Chapter 49
Chapter Forty-Nine
THEO
Ifeel sick. She’s gonna hate it. She’s gonna get mad at me and tell me I’m a fucking idiot.
I mean, I am, but that’s not the point. I wanted to do this for her.
To show her how much she means to me. Only now I’m panicking and thinking I should have done something different.
This isn’t a small gesture, this is one of epic proportions, and I’m fucking dreading this going tits up.
A hand lands on my thigh, and I glance over, one eye still on the road ahead.
“Honey, you’re really jumpy. Is everything alright?” Blake asks, her hand squeezing gently.
I place my hand over hers, bring it to my mouth, and place a gentle kiss there. “Just a lot riding on what I’m about to show you, firefly.”
Her face softens. “I’m sure whatever it is can’t be that bad,” she muses, an eyebrow raised.
“We’ll see,” I murmur, gently placing her hand back down as I park in front of a brick building.
We’re still in the center of the city, but this is a much smaller building than the one we work in.
There are no revolving doors, no elevators, and no floors of offices filled with various businesses.
It’s just a one-story building with doors you have to open yourself.
The glass front shows the inside if you were to bother to look in.
Taking in a large breath, I blow it out before rounding the car and helping Blake out. Her face is a picture of confusion as she takes in the building before her—one that has ‘Moore and Associates’ on the outside in silver lettering.
“Theo?” she asks, glancing at me.
Grabbing her hand, I lace my fingers through hers, tugging her along for the surprise I’ve spent the last couple of months working on. I push the door open, gesturing for her to go in first.
Blake takes a couple of tentative steps inside, her eyes wide as she takes in everything.
A receptionist's desk sits in front of us with the company name in gold lettering.
Black chairs line the entryway to the left, and a couple of potted plants are in the corner by the window.
To the right is the kitchen and storerooms, and behind the receptionist desk leads to three offices—all kitted out with everything a law firm could need.
“I don’t understand, Theo,” she says, turning to me. “This is beautiful, but what are we doing here, and why is your name on the building outside? You work for Sampson and Lowell.”
I take a step toward her, rubbing the back of my neck before straightening.
Here goes nothing.
“I used to work for Sampson and Lowell. As of this morning, I’m no longer their employee. I work… here.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me, firefly. I don’t work with you anymore. We’re no longer co-workers and can have the life together we’ve always wanted.”
“Bu-but the case?” she exclaims, eyes wide. “You can’t leave.”
I chuckle. “I’ll still be on the case but as a consultant. With everything that happened with Raven and James, you’ve done the majority of the work as it is, and I told Frank as much, which is why it’s all yours now. You’re the lead, and I take my cues from you.”
Her mouth opens, and tears line her eyes. “I’m so confused.”
“There’s nothing to be confused about, my love.
I gave up working for Frank and Michael so we could be together.
Your career means everything to you, and I won’t stand in the way.
You deserve the world, Blake, and I want to be able to give it to you.
I love my job, but I love you more. I always have. ”
“Theo—” she chokes out on a sob. “You ca—”
“I can, and I have, Blake. It’s done. I’m the sole owner of Moore and Associates. James helped me set everything up, and I spoke to Frank this morning. I regret nothing.” I brush a hair back from her face. “You are everything I’ve ever wanted. Oscar, too. You were always my end game,” I whisper.
Tears flow freely down her face, and I wipe them away with my thumb.
“Aimee’s going to be my paralegal, and I’ve got someone lined up to handle the front desk.
Frank’s letting me keep my clients as long as I work alongside them.
Apparently, he was a bit of a sucker for our love story.
” I wink, and she huffs out a watery laugh.
“I love you, Blake. More than I ever thought I could love another person. I know how much working there means to you, so the only option was for me to leave.”
“You didn’t have to do that though. We could have figured out another way,” she says earnestly, and it’s so adorable.
“We could have,” I agree, “but this was the right decision for me. I’ve outgrown the company. I walked into that office every single day worried I was going to be hauled into Frank’s office for one reason or another. Worried I’d get fired.
“Having my own place doesn’t eradicate that, but it does give me the stability I’ve been craving.
This is my business, and no one can take it away from me.
I have all the control here. I feel settled, happy, so please tell me you’re happy too?
” I plead, bending my knees so our eyes meet.
I need to know what she’s thinking and whether I’ve just fucked this all up.
Instead of being excited, Blake’s only given me reasons not to go through with this, and it’s messing with my head. I thought this would be the ultimate way to prove my love, to show her what she means to me.
“Are you sure?” she asks, biting that damn thumb of hers again.
I take it out of her mouth, kiss it gently, and pull her into me.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life.
You’re it for me. Leaving Sampson and Lowell was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.
And if at any point you want to come and work alongside me, your office is all set up next to mine,” I add with a wink.
“You gave me my own office?” she asks with a smile.
“Of course. It’s there if you want it now, in five years, or never. I just wanted to give you the option. You’re an incredible lawyer, Blake, and I’d be honored to have you working beside me.”
Blake jumps into my arms, and I catch her easily, holding her as if she weighs nothing. I hug her tighter, breathing her in and knowing in my gut I’ve made the right decision.
She peppers kisses across my face, laughing. “I can’t believe you did this for me,” she says, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “I’m not worth it.”
“When will you learn that you’ll always be worth it to me?
That I couldn’t have found a more perfect partner than you when we met all those years ago.
We might have lost our way for a while, but it all happened to lead us to here, to now, and to what we’ve built.
I still have a long way to go to be worthy of you, but I want to get better for you.
I want you to know that you can depend on me when you need me, and that I’ll never leave you again.
“You light me up from the inside out, Blake Adams. I don’t have to ask with you, you just know.
You remember all the small details, all the things that could easily trigger me, and remove them without batting an eyelid.
You pay attention to me, you make me smile, and when I’m quiet, you ask if I’m okay.
You understand me without me having to explain, and I’m so grateful for that.
Actions speak louder than words, firefly, and you speak my love language. ”
I kiss her softly. Emotion clogs in my throat as I tell her everything I’ve been holding in for months, if not years. She kisses me back. It’s not like our usual kisses—it's slow, gentle, and so unlike us—but I love it. I love her.
“I love you so much, Theodore Moore. I cannot begin to tell you how much all of this means to me. I feel so guilty for not putting you before—”
I place a finger over her lips to stop her.
“Don’t do that, please,” I implore, my brows furrowed. “You had no idea what was going to happen between us. It could’ve gone completely wrong, and you would’ve been out of a job. You did the right thing, not only protecting yourself but also Oscar.
“I give big gestures because that’s who I am.
I don’t do it for the praise. Well, I do, you know how much I love being called a good boy”—I wink, and she smiles—“but I did this for me, for us, because I wanted to. You have nothing to feel guilty for. Just love me and never leave me, and we’ll call it even. ”
“I can do that.” She laughs and kisses me.
“I love you. I don’t think I ever stopped.
I told you the other night that I don’t want a life without you in it, and I meant it.
It’s cold and lonely. Since you came back into my life, everything feels like there’s more meaning, more everything, and that’s because of you.
“I know there are going to be hard days, big guy. I know you’re going to struggle, but I’m here.
I’m going to be the rock to keep you standing, and if you fall, I’ll be right there with you, guiding you back.
Your mental health doesn’t define you, Theo,” she says, cupping my cheek.
“You are who you are, and I love every single broken thing about you. Some people will say you need fixing, but you don’t.
You’re perfect as you are. You just need a bit more attention than most.” She chuckles, and I chuckle with her, knowing she’s not wrong.
“Marry me,” I blurt out, my heart on the verge of exploding from my chest. My mouth ran away from me again, those impulses still very much there, but I don’t regret it.
The words never felt so right. We’ve wasted too much time as it is, and I refuse to lose any more without her as my wife. “Marry me, firefly. Please.”
“Yes,” she replies, no hesitation, only certainty.
I arch a brow. “Wait. You’re usually the one to err on the side of caution. You don’t agree with me straight away; you need to weigh everything up first.” My eyes narrow. “Why are you saying yes?”
She laughs, a full-bellied one. “Because I love you, you big buffoon. I don’t want to waste any more time either, so fuck it. Let’s do it.”
“I think that’s got to be the hottest thing you’ve ever said to me,” I reply, my tone low and laced with desire.
“Wait until I start calling you husband and see what happens then,” she quips, and all the blood rushes south.
“Say it again,” I demand.
Blake smiles, her eyes dazzling me with the happiness shining from them as she purrs, “Husband.”
“Fuck,” I groan. “Can I just marry you now. I know a judge,” I joke, only half serious.
“Let’s go, then,” she says, climbing down from my arms, which feel bereft of her touch.
“Beg pardon?” I ask, my brows hitting my hairline yet again. This woman never fails to surprise me.
“Let’s go. You know a judge. Let’s do it,” she says with a shrug.
Someone pinch me, please. Is Blake agreeing to this?
A soft stillness fills me, the comfort of knowing she’s not saying I’m being silly or asking me to slow down. We probably ought to, but I don’t want to wait any longer. I’m done waiting. I want my life to begin and end with her and Oscar.
“You don’t want a big wedding?” I ask, stalling for time. Not because I’m freaking out, but because I don’t want her to regret her decision later.
She turns to face me, pausing halfway to the door. “Nope. I never have. I don’t have a dad to give me away, and I don’t have any friends to be there to help me. All I need is you and Oscar.”
Sliding out my phone with a grin on my face, I take a few strides to get to my girl and haul her in for a kiss before making a few phone calls.
Let’s do this.
“You sure about this, man?” James asks, straightening my tie.
After I called them, they all arrived at the courthouse within an hour.
Thankfully, it’s the beginning of Christmas break for Caleb, Lauren, and Noah, so it was only Raven and James who had to leave work.
But seeing as they’re their own bosses, it didn’t really matter.
They picked up Oscar and Mrs. Mitchell on the way.
My entire family is here. I’m surrounded by love and friendship, and I couldn’t be happier.
“Never been so sure of something in my life, J,” I reply, knowing my words are true.
“You deserve this, tips. You’re an incredible best friend, father, and now soon-to-be husband. I hope you’re starting to see that?” He clears his throat, ducking his head.
“Don’t you start or you’ll set me off,” I groan, pulling him in for a man hug. “It’s taken a long time to get here, J, but you’re right. I do deserve this. I’m worth everything to the people who matter the most. Anyone else can swivel on a stick because they’ll never have what I have… you guys.”
I smush my face further into his neck, breathing in the familiar, comforting smell of his cigarettes.
I can never thank this guy enough for sticking with me and having my back on more than one occasion, but instead of feeling guilty that I’m a burden to him, I feel grateful to him for never turning me away.
“Raven still hasn’t convinced you to give up smoking, huh?” I tease, drawing back.
“Nah.” He chuckles. “She actually likes the smell.”
“Strange woman,” I mutter, walking to the mirror and checking myself over.
James arrived with a new suit for me. It’s still black but more suited for a wedding, along with dress shoes and a buttonhole.
How he got these within the hour it took for me to call them here, I’ll never know, but I’m grateful all the same.
I left my hair down, knowing how much Blake likes it this way.
“It’s time,” Caleb sings songs, tapping the door and walking into the room with a grin on his face. He’s in a suit, minus the tie, with his dark hair pushed back off his face.
I nod, take a deep breath, and give myself one last look before I turn and start walking toward my future. To the happily-ever-after I deserve with my son and the woman I love.
The end