Chapter 26 #2
"You're everything. And this baby—our baby—is a gift I didn't know I wanted until right now."
"Dax—"
"I want to take care of you. Both of you. You don't have to worry about money or your job or where you'll live. Keep your place here in Chicago if you want. Or come to New York. I'll help you start your own PR firm if that's what you want. Whatever you need, it's yours."
"It's not about the money," she whispers.
"I know. But I need you to understand that you're not alone in this. We don't have to live in shame or hide or pretend this didn't happen." I rest my forehead against hers.
"I've never felt this way about anyone. And I know I'm not good at this—at emotions and vulnerability and saying the right things. But I'm trying. Because you're worth trying for."
She's quiet for a long moment, her hands clutching my shirt.
"I love you too," she says finally.
"I have for a while. But I'm still terrified."
"Of what?"
"Of this being too much. Of you changing your mind. Of everything falling apart again."
"I'm not going anywhere," I tell her.
"I'm here. For whatever you decide. For whatever comes next."
She looks up at me, her blue eyes searching mine.
"I need time to think. About what I want. About what's best for the baby."
The answer surprises me. I expected her to say yes immediately. To fall into my arms and let me fix everything. But this is Scarlett. She's not someone who needs rescuing. She's someone who makes her own decisions.
"Okay," I say. "Take the time you need. I'll be here."
"You're staying in Chicago?"
"I'm not leaving you again."
She nods slowly. "Where will you stay?"
"The Waldorf Astoria."
A small, sad smile crosses her face.
"Where it all began."
"Exactly."
I kiss her then. Soft. Gentle. Trying to pour everything I can't say into the contact. When I pull back, I force myself to step away.
"I'll call you tomorrow."
"Dax—"
"You need space. I get it. But I'm not disappearing." I head for the door, then pause.
"I love you, Scarlett. Whatever you decide, that doesn't change."
Then I leave before I can change my mind and beg her to let me stay.
The Waldorf Astoria lobby is exactly as I remember it. Grand. Elegant. The place where I first saw Scarlett standing in her wedding dress, devastated and alone.
The place where everything started.
I check in and head to my suite. It's not the same one—that feels too pointed—but it's similar. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. Expensive furniture. Impersonal luxury. I pour myself a scotch and stand at the window, looking down at the Chicago skyline.
Somewhere out there, Scarlett is in her apartment. Thinking. Deciding. Carrying my child.
And I'm here, waiting. It's torture.
I check my email. Handle a few urgent messages. Make a call to Mark about a deal that's closing next week. But my mind isn't on any of it.
I finish the scotch and pour another. I realize, standing there, looking out at the city, that I simply can't be without her.
This isn't about the baby, though that changes everything.
This is about her. About the woman who challenged me, who saw through my walls, who made me feel alive in ways I'd forgotten were possible.
I've built an empire. Commanded boardrooms. Negotiated billion-dollar deals. But none of it means anything without her. I set down the glass and pull out my phone.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll make this right.
***
I barely sleep. At seven AM, I'm showered and dressed in one of my best suits. I check my reflection in the mirror, adjusting my tie.
In my jacket pocket is a small velvet box. I bought the ring a month ago. Right after the dinner at Amata. Right after the look in her eyes said more than words. Right after I knew, without question, that she was the one. I've been carrying it ever since, waiting for the right moment. This is it.
The driver takes me to Whitman Communications' Chicago office.
It's a mid-rise building in the Loop, nothing compared to Blackwell Media's tower, but professional and polished.
I walk through the lobby and take the elevator to the seventh floor.
When the doors open, I step out into a reception area.
A young woman at the desk looks up, and her eyes go wide.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Scarlett Bradford."
Recognition flashes across her face. She knows who I am. Everyone in this office probably knows who I am after the scandal.
"Um, let me... I'll see if she's available."
"Just point me in the right direction."
She hesitates, then gestures down a corridor.
"Her office is that way. Third door on the left."
I don't wait for permission. I walk. Heads turn as I pass.
People staring. Whispering. I hear my name murmured in cubicles.
I don't care. I reach Scarlett's office.
The door is open, but she's not inside. I turn, scanning the floor.
Then I see her; she's walking down a long corridor, a coffee cup in her hand, looking down at her phone. She hasn't seen me yet.
I wait.
Within a second, she looks up and her eyes find mine. She stops abruptly, freezing mid-step. The coffee cup wobbles in her hand.
"Dax?" Her voice carries across the distance.
"How are you—what are you doing here in my office? What happened?"
People are watching now. The entire floor seems to have gone quiet. I walk toward her, my heart pounding so hard I can barely hear anything else. My ears are numb. My hands are shaking. When I'm a few feet away, I stop. Then I get down on one knee.
Scarlett's eyes go wide. Her coffee cup slips from her hand, hitting the floor. Coffee spills across the carpet, but neither of us moves.
"Dax, what are you—"
"Let me talk," I say. "Please."
She nods, tears already forming in her eyes.
I take a breath. "Scarlett, from the moment I saw you standing in that hotel, heartbroken and alone, I knew something had shifted in my world.
You were supposed to be my brother's bride.
But I couldn't stop thinking about you. Couldn't stop wanting you.
Couldn't stop seeing you as the most extraordinary woman I'd ever met. "
Her hand covers her mouth.
"I told myself it was just attraction. Just chemistry. But it was more than that. It was the way you challenged me. The way you didn't let me intimidate you. The way you looked at me like I was more than just a name or a company. You saw me, Scarlett. Really saw me. And I fell in love with you."
Someone gasps behind us. I don't look. I keep my eyes on Scarlett.
"I know the timing is terrible. I know everything is complicated. I know you're scared. But I also know that I can't live without you. I don't want to live without you. And this baby—our baby—is proof that we were meant to find each other."
I reach into my pocket and pull out the velvet box. Open it. The diamond catches the light. Massive. Brilliant. The kind of ring that makes a statement. Gasps echo around us. I hear someone whisper,
"Oh my God, look at the size of that thing."
Scarlett's mouth falls open.
"I bought this ring a month ago," I tell her.
"I knew you were the one already. I was just too resistant to admit what was obvious. Too scared to let myself feel something this powerful. But I'm not scared anymore."
Tears stream down her face.
"Scarlett Bradford, will you marry me? Will you build a life with me? Will you let me spend the rest of my days proving that you're the best thing that ever happened to me?"
The office is completely silent. Everyone watching. Waiting. Scarlett looks at me, then at the ring, then back at me.
"Yes," she whispers.
"What?"
"Yes!" She says it louder now, laughing through her tears.
"Yes, I'll marry you."
The office erupts. Applause. Cheers. Someone actually whoops.
I stand and pull the ring from the box, sliding it onto her finger.
It fits perfectly. Then I pull her into my arms and kiss her.
Deep. Passionate. Not caring who's watching or what they think.
When I finally pull back, I wipe the tears from her face.
"It was never about claiming you," I murmur against her ear.
"You claimed my heart from the moment I laid eyes on you."
She laughs, a watery, joyful sound.
"That's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me."
"Get used to it. I have a lifetime of romantic gestures planned."
People are crowding around us now. Congratulations. Questions. Someone is asking to see the ring. But I only see Scarlett; her blue eyes. Her smile. The way she's looking at me like I'm her entire world.
Because she's mine—and I'm never letting her go.