28. Selene
Selene
The sun is beginning to set when I pick up the phone and dial Jake’s number. The living room is dim as Leo plays with his action figures on the rug. I tuck my legs beneath me on the couch, pressing the phone to my ear and listening to the ring.
Jake answers on the second ring.
“Selene?” His voice is warm but slightly cautious, like he’s bracing himself. The last time he saw me, I was a nervous wreck.
I smile. “Hey, big brother.”
“You okay?”
I let out a soft breath. “Yeah. Better than okay, actually.”
There’s a pause, then a chuckle. “Well, that’s not what I expected to hear, honestly. But I’m glad to hear it.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “It’s Darby.”
Jake pauses again. “I thought you said this was good news.”
“It is,” I say quickly. “It’s good. Really good.”
He hums, waiting. I take a breath. “We’re… together.”
“Together?”
“Yeah. Like, raising Leo together and being with each other exclusively. That sort of thing.”
The line is so quiet I think the call dropped. Then Jake exhales sharply. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
There’s another pause, but when he speaks again, his voice shakes slightly.
“Selene, I have a hard time believing this after all this time. But, if it’s true and you are this happy - that’s—that’s incredible.
” Something tightens in my chest at the raw emotion in his tone.
“I never thought I’d hear you this happy again,” he says softly.
I swallow hard. “Jake…”
“You deserve this, Selene.” His voice is thick. “You’ve been carrying so much on your own for so long. I used to worry that you’d never let anyone help you.” He clears his throat. “I’m glad you and Darby are working this out.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Why do you sound like you’re about to cry?” Tears sting my eyes too. I press my fingers against them, trying to will them away. “You’re getting all emotional on me,” I tease, even though my voice cracks slightly.
Jake lets out a shaky laugh. “Of course, I am.” He pauses. “You know how hard it was for us, Selene. Growing up without Mom and Dad. Figuring things out alone.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me. “Yeah.”
“I tried my best to be there for you,” he continues. “But I was just a kid, too. I didn’t always know what I was doing.”
“You did great, Jake.” My voice softens. “You were all I had and the best brother I could have ever asked for.”
He clears his throat. “That’s why this means so much. Leo won’t have to go through what we did. He’ll have both his parents. A family.”
A tear slips down my cheek. I let it fall. “Yeah.”
We sit in comfortable silence for a moment, lost in our own memories.
Jake chuckles lightly. “Remember when we used to sneak into the neighbor’s yard to steal their oranges?”
I laugh. “You mean when you used to steal them and made me be on the lookout?”
“Hey, I needed you. You were the best at making up excuses when we got caught.”
I shake my head. “We always got caught.”
“But we always ran faster,” he counters.
I smile, warmth spreading through me. “I miss those days.”
Jake sighs. “Me too.” Then his voice turns serious. “You’re happy, though? With him?”
I hesitate, but only for a second. “Yeah. I really am.”
“Good,” he says. “Then that’s all that matters. Set up a meeting with this Darby guy. I need to meet him officially.”
“Only if you promise to be good.”
“You know I can’t promise that” he chuckles. “I’m your big brother. It’s my duty to make all your boyfriends uncomfortable.”
“Who made such a ridicul-” A knock on the door cuts me off mid-sentence, and I look towards the door. “It seems I have a visitor. I’ll call you back.”
“Sure.”
When I open the door, Darby is standing there. His broad shoulders are slightly slumped, and his hands are in his pockets. His tie is loose, and the top buttons of his shirt are undone.
I know instantly. Something is wrong.
“Darby?”
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he steps forward and pulls me into his arms. I melt into him, wrapping my arms around his back, feeling the tension in his muscles. He holds me tight, like he’s trying to ground himself. And knowing him, he probably is.
I rest my cheek against his chest. “Talk to me.”
He exhales, his breath ruffling my hair as he pulls back slightly. “I have to make a decision,” he says finally.
I frown, looking up at him.
His jaw tightens. “Between you and my company.”
My stomach twists. I don’t ask for details. I don’t need them. I know what this company means to him. I know what he’s built, what he’s sacrificed to get to where he is. He searches my face, waiting for me to demand an explanation. Waiting for me to argue.
Instead, I cup his face in my hands.
“I trust you.”
His breath catches. I shake my head slightly. “I know how much the company means to you, Darby. I know how much you’ve worked for it. And I will respect any decision you make. Whatever it might be.”
He stares at me. Then, slowly, he leans in and presses his forehead to mine.
“God, Selene,” he murmurs.
I close my eyes, my thumbs brushing against his stubbled jaw.
He lifts his head, his hands gripping my waist. “I need you and Leo to be at a press conference, tomorrow at 9 am. Can you do that for me?”
I simply nod. “I’ll be there.” Then I smile. “If you promise to have dinner with my brother and me next week.”
He laughs and nods. “You drive a hard bargain, my love. But you have a deal.”
With one last kiss, he leaves, and I head back inside to prepare us for the press conference. This is who I am now. The woman who has complete and blind faith in the man she loves. I will never run away from him again, and whatever this decision he has to make is, we will face it together.
***
The room is packed. Cameras line the walls, reporters clutching their notepads, waiting for a headline. The energy in the room is so tense that it’s slightly hard to breathe. I can almost feel it physically pressing down on me, but I keep my breathing even. I rest my hand lightly on Leo’s shoulder.
He shifts in his seat beside me, his fingers tugging at the hem of his shirt. “Mom,” he whispers, tilting his head up to me. “What’s happening?”
I smile, squeezing his shoulder. “Be patient, sweetheart. We’ll just have to see.”
He exhales, sitting back in his chair, but I can tell how nervous he is. After waiting a few minutes, Darby steps to the podium, and the entire room goes silent.
He stands there, adjusting the microphone, his broad shoulders squared, his green eyes scanning the crowd. He looks calm, but I know him well enough now to see the tension in his jaw and the uncertainty in his eyes.
Then he exhales, and when he speaks, he is calm and composed, as he speaks to his employees. “As many of you know, being the president of a company comes with responsibilities. It comes with expectations, with burdens, with the pressure to always be in control.”
He pauses, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.
“I’ve spent years shaping my public image. Years building a life where I had all the power, all the freedom I could ever want.” He pauses, a small, almost self-deprecating smile playing on his lips. “And in the process, I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”
A murmur ripples through the audience. Darby doesn’t flinch.
“I was selfish,” he continues. “Reckless. I hurt people I cared about. And I ran from things I wasn’t ready to face.” His hands tighten on the podium. “But life has a way of forcing you to stop running.”
I swallow hard, my fingers curling into my lap.
Darby’s expression softens slightly. “I found something worth fighting for. I found love. And not just love—I found a family.”
Complete silence settles over the room. I hear my own heartbeat in my ears.
Darby takes a slow breath. “So today, to stop all speculations and rumors, I want to introduce the world to the woman I love, and my son.”
Camera flashes immediately explode like fireworks, and the reporters start shouting over each other.
But Darby isn’t looking at them.
He’s looking at me.
Leo’s head snaps toward me, his eyes wide. “Mom?”
I nod slowly; my throat too tight to speak. Darby extends his hand, palm open, waiting. I rise; my legs unsteady. I take Leo’s hand, holding it tightly as we walk toward the front.
The noise is deafening, but all I can hear is the sound of my own heartbeat.
Darby reaches for me. His hand closes over mine firmly. After giving me an encouraging smile, he stretches a hand to Leo, too, looking him in the eyes. “You trust me?”
Leo beams, grabbing Darby’s other hand like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Darby straightens, turning back to the crowd. His grip on us tightens.
“This,” he says, his voice filled with conviction. “This is my family.”
The room falls into a stunned hush.
Darby lifts our hands slightly, his eyes bright, proud. “And I will protect them with everything I have.”
The hush lasts only a millisecond, and then the questions start again. The lights disorient me, and I don’t know where to look. But Darby squeezes my hand and smiles. Then, he addresses the reporters again. “Any other questions will be answered in our official press release.”
The questions follow us as we head out of the room and walk to Darby’s car. He drives us to his house, and during the car ride, no one says a word. I don’t think we have to.
Darby just announced us to the world as his woman and his son. There isn’t a bigger declaration of love than that. Yes, our lives will never be the same again, but I know that Darby will be by our side no matter what.
The three of us cook dinner together. We curl up together on the couch and watch one of Leo’s favorite shows. When Leo yawns sleepily, Darby scoops him up without hesitation. “Come on, buddy. Let’s get you to bed.”
Within minutes, Leo’s small snores can be heard in the room.
Darby reaches for me, pulling me closer to press his lips against my temple.
“No matter what happens,” he murmurs, “we’ll face it together.”
I nod against him, my arms wrapping around his waist.
***
The sound of my phone buzzing nonstop wakes me up from sleep. I groan, shifting against the warmth of Darby’s chest. He tightens his arm around me, his breath warm against the top of my head.
I reach blindly for my phone on the nightstand, squinting at the screen. It takes my eyes some time to adjust to the light, and when it does, I can see that my notifications are blowing up.
I brace myself, expecting the worst. Expecting backlash, insults, the world tearing me apart for daring to love a man like Darby Stone.
Instead, I see something entirely different.
“The Woman Who Stole the Heart of Darby Stone—And How She Built a Name for Herself”
“Selene Harper’s Exclusive Article Takes the Media by Storm”
“Meet the Journalist Behind the Most Talked-About Stories of the Year”
My heart pounds because amid all the articles and notifications, one in particular catches my eye. It’s from Fast company. With shaky hands, I click on an email.
Subject: Job Offer
I blink.
No. No, this can’t be real. I rub my eyes and sit fully up in bed. Darby stirs.
Dear Ms. Harper,
We’ve been following your work closely, and your recent pieces were recommended to us. We are impressed by your work. Your voice, your storytelling—it’s exactly what we’re looking for. We’d love to offer you a position on our team. Please let us know if you’re interested.
I press a hand over my mouth.
Darby wakes, looking at me with concern. “Are you OK?” I hand him my phone. He looks confused as he takes it from my hand. He blinks to adjust his eyes to the light, and then he reads the email.
“Did you do this,” I whisper when a small smile starts spreading across his face.
His smirk softens. “No, Selene. You did this.”
“I made a call to a colleague, to tell him about the articles.” He reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “But they hired you because of your work. Definitely not because of me.” His thumb brushes my cheek. “You earned this.”
I exhale shakily, my emotions threatening to spill over.
He tilts his head. “So… are you going to accept?”
I look down at the email again, then back at him.
“Yes.”