Chapter 19 #2
I reach over and place my hand over hers on the table, effectively stopping the motion of her fingers. "No business talk, Zora. You were the one who made that a condition for tonight, and I am holding you to it."
Zora blinks at me, her mouth parting in a small gasp before a sheepish grin spreads across her face.
She turns her hand over and interlaces her fingers with mine, the warmth of her palm grounding me in the middle of the chaotic room.
"You are right. I am terrible at turning my brain off lately.
It feels like I have spent my whole life waiting for this project to happen and now I cannot think about anything else. "
I squeeze her hand and lean a little closer to her across the tray, the scent of honey and vanilla rising from her skin to meet the spicy air of the restaurant. "I know the feeling. But even the Director of the Sunflower Center needs a break from the paperwork."
She looks down at the tray of food, her expression softening as she tears off another piece of the spongy bread.
"The smell of these spices and the way we have to tear this bread with our hands reminds me of those late nights in the shelter kitchen.
Do you remember when Micah found that stash of cinnamon rolls and we ate them all before the sun came up? "
I let out a low laugh, the memory hitting me with a sudden, vivid clarity. "I remember thinking we were going to be in so much trouble. You had icing all over your face and you kept trying to hide behind Dameon because he was the only one big enough to cover you even back then."
Zora lets out a melodic laugh that carries over the noise of the music. "I was terrified of Mrs. Thatcher. But you stood at the front of the line and told her you were the one who stole them. You took the heat for all of us and I remember thinking you were the bravest person I had ever met."
She grows quiet for a second, her thumb tracing the line of my knuckles as the laughter fades from her eyes.
"Actually, that wasn't even the bravest thing.
I still have nightmares about the fire at the home.
I remember looking back at the second-story window after you pushed me out and seeing the roof collapse into the room. "
I frown, the weight of that memory shifting the air between us. "You remember the roof giving way?"
Zora nods, her grip on my hand tightening.
"The smoke was everywhere and the sound of the beams snapping was so loud it felt like the world was ending.
I was on the ground looking up and I was sure you died in there trying to make sure I hit the grass safe.
I spent a decade carrying that guilt around because I thought I was only alive because you gave up your life for mine. "
I reach across the tray and cup her jaw, forcing her to look at me. "I didn't stay inside, Zo. I followed you out that window about five seconds after I pushed you. I landed in the bushes and spent a week in the hospital with a concussion and some bruised ribs, but I made it out."
Zora stares at me, her mouth dropping open as she processes the information. "You fell out after me? I never saw you hit the ground. I think I passed out the second the cold air hit my lungs and the adrenaline ran out."
She lets out a shaky, breathless laugh and wipes at the corner of her eye with her free hand. "I realize something in this moment. I don't think I ever actually thanked you for saving my life that night."
I lean forward until our foreheads are almost touching, the noise of the restaurant fading into a distant hum. "You don't ever have to thank me for that. I would do it again every single day if it meant you were safe."
She grows quiet for a moment; her gaze lingering on my eyes.
"You have been doing that for sixteen years, Reid.
You have been the one standing at the front of the line.
I think that is why it was so hard for me to see you as anything other than a protector.
I forgot that the boy who stole the cinnamon rolls was also the boy who used to tell me stories about the stars. "
I feel a strange tightening in my chest, a mixture of pride and a lingering regret. I spent so much energy becoming the man who could provide everything she needed that I buried the boy who simply wanted to be with her.
I take a piece of the bread and scoop up some of the lamb, offering it across the table to her this time.
"I still remember the way you used to hum when you were happy.
You would sit by the window in the common room and watch the cars go by, planning where we were going to go when we finally got out. "
Zora takes the bite, her eyes never leaving mine. She swallows. "I always knew we would end up somewhere like this. I didn't realize it would take us this long to sit at the table as equals."
When we leave the restaurant an hour later, I lead her to the car and hold the door open for her. I have already booked a suite at a high-end hotel downtown, a neutral territory where we can talk without the ghosts of our past interfering.
The hotel lobby is a hushed expanse of polished stone and the scent of expensive lilies as I lead Zora toward the elevators.
My hand rests at the small of her back, but I don't feel the same wall of resistance that has been there for months.
The silence between us has shifted from the suffocating weight of the last six months into something electric and expectant.
When the doors slide open, I lead her to the room and feel the heavy thud of my heart against my ribs.
I swipe the key card and let us into the suite. The room is a vast space of neutral tones and floor-to-ceiling glass looking out over the flickering lights of the city. The air in here is cool, but the honey and vanilla of Zora’s scent already thickens in the small sitting area outside the bedroom.
Zora turns to face me, her brown eyes watching me with a softness I haven't seen in a long time.
She doesn't have to say anything to make me realize what I need to do to fix the bridge I've been burning.
I reach for the buttons of my shirt with steady fingers, my movements slow and intentional.
I shed the layers of my polished corporate persona, dropping my shirt and my pants until I'm standing before her in nothing.
The cool air hits my chest; I don't look away from her gaze.
I lower myself to my knees on the hardwood floor, the position of total submission feeling like the only honest way to offer what I owe her.
I rest my hands on my thighs and look up at her, stripped of the authority I've used as a shield for years.
This is my choice, a physical surrender to the person I've spent months unintentionally stifling.
I can't let another night go by without her knowing how much I've messed up.
Taking a deep breath, the vulnerability of being at her feet makes my blood hum with a strange combination of fear and relief.
"I'm sorry, Zora. I'm so deeply sorry for what I did to you.
I stole your autonomy because I was too arrogant to believe you could survive without my hand on the wheel.
I made your success feel like a lie by manipulating those sponsorships and treating your life like a project I needed to manage.
I took away your sense of achievement and I called it protection because I can't face the idea of you not needing me anymore. "
Zora stares at me for a long time, letting the silence build while she processes my words.
She walks toward me, her footsteps light on the hardwood floor.
She stops in front of me, her knees inches from my chest. She reaches out and runs a warm hand over the top of my blonde hair, her fingers grazing the scar on my eyebrow with a tenderness that makes my chest ache.
"I know it's hard for you to be here on your knees like this, Reid. I know every part of your nature wants to be in control of the room and the situation."
She sighs softly, her touch lingering on my temple.
"I needed to build the Sunflower Center with my own hands.
I needed to know that every brick and every tile belonged to me because I earned them.
If I had let you handle the funding, the Sunflower Center would have always been your victory, not mine.
I don't want to live in your shadow anymore. "
I lean my forehead against her stomach, the soft knit of her dress a comfort against my skin. "I understand that now. I see the woman you've become, and I'm disgusted that I ever tried to keep you in a box."
Zora tilts my head back so I have to look into her eyes.
She smiles, and it's the most honest expression she's given me since the day we met.
"I miss the authoritative side of you. I miss the way you handled things back during our session through the RAA.
But I can't give into that part of us until I know we're on equal footing outside the bedroom.
I can't be your Omega until I'm also your partner in life. "
I reach up and take her hands in mine, my thumbs brushing over her knuckles as I look at her with absolute certainty. "I'm your partner, Zora. I'm done trying to lead you or protect you from things you can handle yourself. I'm right here beside you from now on."
Zora smiles and the tension that's been between us for months dissolves into something warm and familiar.
She reaches for the hem of her dress and pulls it over her head in one fluid motion, revealing the warm curves of her body.
She steps closer and rests her hands on my shoulders, her eyes searching mine with a quiet intensity.
"I'm tired of making every decision, Reid.
I've been the boss for months and I'm exhausted.
I need you to take over for me tonight. I need you to be Sunday. "