds of it.”
Killian leaned back slowly, studying me. Then he gave a low laugh without humor.
“And you thought now was the most convenient time to mention this?”
I shrugged. “Timing’s everything.”
His gaze sharpened, like he was weighing whether to strangle me or hear me out. His pen tapped once against the desk, the gears in his mind turning like the well-oiled machine he was.
“The second one of those shells folds, Calvin’s gone,” he murmured in thought. “He’ll pull his money, clear his name, let Drummond sink alone.”
I gave a low hum. “He’ll eat a few million doing it.”
“Was planning he’d eat a bit more than a few.”
Crossing my arms, I scoffed. Calvin always knew how to get under Killian’s skin. The bastard lived for it. And Killian? He always took the bait. Every. Damn. Time. So to hear he actually wanted to stick it to the man, just this once? That was a first.
“The great Killian, plotting revenge instead of taking the high road? I thought I’d never see the day…”
“Well, after the incident in London, then in my office, then in Japan, then with Brielle’s sister—”
“I’m sure we get the point.”
“It’s warranted.” His tone sharpened, all humor gone. “Calvin’s going to run. He always does. But this time, you don’t let him. You buy Drummond out before the collapse. Every loan, every fake asset, every desperate hand he owes. Put it all in your pocket.”
I arched a brow. Looks like someone’s tapping into their capitalist billionaire persona. “And when Calvin pulls his money?”
Killian’s eyes glinted. “He takes the loss. You take the leash. Drummond belongs to you.”
A slow grin tugged at my mouth. Truly poetic justice. He once thought Maia was his to ruin, his to bleed dry. His to own, treated her like debt to collect, made her feel small, stripped her of her worth… This was fitting, really.
He’d be the one crawling now. Begging me to keep him afloat. And I’d own him. Every asset, every loan, every desperate fucking breath… mine. Balance restored. Sunshine safe. And me? I’d enjoy every second of watching him choke on the irony of it all.
“Now that, Kiki, I can work with.”
Practice was letting out just as the sun dipped low, the lot buzzing with kids running wild. I leaned against the hood of my car, checking my watch for the hundredth time. Patience was never one of my virtues…
And then she walked out. My Sunshine. Hair tied back, cheeks flushed pink from sweat, still managing to look like a goddamn dream. She laughed at something one of the kids said, waved goodbye, and for a second, I hated the fact that anyone else got to see her like this.
Her eyes caught mine instantly. She froze, lips twitching like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to smile or curse me. Then she bit her lip.
“Mr. Porter…” she said carefully, her voice soft but teasing. “What are you doing here?”
I let my smirk curl, slow. “Picking you up from practice. Thought we re-established that part of our relationship…”
She rolled her eyes, though the red tint on her cheeks deepened. “You know you shouldn’t be here. The other parents—”
“What about them?” I cut in, pushing off the hood.
She gave me a deadpan stare. “They’ll talk.
Dance moms live for gossip, and it's a little obvious, you know… me coming out dressed like this and you pulling up in a suit and car like you own the place. Who knows what they’re conjuring up in their heads?
” she murmured, looking around as if the women nearby were actually focusing on us.
“Obvious?” I repeated, enjoying the way she shifted when I got close. “Sunshine, I fund half this town’s hobbies. I’m allowed to step anywhere I very much please.”
“Didn’t know you were so charitable, Mr. Porter.”
“Eh, a tax write-off is a tax write-off.” I shrugged before I slipped a hand around her waist, tugging her flush against me until her breath caught. My mouth brushed her ear as I murmured, “Let them see. What if I want them to know I’m picking up my girl?”
“Then I won’t be your little secret anymore…” She hesitated slightly, and I pulled away, gazing down at her. “Are you okay with that?” she asked, her tone seeming like she was more than okay with that but still wary of my commitment to her.
I brought my hand to the side of her face. “Of course I am, baby.” Her beautiful smile came to her face, her eyes lighting up as I leaned in closer, aching to taste her lips against mine.
Then—bang bang bang.
A tiny squeal, muffled through the glass doors. My head snapped up just in time to see Delilah pressed against the window. Grinning. Waving. Like a pint-sized little snitch.
“Fuck me,” I muttered under my breath.
Maia followed my gaze, her brow furrowing as she watched the little rascal bang against the glass, catching the attention of concerned nearby parents.
“Looks like we have a fan…” She giggled, and I shook my head, pulling away.
“Yeah… one of those superfans you let the authorities know about…”
“Blaine. She’s five.”
“Exactly,” I muttered, opening the passenger door for her. “Five years old and already my biggest fucking liability.” Her giggles faded as I closed the door, narrowing my eyes back at the entrance to see Delilah’s conniving little smile still plastered to her face.
The world knowing my sugar baby Sunshine was finally mine? Fine. But Killian finding out? That… still had kinks I needed to work out. A no longer four- but now five-year-old extorting me was definitely one of them.
Driving through Maia’s block, I could see her visibly tense as someone sat at the steps to the entrance to her apartment complex. Her knee began to bounce as she gnawed on her lip, her breathing picking up slightly as her eyes remained fixed on the man.
Wesley Dalton.
He was here for a reason. To see her… to apologize, to restart the same cycle.
I should’ve been furious. And I was. At him, at Felix, at the whole fucked system that left her carrying everyone else’s weight. But part of me understood. Addictions didn’t vanish. Men like Wes didn’t just walk out of rehab cured and back into the lives of their loved ones, changed for the better.
They do better, they relapse, then they try again. The people who loved them most ended up bleeding for it.
I should’ve pulled over, let her decide. But I already knew what she’d do. She’d let him talk, let him cry, let him promise change all over again. And then she’d shoulder it. Like she always did. Forget she tried to set a boundary and let him in again.
Not this time.
Because I wasn’t watching her bleed herself dry again, not for him. Not for anyone anymore.
“We should come back later,” I advised calmly despite my growing anger.
She swallowed, breath shaky. Her eyes flicked to me, wide and wet, like she wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words.
“Blaine—” Her voice cracked on my name. Just from the tone of her voice, I could sense the sliver of forgiveness peaking through.
I kept my gaze on the road ahead. “Sunshine, if I stop, he’ll talk. You’ll listen. And we’ll be right back where we started.”
She shook her head hard, nails digging crescents into her thigh. “He’s all I have left.”
I’d said those same words when I tried to justify my mother’s distance. Tried to justify why I still held her on a pedestal despite her leaving me behind every day.
Grabbing her hand gently, I lifted it to my lips, kissing the back of it despite her little palm growing sweaty.
“No,” I murmured against her skin. “He’s not all you have. You and I both know that. Despite the guilt you have in your chest, you know he has to be the one to make the decision to get better. Otherwise, he’ll keep taking until there’s nothing left.”
Her lips parted, trembling like she wanted to argue, but her voice was gone.
Eventually, she nodded, but bit her lip as she glanced over at the building.
“I should at least grab some things… say hi on the way up?” she asked gently, probably knowing my answer, but I couldn’t say no to the fucking gorgeous little pout.
“Fine.”
She exhaled, relief flickering in her eyes, and slipped her hand from mine. “I won’t be long.”
I parked at the curb, watching her exit as Wesley rose from the step.
For a moment, I debated following her, but immediately warmth filled my chest as she did just as she told me she would.
She said hi. And I could tell from the car he was already rambling about how sorry he was, and my pretty girl just stood still, listening, her face unwavering as the man continued.
Stepping out of the car, I cracked my neck to the side as I approached slowly.
His voice trailed off mid-apology when he realized I was nearing the two of them. Maia glanced between us, chewing her lip before she whispered, “I’ll be right back,” before she swiftly slipped away to avoid the tension.
Once she’d left, it was only me and him.
He rubbed a hand down his face, shoulders hunched.
“You don’t have to look at me like that.
I know I’m a screw-up. I never wanted her to—” His voice cracked, probably rough from too many cigarettes, too many nights drowning himself in regret.
“She deserves better than a washed-up old man who can’t get his shit together. ”
I gave a light shrug. It wasn’t a lie. “You’re right. She does.”
He sat down on the step once more. His head dropped lower, shame etched in every line of his face.
“And despite that… you’re still here,” I continued, voice even, deliberate. “Which means she’ll keep giving you pieces of herself until there’s nothing left. She doesn’t know how to quit on people. You do.”
He swallowed hard, staring at the cracked concrete between us. “She’s all I’ve got.”
“Funny. She said the same about you.”
His head lifted, eyes glinting with something raw, almost desperate.
“Then you know why I can’t let her go. She’s the only reason I’ve made it this far.
Without her…” His words trailed off, his voice breaking as he dragged another shaky hand through his thinning hair.
“Without her, I don’t have a damn thing. ”
I stared down at him, jaw tight. “And with you, she’s drowning.”
“I know she is…” He sighed, shaking his head. “Kid’s a giver. Always has been. Not a damn thing in this world was handed to her, so when someone needed, she gave. Even when it left her empty.”
His mouth twisted, shame flickering in his eyes. “I leaned on that. I knew she’d break herself to keep me standing, and I let her. Felix—” His throat worked, bitter. “Felix saw it too. Only he made it worse.”
I felt my hands curl into fists, but he wasn’t finished.
“You say you’re different.” His gaze flicked to mine, wet and weary. “But men like you… suits, money, power… you see a girl like Maia and you take. You tell yourself you’re saving her, but you’re still taking. And she’ll give until there’s nothing left. That’s who she is.”
I leaned down, close enough he couldn’t miss me. I’d never wanted to punch someone more in my life, but given he was my future wife’s only family, I couldn’t exactly knock some sense into him.
“You’re right,” I murmured. “She does give everything. And I’ll take every last piece. Every tear, every scar, every broken part of her past.” My voice dropped lower, sharper. “But unlike you… unlike him… I won’t leave her empty. I won’t leave her worthless.”
I held his stare, letting the truth hit his chest. “Because she’s mine.
And soon enough, she’ll know it. Not because she owes me.
Not because I hold something over her head.
But because she’s the only goddamn thing I want in this world.
And when she finally believes it, she’ll never doubt her worth again. ”
He had little to say in response.
Hearing a few footsteps, I looked up to see my Maia, her eyes gazing at me with tears as she tried her best to smile, probably having heard my words.
Wes didn’t argue as she gave him a final hug, telling him she’d call him soon. He said nothing as he watched us return to the car. The look in his eyes, however, had changed from regret and bitterness to something almost like understanding.
And then he nodded. Just once.
Approval. Permission. Whatever the hell he thought it meant, I didn’t need it. She was already mine. But I understood it for what it was… his way of stepping aside, of saying he knew she was safer in my hands than in his.
Odd, really. He cared for her, wanted her protected from being used, yet he’d been one of the ones to use her the most. Letting her go was the closest he’d ever come to taking care of her.