Chapter 55
DEXTER
Holly’s sister Shelby stands in the hall with her arms crossed, her gaze flicking between us, one brow lifting as her mouth curves.
“Hey, Dexter,” she says, bone-dry. “Lovely of you to stop by. Please stop snogging my sister while my kids are upstairs, though. I mean, they’re supposed to be asleep, but you never know when one of the cheeky monkeys might suddenly appear.”
“Noted,” I say. “Is there somewhere private we can talk?”
“You can go out back.” She jerks her thumb toward the kitchen. “Follow me.”
“Thanks.”
Hand in hand, Holly and I follow her down the hall. Upstairs a bedroom door creaks open, and a moment later Nico bounds down the stairs, hair wild, eyes wide.
“Uncle Dexter! Uncle Dexter! Didn’t know you were coming!”
“Thought I’d surprise your auntie,” I tell him, tossing him a wink.
“Bed. Now,” Shelby orders without missing a beat. “Don’t make me do the countdown.”
Nico doesn’t argue. He gives me a quick hug and a bro-style half-pound, before vanishing back upstairs like it never happened.
Holly tugs me through the kitchen while Shelby storms ahead into the garden.
The rain has stopped, and through the window, I catch her drying rain off the swing with a kitchen towel, muttering something under her breath about “wet arses and pneumonia,” and then she lights every candle she can find.
On the stone walls, on an old tree trunk, along the path. All of them.
I glance at Holly. She gives her sister a silent “are you serious right now?” look.
Shelby shoots one right back, whispering, “Shhhh. Atmosphere, darling. Embrace it.”
By the time we step outside, the whole garden looks like a page out of a home and garden magazine. Even though it’s been raining, it’s surprisingly pleasant outside. I’m not one for greenery, but Shelby has done a good job with the little space she has to work with out here.
There’s a dark wooden swing (now bone-dry) nestled between two rose bushes.
We sit.
Shelby reappears and dumps a folded blanket in my lap. “Just in case, darlings,” she says briskly, and disappears with a satisfied nod.
I wrap the blanket around our shoulders and pull Holly in close.
“Dexter… why are you here?” she asks quietly.
I take her hand. “I came for you.”
Her smile falters. She starts to pull back. “If you think you can just show up and drag me back—”
“I’m not dragging you anywhere,” I say, holding her gaze. “I got to JFK, missed you by minutes, drove home, grabbed my passport, and got on the next flight. To give you this.”
I reach into my pocket and pull out the envelope with the keys. The deed follows, with both her name and Shelby’s, signed and final.
Her eyes widen. “Dexter…”
“No rent, no strings. It’s yours. Both of you.”
She looks up, almost disbelieving. “Ours?” she whispers.
“It was never mine,” I tell her. “Perfect building, but I didn’t need it. But for you two? It was everything. The odds of you staying were fifty-fifty, and I wasn’t risking it. So I took it off the market before anyone else could.”
Her eyes glisten, her fingers brushing over the papers. “You didn’t need it? What do you mean?”
“It’s true, I bought it right out from under your nose, hoping you’d stay in New York,” I admit.
“But even if you hadn’t, I needed to know what we were dealing with.
A place that sits empty that long usually means trouble.
I had Julian check it out to make sure it was solid.
And it is. It just sat in the family until they put it up for sale.
By then everyone figured there had to be a catch, so the price dropped, and you and Shelby found it.
That was the smart move, and the rest doesn’t matter. I’m in this with you. All the way.”
Her brow lifts, skeptical. “The rest doesn’t matter? You say that, but… you bought half the neighborhood just to block me and Shelby. That’s what ‘all the way’ looks like to you?”
A short laugh rumbles out of me. “That’s not what happened.
Yes, I bought them, but not to block you.
I was laying down a footprint here in London, same setup I have in New York.
One showroom, some nearby spaces for demos and active projects, to have a presence.
I didn’t even know which property you were serious about until you showed me.
The mistake was closing it behind your back.
Thinking if I locked it down, you’d stay. ”
“But you bought buildings that look like kindergartens,” she says, suspicious, almost as if she needs the accusation to hold up.
“They’re affordable, bright, open, with easy access. Ideal for design showrooms.” My mouth twitches. “And yeah, they flip just as easy into kindergartens. That part is coincidence.”
Her eyes dart from the deed back to me, still processing. “You actually set your business up here. For me?”
I don’t flinch. “Obviously,” I tease.
Holly goes quiet. I can tell she’s not sure whether to believe it.
“You knew I was growing the business,” I add. “Julian was in touch plenty while you were around.”
She gives me that adorable look that says, “you really think I’m listening? The moment you talk shop, I start picturing what I’m having for lunch.”
I pull out my phone, scroll, and show it to her. The first emails to Julian, weeks before we knew about the baby. Proof this wasn’t about “trapping her in New York,” or some reckless move to ruin what she’d built.
“You moved your whole life… here… for us.” The disbelief is cracking. I see it happen. The pieces sliding into place. Her eyes search me, not as guarded as before but still careful.
“I know you told me to stay out of it. And maybe I should have listened. But when it came down to it, I couldn’t.
Call it control if you want. For me, it was making sure I didn’t lose the one thing I couldn’t replace.
I needed you in my life, either place—there or here.
Preferably New York, for selfish reasons.
Losing you wasn’t an option. And no, I’m not sorry, not for a second. ”
My chest thunders against my ribs, slowing my breath. I pull her closer, and brush my thumb over her cheek. I can feel she wants to trust me but isn’t sure if she dares.
I’m done letting her doubt. I can’t.
“I love you, baby.” The words leave me raw. “I fucking love you. I meant it then. I mean it now. You’re the only woman I’ve ever said that to.”
She exhales shakily. “Dexter…”
I force my voice lower, unfiltered, so she feels every word. “Yeah. I’m completely, stupidly in love with you.”
She looks at me, trembling, lips parted, eyes starting to glisten.
“You’re my girl, Holly.” I tighten my hold, and don’t rush the next words. “And I’m not letting you go. Not this time. Not ever.”
She opens her mouth, probably to question it, but I don’t give her the chance.
“No, let me finish.”
She stops, breath held, eyes shimmering with tears.
I kiss her forehead, keep my mouth there just a little longer, and pull back just enough to look at her, my voice low.
“I know you’re scared. I get it. It scares the hell out of me too.
But I’m here, and I’m not backing away. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it, but you’re all I ever wanted. All I ever craved.”
Holly’s chin trembles. Her eyes soften, and they don’t let go of mine. That’s how I know I can keep going.
“I want to be that guy for you. Your safe place. Where you don’t have to second-guess.
The guy who loves you how you deserve to be loved.
I swear to you, I will never hurt you. I’m not saying I’ll never screw something up, because I’m a guy and likely I will…
but baby, I won’t break your heart, as long as I live…
You know that—you know I never would.” My hands slide down her arms, and I squeeze her hand. “Don’t you?”
Her eyes well up further, and a tear trickles down her cheeks.
“Don’t you, baby?”
She sniffles. “I do.” Her voice is barely above a whisper.
“I’ve never felt more certain of anything in my life.” I let go of her hand and wrap my arms around her until I feel her soften against me. “I can live without a lot of things. But not you. There’s no one more perfect for me than you. You agree?”
Tears trace their path down her cheeks, and she blinks, shaking her head. “Yes,” she sobs.
“No one who gets under my skin like you do. You know that, right?”
She sobs out a laugh. “Yes.”
I reach for her face, brush the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs. “Don’t send me away.”
I kiss her lips, because I need to. Because when that plane took off, I thought I’d lost this chance forever. And now that I have it again, I’m not letting go.
She kisses me back, but after a breathless second, she presses her hand gently to my chest. “I used to think I wasn’t your type.”
I shake my head. “Oh, baby… trust me. You’re exactly my type. Every bit of you, every way. You’re not just my type, Holly. You’re the type. You set the damn bar.”
A quick laugh slips out of her.
“I mean it. Nothing else comes close. You’re the one who makes me want to fly.”
She lets out another shaky breath, half laugh, half sob. “You know,” she murmurs, lighter than before, “you could have used the phone instead of hopping on a plane just to prove the man who plans everything three moves ahead can be spontaneous.”
I lean in. “And give up this? The chance to sit out here in London past midnight, wrapped in a blanket, with you pretending this isn’t exactly where you want me?”
She laughs. “And here I thought I was the reckless one.”
“Yeah, what’s up with that? You: organized, ducks in a row, even made your flight.”
She shakes her head, giggling. “Feels wrong.”
“World’s backwards.”
“Don’t get used to it. Chaos is making a comeback. Starting now.” Still giggling, she climbs into my lap and kisses me again, even more fiercely and passionately than she had on our last night.
When we part to catch our breath, I rumble, “Good. That’s what I thought. Go on. Tell me what I want to hear.”
“Dexter…I thought I was going crazy. I kept going back and forth. I knew there was something beautiful between us, but with everything that happened, and your work—” She hesitates. Then squints. “Oh! Wait, so what happened? When did you decide to ditch the meeting?”
“At the gate. After the plane took off. I sat down, looked at the time, looked at my phone, and realized I’d already made the choice. I just hadn’t left yet.”
“So… Swan’s gone?”
I shrug. “Lost it. Got a text from Keith after I landed. Right before I texted you. They went with Macro.”
Her mouth drops open. “You just… let it go?”
“I did.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.” I lean in. “Worth it.”
A number of emotions flash in her eyes, and she melts against me. “You really love me. Don’t you?”
I tip her chin up, mouth close to hers. “All right. Close your eyes.”
“Dexter?”
“Close them.” She does, and I gently cradle her cheeks. “Do you trust me?”
She smiles, nods, eyes closed. “Yes,” she whispers. “I trust you.”
“Do you believe me?”
“Every word.”
“Good. Then listen carefully.” I rest my forehead against hers. “Holly… it was always you.”
She inhales the smallest breath. I feel it against my lips.
“You’ve always been my destination. I didn’t see it for what it was at first, but once I did, there was no going back.
I followed you halfway across the world because I can’t live without you.
You’ve always been mine. Mine alone.” My voice drops.
“And I’ve always been yours. No matter what. No matter how. No matter where.”
I wait. Give it a second. “Now open your eyes.”
She meets my gaze.
“I promise I love you.”
A gasp escapes her lips.
“There. Does that do the magic trick?”
She nods, eyes all sparkly, and lets out a laugh. “Nailed it.” Her laugh is the most beautiful sound I’ve heard all day.
“Last night…I should have told you.” I brush my thumbs over her cheeks. “That I’m in,” I rumble. “All the way. I’ll move here. Stability, commitment, a future, whatever you need. It’s yours.”
She leans in for another kiss, but I stop her. “Say my name one more time,” I rumble.
“I’ve said it a million times.”
“Say it in that way.”
“Dexter.”
I feel it straight in my chest. “And now tell me what I need to hear.”
She studies me for a second.
“Oh, this is the part where I stroke your ego, isn’t it? You want to know if I love you? Is that what you’re asking?” Her lips twitch. “After all this, you really need me to spell it out?”
Of course she teases me.
My pulse kicks up hard enough that I notice it, and my heart thuds once, twice, against my ribs. I clear my throat.
“I already know. I know you love me,” I say, certain. My mouth hovers over hers, almost touching. “But I need to hear you say it. Now.”
I ease back again until I can see her eyes.
Giggling, she says, “Dexter Thorne, I love you. With every nerve and bone and unreasonable part of me.” She makes duck lips. “Now kiss me, Dimples.”
I lean in closer to those pouted lips, tenderly brushing them with mine. “Still think men with dimples can’t kiss, Duck Lips?”
“Oh…I might have been wrong there.” She blinks, pauses and shrugs softly. “But to be fair, I’m still not convinced.”
I grin.
She grins.
Before meeting the last few inches, I cup her face and kiss those ridiculously adorable duck lips, with everything I have. She sags into my arms with a dreamy sigh.
I don’t think past this moment. I don’t need to. Whatever comes next can wait.
Now that we’re together, nothing can stand in our way.
I lose track of how long we sit on that swing, holding each other close. It could be five minutes—it could be an eternity.
All I know is we kiss and kiss.
Until we see stars.
They are a million times brighter than the stars surrounding us.