CHAPTER 21
Seeing the Man, Not the Billionaire
Kathy — POV
Kathy didn't say "yes."
Not really.
And she didn't say "no" either.
What she did was something in between.
She let him stay.
But not in the way he used to stay before.
This time, there were rules.
Clear ones.
No assumptions. No hidden decisions. No "I already handled it for you" moments. No silent control behind her back.
Brad agreed to all of it without arguing.
That alone made her more cautious than relieved.
Because people didn't change that fast.
At least, not people like him.
Still... he kept showing up.
Not in a loud way.
Not demanding.
Just present.
Sometimes he came to the shop and didn't even speak much. He would just stand near the flowers while she worked, like he was learning how normal life actually moved.
It annoyed her a little.
But not in a bad way.
More like... awareness.
Like she couldn't fully ignore him anymore.
One afternoon, she was arranging roses when she noticed him watching her again.
Same quiet focus.
Same stillness.
"You're doing it again," she said without looking up.
"Doing what?" Brad asked.
"Staring like you're trying to solve me."
That made him pause.
"I'm not trying to solve you," he said.
Kathy finally looked at him.
"Then what are you doing?"
A beat.
"Trying to understand how I got it so wrong," he admitted.
That answer was different.
Not defensive.
Not strategic.
Just... honest.
Kathy went back to her flowers. "That's not something I can help you fix."
"I know," he said quietly.
Silence settled again.
But it wasn't tense anymore.
It was careful.
Like both of them were walking around something fragile.
Later that day, Brad offered to carry boxes of supplies from the back room without being asked.
Kathy watched him struggle slightly with a heavier crate and almost smiled before stopping herself.
"You don't have to do that," she said.
"I want to," he replied simply.
"That's new," she muttered.
Brad looked at her. "What is?"
"You doing things without trying to control the outcome."
That made him stop for a second.
Then he nodded.
"I'm trying," he said.
Kathy studied him again.
And for the first time, she didn't see the billionaire first.
She saw someone awkwardly trying to exist in a world where control didn't fix everything.
That didn't erase what he did.
But it softened something she didn't expect.
A few days later, they sat outside the shop again.
Same bench. Same Merrow Street. Same view of Hood River's quiet charm — the Columbia River glinting in the distance, Mount Hood looming white against the sky. A car passed slowly — someone's grandmother, probably, heading home from the market.
But the air between them felt less sharp.
Kathy leaned back slightly. "You know, I still don't fully trust you."
Brad nodded. "I know."
"I might not for a while."
"I understand that too."
That honesty should have made things heavier.
But instead, it made them clearer.
Kathy looked at him sideways. "So why are you still here?"
Brad didn't look away this time.
"Because I don't want to lose you," he said.
Simple.
No drama.
No manipulation.
Just truth.
Kathy exhaled slowly.
"That's not enough by itself," she said.
"I know," he repeated.
A pause.
Then she added, softer:
"But it's not nothing."
Brad nodded.
"I'll take that," he said.
Silence again.
But this time, it didn't feel like distance.
It felt like rebuilding.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Kathy watched a car pass by, then spoke again.
"You're different now," she said.
"I'm trying to be," he replied.
She glanced at him. "Not perfect different. Just... less controlled."
That made him exhale softly.
"Good," he said.
Kathy raised an eyebrow. "Good?"
"Yeah," he said. "I don't want to control anything here anymore."
That line sat between them longer than expected.
Kathy didn't respond immediately.
Because part of her believed him.
And part of her didn't trust how much she wanted to believe him.
Finally, she said, "We take this slow."
Brad nodded immediately. "Slow is fine."
"Really slow," she emphasized.
"I'll match whatever pace you set," he said.
That made her look at him again.
This version of him didn't feel like the man from the news anymore.
And not fully the man from the past either.
He felt like something in between.
Someone trying.
And for now —
that was enough for her to not walk away.