Chapter 45
THEO
While I would’ve loved nothing more than to take Raquel up to my room and bury myself inside her for several days, I brought her out to show her around instead.
She wasn’t a city girl, but she took the sights in stride, just holding on to my hand and marveling at everything instead of seeming overwhelmed or intimidated by it.
“That guy sounds upset,” she said as a taxi driver laid on his horn. “What do you think happened?”
“Oh, nothing,” I replied easily, tugging her even closer to my side. “That’s just how people say hello around here.”
She snorted. “How friendly.”
I chuckled but then pointed at the Westwood and Sons building glowing against the skyline when we rounded the next corner. “Do you see that monstrosity?”
“It’s hard to miss.” I felt her glancing up at me. “Please tell me that’s not yours.”
“Well, I mean, it’s not mine, but it is ours. That’s our HQ. It’s my version of the shop, so to speak. That’s where I grew up.”
Her footsteps slowed as she peered up at it. Her jaw slackened before she shook her head. Then she bumped her shoulder playfully into mine. “Holy fuck, Theo. You made it sound like you could relate to us about the family business thing.”
“I can,” I protested laughingly. “Our building is just a bit more pretentious.”
She groaned. “It’s just a bit more, full stop. You actually really work there?”
I shrugged. “Worked. But that’s a conversation for later.”
“So you keep saying.”
“That’s because I’d rather show you my old stomping grounds than have the talk right here on the sidewalk.”
She looked up at me, those grays eyes practically sparkling as they met mine. “Yeah, I think I’d rather see your old stomping grounds than have that talk.”
“It’s not bad.” I reached for her face and tucked a lock of black hair behind her ear, her messy ponytail doing things to me that shouldn’t be happening in public. “I promise, okay? It’s all going to be fine.”
“If you say so.” She dropped her forehead against my chest, staying just like that for a moment before she lifted her head again and motioned toward the street. “Alright, onward. What are we going to see next?”
“The coffee shop I practically live in when I’m supposed to be at work,” I said, tightening my grip on her hand, and led her around the block.
I showed her the riverwalk and my favorite museums, restaurants, and galleries, but I watched her reactions to the city much more than I actually paid attention to where we were.
Raquel stopped in front of certain paintings displayed in windows and stared up at skyscrapers, her neck craning as she tried to take it all in.
We ate dinner from a food truck on the lake and dessert was ice cream cones we carried with us as we strolled to the hotel I’d booked us a suite at. Raquel rolled her eyes when I told her. “Why did you do that? We could just go back to your brother’s place. All my stuff is there.”
“No, it’s not,” I said easily. “I had them pack it all for you and put it in my car before we left. I’m not sharing you tonight.”
She smiled. “I think I can actually get behind this plan of yours.”
I laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders. “That’s good, because I wasn’t going to change my mind.”
As we arrived at the hotel, she did a double take. Her head shook again as I dragged her inside. “I seriously underestimated how little money means to you.”
“It means everything to me when I get to spend it on you,” I teased, but I was also serious. “Come on, let’s go get checked in. I got us the honeymoon suite.”
“Getting a bit ahead of ourselves, are we?”
I shrugged and grinned as I bent over to press a kiss to the top of her head. “Not if tonight pans out the way I’m hoping it will.”
She rolled her eyes, but again, I hadn’t really been joking. Even so, I would wait until we were safely tucked in our suite before I got to any of that. Thankfully, our check-in went smoothly, and a few minutes later, we were finally alone, our bags standing side by side next to the door.
Raquel looked around like she wasn’t sure she was allowed to touch anything.
I poured us each a glass of the wine I’d had waiting and handed hers over when I reached her.
She was standing in front of the wide windows, staring out at the glittering city skyline and the lights reflecting off the lake beyond.
“This is an incredible view.”
I slid my arm around her from behind and rested my chin on top of her head. “Not as incredible as you.”
“Wow, you really are laying it on thick tonight.”
“Nah. I’m just being honest.” I pulled her flush against me. “I really, really missed you.”
“Yeah, I really missed you too,” she said quietly, resting her head against my shoulder. “Are you really going to leave all this behind, though?”
“I am,” I said without a shred of doubt or hesitation in my mind. “I’m over Chicago and I have big plans in Quartz Pass anyway.”
“You do, huh? I’m not so sure there’s anything big there to be planned.”
“Oh, but there is.”
She finally spun to face me but didn’t even try to dislodge my arm from around her. “Let’s hear them, then. What are these big plans of yours?”
“Well, for starters, I’m going to be partnering with Avery at the shop,” I said softly. “I talked to him and he’s happy with the deal Colin and I put on the table.”
Her eyes went wide, her entire body going still. “Avery, as in, my brother Avery? He actually agreed to let you help him?”
“He did.” I smiled. “Your brother is going to let me help him.”
“That’s insane,” she breathed. Tears jumped into her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“You’re a billionaire. You can’t partner with someone on a small-town body shop.”
“I’m not a billionaire yet, but I can, and I am.”
“Wait.” She blinked up at me a few times. “Yet? That has to mean something. What does that mean?”
“It means that I talked to Alex and I’m going to be opening up a branch of W&S in Quartz Pass. Right there on the main strip.”
She blinked at me. “What?”
“I’m already in talks with a few other businesses about bringing your small town into the modern era too.
” Her lips parted, but not a sound came out, so I carried on.
“Thayer is interested in opening a regional operation nearby and Alex and Trent have been looking for a southwest hub for their beef too.”
She stared for a long beat. I wasn’t even sure if she was staring at me or if she was just staring, but either way, it took a second before she spoke again “Your family agreed to this? To let you open a small W&S branch in Quartz Pass, Arizona? Does Alex even know where that is?”
“He does now,” I said. “To be honest, he surprised the shit out of me when I spoke to him.”
“What did he say?”
I groaned. “Well, there was a lot of yelling. He was waiting at the airport when I landed and he tore me a new one.”
She scrunched up her nose. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. Once the dust settled, he gave me the go-ahead for the plan I think I’ve been formulating in the back of my mind since I first got to Quartz Pass. It just didn’t properly form until I spoke to Colin about it.”
“The plan to open up a branch of W&S?” she said slowly. “In Quartz Pass.”
I laughed. “You seem pretty hung up on that.”
“I am because I can’t believe it.”
I finally pulled her backward toward the couch, sitting down and pulling her with me.
“Well, you better find a way to believe it because it’s happening.
Alex has been looking for more and more ways to expand the company’s footprint ever since he took over, and apparently, I impressed him for thinking outside of the box. ”
“Apparently?”
I shrugged and took a sip of my wine. “His words, not mine. He said this would be a whole new market for us and that he’s excited to get started.”
“So he actually approves?”
I nodded. “Miraculously, yes, and it didn’t even sound like he was just indulging me because I’m the baby brother who always needs direction. He told me that this was a stroke of genius and that he was happy I brought it to him.”
“Why was he yelling at you, then?” she asked, her head cocking.
“Uh, to be fair, the yelling was before I told him the plan, but also, he was pretty upset that I hadn’t talked to him about it before and pissed as hell that I just took off without telling him about you at all.
I think he was even kind of devastated that I felt like I had to go behind his back. He’s a complicated man.”
She tucked her leg underneath herself, hope sparking to life behind her eyes. “Does that mean you don’t have to turn your back on your family to be with me?”
“Yeah, I’m not turning my back on my family or W&S, so I don’t have to forfeit anything and I still get to move to Quartz Pass.”
“What about getting married?”
I shrugged. “Alex is a hardliner when it comes to the rules, but it turns out that means he knows them back to front and front to back. There’s no clause in any of our trust deeds or contracts that sets out who we have to marry, which makes sense, considering that Jesse got his inheritance and he married Jacque, who he chose. ”
“Does that mean you’re free to marry anyone you choose?”
“Yep, but it also means you’re stuck with me. Jesse’s jet is taking us back to Arizona as soon as we’re ready and I don’t know how long it’ll be before I leave again, but even then, I’ll always be going back. You’ll never get rid of me now.”
Her expression turned slowly from incredulity to playfulness. “Well, where will you live?”
“I’m hoping Frieda will let me stay at the motel until I find a place,” I said. “Although she might not be too happy when I tell her I won’t be able to work only for her anymore.”
Raquel laughed. “No.”
“No, she won’t be happy?”
“No, you’re not going to live there.” She leaned forward to put her glass down on the coffee table, then took my free hand and looked directly into my eyes. “Frieda already got enough of you. It’s my turn to put you to work now.”
My heart tripled in size, genuine, absolute, pure, overwhelming joy spreading through me. “Is that so?”
“Yep.”
Without looking away from her, I set my glass down too, then grabbed her hips and hauled her into my lap.
Smiling, I folded my fingers around her thighs.
“Well, if you’re serious about this, I think we need to discuss the benefits of this job you’re offering.
What are the perks I’ll be getting for working with you? ”
She smiled and dipped her head closer to mine. “I can think of a few. Here, let me show you.”
Clasping her hands together at the back of my neck, she pulled me closer and sealed her lips over mine for a kiss that told me she was accepting it all. My heart, my presence in her town and in her house, and that the two of us might really get to build our future together after all.
Despite how hopeless things had seemed for a while there, Raquel hadn’t moved on or forgotten about me. She was still right here, willing to take me back, and to make me part of her life for good.