Chapter 33
DASH
Istood at the window of the Blackwell Couture offices and watched the city below.
It had been three weeks since Santorini, and New York felt like a completely different planet.
I’d stood in this exact place countless times before, but I felt like a different person. It should have felt good to be back.
Instead, it felt hollow. My heart was in Greece. Or maybe it’s in New York now or wherever Krista landed. She has it. I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back.
“Earth to Dash.”
I turned to find Briggs and Adrian both watching me.
We’d been in the conference room for the last hour, going over numbers and projections and all the boring shit that came after a successful campaign.
The Santorini show had exceeded every expectation.
Sales were through the roof. The social media buzz hadn’t died down yet.
By every measurable metric, I crushed it.
But I didn’t feel like celebrating.
“Sorry,” I said, moving away from the window. “What were you saying?”
“I was saying Mom’s already planning her next charity venture,” Adrian said, leaning back in his chair. “Something about funding art programs in underprivileged schools. She wants our input on the gala planning.”
“Of course she does.” I managed a smile. “What does she need from us?”
“Mostly just to show up and look pretty,” Briggs said. “The usual.”
Adrian’s phone buzzed. He turned into a completely different man as he stared at the screen. He turned the screen toward us. “Buck said ‘Seb’ this morning.”
“No way.” I leaned forward to see the video Elizabeth had sent. Sure enough, there was my nephew, pointing at a photo of Sebastian and clearly saying, “Seb.” Well, it sounded more like “Seff,” but close enough.
“Sebastian’s going to lose his mind,” Briggs said, grinning. “The MVP Uncle competition just got real.”
“He’s coming in later,” Adrian said. “Just got back from the honeymoon last night. I’m sure he’ll want to see this immediately.”
“Bernadette said she had to physically drag him back to civilization,” Briggs said. “He wanted to stay another month.”
I tried to imagine being that happy. Being so caught up in someone that you’d abandon the world for months just to be with them. I had gotten a taste of that in Greece. And then I’d watched her walk away and I knew I would never experience it again.
“What about you?” I asked Briggs because clearly I was a glutton for punishment. “How’s married life?”
His expression softened. “Good. Really good. Actually, I’m thinking about surprising Mandy with another trip to Vegas. There’s a show she’s been dying to see, and I figured we could use some time away together. Just the two of us.”
“That’s great, man.”
“What about you?” Adrian asked. “What’s next for you?”
I’d been thinking about that a lot. “I’m working out the details of our next big project. Fashion week in Milan. So far, so good on that front.”
They exchanged a look. I knew that look. The “we need to talk to our brother” look.
“Oh, no, have I fucked something up that I don’t know about?” I asked.
“No, it’s just that you’re more creative than we gave you credit for,” Adrian said. “The way you pivoted with that show still has people talking.”
“Yeah, it ended up way more impressive than Sebastian’s initial plan, which was great, to be clear,” Briggs added. “Maybe you should try your hand at the creative side like him. We could hire someone else for logistics.”
I’d been thinking that very same thing. “Actually, I know the perfect person to replace me.”
I didn’t have to say her name. They both knew exactly who I was talking about.
“Have you talked to Krista?” Briggs asked quietly. “Since you got back?”
I shook my head. “I’ve texted a couple times. She hasn’t responded. She’s made her position clear, and I’m not going to cross her boundaries.”
“Sometimes, you have to push boundaries,” Adrian said. “That’s something you’re familiar with.”
I shook my head. “Not this time. She’s done. I’ll respect that and be done too. Even if it’s killing me.”
I couldn’t believe I had just said that out loud. It felt like I had stripped naked and was standing there with my dick flapping in the wind. I never talked about feelings. Fuck that. But this hurt so much that the raw truth had just come out naturally.
Briggs looked me directly in the eyes. “If you love her, you have to fight for her, man. She might say no again, but you’ll regret not trying.”
“He’s right,” Adrian said. “You can’t just let her walk away.”
I looked at both of my brothers. They meant well. They were trying to help. But they didn’t understand. I wasn’t them. They had gotten their women. It wasn’t meant to be in my situation. I had already accepted that.
“If she were anyone else, I’d agree with you,” I said slowly. “But she was brutally clear she didn’t want to pursue this. If she wants to talk, she knows where to find me.”
Briggs studied me for a long moment. “You’ve changed.”
“Have I?”
“Yeah. The old Dash would have shown up at her door and pushed until he got what he wanted.”
He was right. The old me would have done exactly that.
Would have convinced myself that persistence was romantic.
If I just tried hard enough, I could change her mind.
I was Dash Blackwell. Women were supposed to fall at my feet.
But I’d learned something in Greece. Sometimes the most selfless thing you could do was let her go.
“She’s been through enough,” I said quietly. “She’s spent her whole life having people tell her who she should be, how she should act. I’m not going to be another person trying to force her into something she doesn’t want.”
Adrian nodded slowly. “That’s very mature of you.”
I narrowed my gaze at him. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
“I’m not. I’m proud of you.” He stood up and clapped me on the shoulder. “You did good work in Santorini, Dash. Really good work. Dad would have been proud.”
I felt my throat tighten. “Thanks.”
“I mean it. You’ve proven yourself. No more babysitters, no more people looking over your shoulder. You’re ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“Ready to take on more responsibility. Ready to be a full partner in this business, not just the kid brother we have to manage.” He smiled. “Ready to lead.”
I wanted to feel good about that. But all I could think about was how none of it mattered without her.
I was still processing what Adrian had said when Sebastian walked into the conference room. He looked exactly like a man who’d just spent weeks on a beach with his new wife. With a deep tan and way too relaxed, he sported a grin that could probably be seen from space.
“Gentlemen,” he announced, spreading his arms wide. “I have returned from paradise.”
“We can tell,” I said, feeling some of the gloom lift from me. “You’re glowing.”
“That’s called happiness, little brother.
You should try it sometime.” He dropped into a chair and kicked his feet up on the conference table.
“Also, Bernadette and I have been discussing the possibility that Buckaroo might have a cousin in the not-too-distant future. Trust me, if that woman isn’t carrying my child after all that alone time, I’m going to the doctor and having my swimmers checked. ”
Briggs rolled his eyes. “Don’t be gross.”
Adrian pinched the bridge of his nose. “Could you have some class? We’re in a professional setting.”
Sebastian shrugged, unfazed. “This is a family business, and this is how families are made. I could have used much more colorful language. For example, one night, after a naked moonlight swim—”
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Briggs said, standing up.
“Mine too,” Adrian agreed.
“I just got here,” Sebastian protested. “When did you get so uptight?”
“Briggs and I have a meeting with Callum,” Adrian said. “We’re working through some numbers with the wedding sublabel. You should sit in with us.”
I nodded, quietly flattered he wanted to include me, and I started to follow them out, but Sebastian’s voice stopped me. “Hold up, Dash. I wanted to talk to you for a second.”
I looked toward Adrian, who nodded and said, “Five minutes.”
I turned back. My brothers left, closing the door behind them. Sebastian’s playful expression shifted into something more serious.
“I saw the footage from Santorini,” he said quietly. “All of it. The show, the chaos, everything.”
“And what’s the verdict?”
“You’re a goddamn genius. What you pulled off in that storm? That was art.” He leaned forward. “I want you working with me. Not just on logistics, but on the creative side. You’ve got vision, Dash. Real vision. Let’s put it to good use.”
I felt something warm spread through my chest. “You know, Adrian and Briggs were just telling me the same thing, that I should consider jumping into the creative stuff. I appreciate hearing it from you though, since we would be working together. It means a lot.”
“You’ve more than earned it. Think about it. Now get to your meeting. I have to go check in with the rest of my team. We’re going to talk. We have to figure out how to up the game now. You’ve set the bar high.”
After Sebastian left, I stood there for a long time, thinking about my brothers.
All three of them had found their partners.
Adrian with Elizabeth, raising Buck and building a life together.
Briggs with Mandy, still in that honeymoon phase where everything felt new and exciting.
Sebastian with Bernadette, so deliriously happy he couldn’t shut up about it.
There would definitely be more nephews and nieces in the very near future.
And here I was—alone. I’d spent years bouncing from woman to woman because commitment felt like a trap.
Except it didn’t feel like a trap anymore.
It felt like the thing I wanted most in the world.
I wanted what they had. A wife. A family.
Someone to come home to. Someone who challenged me and supported me and made me want to be better. Someone who would make me a father.
I wanted a life that meant something beyond parties and hookups and temporary pleasure.
I wanted purpose. Legacy. Something that would matter long after I was gone.
And there was only one person I could imagine having that life with.
The thought of trying to build that life with anyone else felt wrong. Impossible.
I pulled out my phone and looked at the last text I’d sent her. Three days ago. Just a simple “thinking about you.” No response.
Maybe she needed more time. Maybe she needed space to work through whatever was holding her back. I could give her that. I could wait because I knew something she didn’t seem to know yet. We were meant for each other.
What we had in Greece wasn’t just a vacation fling or a temporary fantasy. It was real. The realest thing I’d ever experienced. She would figure that out too. I just had to wait her out.
And if that didn’t work, I would find a way to make it happen.