Chapter 32
Skye
Imust have misheard him.
There's no way he just said that.
No one chooses me.
Not my dad. Not the friends I had back in high school, who slowly faded after I stopped showing up to their birthday parties and sleepovers because I took a job to help with bills and had to help Mom after her night shifts. Not even the string of people I called friends in college.
Gemma and Summer? They were the first to stick. But even they moved on, Gemma with Carter, Summer with Knox. Not that I blame them. I'm happy for them, I am. But part of me always expected that eventually I'd be left behind.
Even Mom. I know it wasn't really a choice when she died, but it still hurts, and still feels like abandonment. It doesn't make sense, but it does.
And now Gage is standing here, looking me in the eye like I'm the thing he'd choose over everything else. Like I'm worth it.
I try to step back, but he doesn't let me go. I have words forming on my lips before I even know what I'm going to say. His hands stay firm around my waist, grounding me when I'm not sure where the floor is anymore.
"What did you just say?" My voice is small, like it belongs to someone else.
His expression doesn't shift. If anything, it gets more intense.
"I turned in my resignation earlier tonight. As of today, I am no longer your teacher."
My stomach drops.
"You… what?"
"I quit, Skye."
I stumble back again, and this time he lets me go. My back hits the edge of his kitchen table. It's like the words echo through the space, shaking everything loose inside me.
"But... you love teaching," I whisper.
He nods once, solemnly. "I do."
A wave of panic hits me, rising up from my chest to the back of my throat. The idea of Gage walking away from something he's so good at, something that gave him purpose, doesn't feel right. It feels like the sky coming unhinged.
"You shouldn't have done that. You worked your whole life for that job. And you were good at it. You made a difference. That was your dream."
He takes a slow step toward me. "Yes, it was. But dreams can change."
My breath catches. "Why would you give that up?"
His voice drops, low and steady. "Because I love you more."
Everything inside me stills. The world stops moving. My brain can't compute the words that just left his mouth. I'm blinking up at him, stunned, and all I can think is, this doesn't happen to girls like me. Not the kind that people have always left behind.
He steps closer until I have no choice but to look up at him. My heart beats faster, the room tilting sideways.
"No," I say again, shaking my head. "No, you didn't just throw everything away for me."
"I didn't throw anything away. Instead, I made a decision. I chose you."
My laugh is short, disbelieving. "You think giving up your career isn't throwing something away?"
He shrugs, calm in the face of my unraveling. "I think losing you would be worse."
I want to scream and cry. I want to take his face in my hands and kiss him senseless.
But mostly I want to run. Because this is too much, it’s too real.
"I never asked you to do this," I say, my voice cracking.
"I know you didn't."
His thumb brushes over my cheek. I hadn't realized I was crying. That seems to be the theme with us lately, me falling apart. Him, putting me back together.
"But I would've chosen you every time."
I can barely breathe. My chest rises and falls so fast I feel lightheaded.
"You want to run? Go ahead," he says, eyes boring into mine. "But don't lie to me. Don't lie to yourself."
"This is insane," I whisper.
"No. This is real."
And God help me, I believe him.
He tilts my chin up, gently but firmly. I can feel the heat of his body, the roughness of his hands, the certainty in his touch. Everything I've ever wanted wrapped up in this one impossible man.
"I will tell you over and over again until you believe me. I'm not going anywhere," he murmurs.
I close my eyes. And fall head over heels for this man who has been fighting for me and with me.
"Gage..."
He kisses me. Deep. Fierce. It’s as if he's reclaiming every piece of me I tried to hide.
And I let him.
Melting against him, I let all the fight drain from me in a rush of warmth and surrender. His arms wrap around me tighter, lifting me just enough that my toes barely skim the ground. I cling to him, fingers twisting in the back of his shirt, afraid he might vanish if I let go.
The kiss slows, softens. He holds me close, his lips brushing mine in featherlight kisses until I'm breathless and trembling.
I pull back slightly, resting my forehead against his. "What are you going to do now?"
He exhales slowly. "Carter and I have been talking. The new program he's been building? The partnership between Club Red and the university's psychology department. Classes on sexual health, power dynamics, consent, and relationships in alternative lifestyles."
I can't contain my shock. "Wait... really?"
He nods. "It's early stages, but he offered me a position helping develop the curriculum. It's not a traditional classroom, but I'd still be teaching. Still helping."
I blink, stunned. "You were already planning this?"
"I was going to finish the year, maybe one more. But when everything came out... I realized I didn't want to wait."
Something shifts in my chest. The panic, the fear, they're still there. But underneath them, there's something else.
Hope.
Real, solid, terrifying hope.
I wrap my arms around his neck. "You’ll still get to teach?"
He grins. "Yeah. Just... on my terms."
I shake my head, smiling through the leftover tears. "You're insane."
"Only about you."
My heart stutters.
Then I pause, the edge of something curling in my chest. "Wait. If you're working with Club Red... does that mean no more scenes at Club Red?"
He smirks. "I will still have my room. Since we have never been a public couple, I don't see what has to change. Carter wants me to take the lead on curriculum development, but he also mentioned he'd love to have your input, especially with your background and... firsthand experience."
My cheeks burn. "He said that?"
"In so many words."
I bite my lip. "And you're okay with that? Working with me? Being... public, I guess?"
His hands slide down to my waist, anchoring me. "I'm more than okay with it. We've hidden long enough. If this means we get to be in the open, build something lasting, not just in love but in work too, and watching you build your dreams, then yeah, I'm in."
The thought of collaborating with Gage sends a rush of something warm and exciting through me. It's more than love. It's building a life together.
Then he steps back, his smile grows even wider, and grabs my hand. "Go out with me."
"What?"
"A real date. No stolen hours between classes. No sneaking around. Just you, me, and one long overdue dinner."
I laugh, a real one this time, full and unguarded. "Okay."
"But if you show up in one of your professor tweeds, I'm turning right around."
He raises an eyebrow, amused. "So, no elbow patches?"
"Absolutely not."
He chuckles, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Then I guess I'll have to find something worthy of you." He leans in and kisses my forehead.
And for the first time since my world turned upside down, I feel like maybe it's falling back into place.