Chapter 35
THIRTY-FIVE
GRAYSON
The ballroom erupts at Donny’s final words.
For a moment, my vision blurs with how much this means to this team and this city.
And to me. The team step forward as one, and Donny hands them the trophy, Jake reaching to take it.
They jump and cheer and whoop like the moment on the turf in New Orleans two weeks ago.
Then they turn away from the crowd and Jake catches my eye.
I start to shake my head, seeing his plan, but he only nods before placing the trophy in my hands.
It’s heavier than I expect, but not as heavy as the moment of silence from the fans.
Just a fraction of a second where fear grips my chest and I brace myself for anger.
But the second passes and the crowd keep cheering.
A chant starts somewhere near the back—“Stormhawks! Stormhawks!”—and it spreads, rolling forward like a wave.
“We won,” is all I manage to choke out, lifting the trophy above my head. I feel only acceptance. And belonging. It’s everything I wanted.
And then I look at Flic. She’s standing just off to the side of the stage, eyes bright, chin tipped up in that stubborn way she has when she’s trying not to get emotional.
Everything I wanted. And more.
Carefully, I lower the trophy and place it back on the table as the team are immediately swarmed.
The kids rush forward first, then parents, then grown men pretending they don’t want a photo, but inching closer anyway.
A man with thick white hair in an old Stormhawks jacket approaches me first. He hesitates only a second before holding out his hand.
“Good job,” he says simply.
Not Thank you. Not We forgive you.
Good job.
I shake his hand.
The next hour is a whirlwind. Shaking hands. Faces. Names I try to memorize and know I’ll fail. People tell me about watching the game with their fathers. About crying when the clock ran down. About believing again.
I know with certainty that this is a moment I’ll never forget.
I’ve spent most of my life trying to atone for a last name I didn’t choose.
Trying to fix what my father breaks. Trying to outwork the guilt that sits so heavy in my gut.
Every deal, every project, every decision has been an attempt to prove I’m not him.
When I bought the Stormhawks, it was to help Donny and protect something good before it could be destroyed by my father or anyone else.
But I meant what I said to Donny at the party. This team—and this city—saved me.
Eventually, the crowd thins, and I see Flic watching me from a quiet corner near one of the tall windows facing out to the busy street. For a moment, I just look at her. The woman who refused to bend. Who challenged me and forced me to listen instead of strategize.
“Thank you,” I say. The words aren’t enough. Emotion chokes my voice again. “You have no idea what this means to me.”
She smiles. “I think I do.”
“I knew the fans had softened, but—”
“You’re one of us, Grayson. I see it. And they see it, too.”
I pull her close, one hand settling at her waist as my thumb brushes over her cheek. She leans into the touch like she belongs there.
“Can I ask you something?” Flic says, her voice hesitant enough to drag my full attention to her.
“Sure.”
“What is this? With us, I mean.” She gestures lightly around the room. “Our deal is over. I’ve got my bar. You’ve won over the fans. The season’s done. And I know you’ve got the team, but you’ve also got a life in New York. I just… I need to know where I stand in that.”
I stare into the blue of Flic’s eyes. She’s asking for reassurance, and I’m more than happy to give it.
“Every time I fly to New York,” I say quietly, “I’m counting the seconds until I’m back here. Back with you.”
Her breath catches.
“I don’t pretend it’s going to be easy,” I continue. “I’ve got commitments there, but if you’ll let me, I want to be part of your life. Here, like this.”
“And I’d like to be part of yours,” she replies.
I press my forehead to hers.
“I promise you, Flic, you are my priority. I want to show up every damn day and prove it.”
Her fingers wrap around my neck as I cup her face in my hands and I press my lips to hers and pour all those promises and feelings into a deep kiss.
Being with Flic feels right in a way I didn’t know was possible. Like I’ve been moving forward for years on instinct alone, convincing myself I knew the route, and suddenly the lights have switched on, and I can see clearly. Not just where I’ve been, but my destination.
And then my phone rings. Of course it does.
I close my eyes briefly. “This better be life or death,” I mutter as I pull it from my pocket and answer.
It’s Helena’s voice in my ear. Everything inside me goes still. “Dad’s in the hospital,” she says. “He’s had a massive heart attack. They don’t think he’s going to make it.”
For a second, I can’t breathe. My father—the man I’ve spent my entire life fighting against. Resenting. Trying not to become—had a heart attack.
The noise of the ballroom fades, like I’ve been dropped underwater.
My pulse pounds in my ears, too loud. I should feel anger.
Vindication. Relief, even. Instead, I have only shock.
And beneath it, the knowledge that everything has changed.
For my father and for Helena. For Ashborne Holdings. For me.
I feel Flic watching me. I don’t have to look to know there’s worry in her eyes, searching my face for answers I don’t have yet.
All I can do is absorb Helena’s words as they keep coming.
Hospital. Surgery. Emergency. Board members already circling.
Beside me, Flic reaches into her pocket for her own phone.
Her mouth drops open, and she turns the screen to show me.
IZZY: My waters broke as we were driving out of the city. We’re at the hospital.
“Go,” I mouth.
She hesitates for a second. I see it in her eyes. The war between staying here with me and running toward her family. She knows something’s wrong, but I can’t find the words to tell her with Helena still talking in my ear.
Instinct wins, and Flic turns on her heels and rushes into the crowd, calling for Mama, for Jake, for Chase. And all I can do is watch her disappear into the sea of red and white.
“Grayson?” Helena’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
“I’m here.”
“Our friends on the board are planning to push him out. If he lives, they’ll call it a forced retirement for medical reasons. If he dies—”
“They get what they’ve wanted for years.”
“We don’t want to miss the chance while they have it to appoint someone new. They’re planning an emergency board meeting. They want it to be you, Grayson.”
Helena’s words hit hard. It’s what I’ve wanted for so long. To take over Ashborne Holdings. To change their legacy and undo some of the damage they’ve done. And yet it’s not relief I feel. It’s dread. Because I can’t be in two places at once.
“When can you get here?” Helena asks.
I don’t hesitate. This is bigger than me. “I need to pack my things and see Flic, then I’ll be on the jet. I’ll be in New York late tonight. Make sure the board meeting doesn’t happen until tomorrow.”
The thought of telling Flic what’s happened is already carving me up. I just promised Flic she was the priority. She was my world. And all it took was bad timing and one phone call and I’m about to break that promise.