Chapter 28
Avery
The morning was gray but beautiful, the kind of New York November day that made the skyline look painted, soft blues and silver haze over glass and steel.
The city was still waking, muffled by clouds and distance.
Avery sat at the high-top table in her kitchen nook, bare feet hooked around the rung of the stool, a mug of coffee cradled between her palms. It smelled rich, comforting and grounding after everything that had happened the night before.
Quinn sat across from her, also barefoot, hair damp from a shower, wearing a black T-shirt and slate-gray joggers that made her look disarmingly human— less CEO, more someone Avery could imagine waking up beside for a long time.
The silence between them wasn’t awkward. It was grounded. The kind of quiet that comes after a storm.
Finally, Quinn set her coffee down, her fingers tracing the rim of the mug. “I mean it when I say I want to do this equally,” she said, her voice low but certain. “Let’s merge. Let’s be partners. Let’s be equals.”
Avery’s heart tightened, not from fear this time, but from the weight of being seen. She took a sip before answering, shaking her head lightly. “I don’t think it should be equal.”
Quinn’s brow lifted, the faintest hint of surprise crossing her face.
Avery continued, her tone thoughtful, not defensive. “Like you said before, Halo’s bringing more to the table. I’m okay with the sixty-forty split, honestly. What we originally talked about with Gabby felt fair, and after you left, we went over it again. We both think it’s the right call.”
She paused, watching Quinn’s expression soften. “Lilith will grow because of Halo. Halo will evolve because of Lilith. It’s good for both of us.”
Quinn nodded, but Avery wasn’t finished.
“I need to ask you something,” Avery said quietly.
“Anything.”
Avery’s fingers worried at the handle of her mug. “I need to know that going into business together isn’t going to hurt us. Because I don’t have to do this for Lilith to keep succeeding. It’s already thriving. And I’d rather lose the deal than lose you.”
Her voice came out steadier than she felt, but the words hung between them.
Quinn didn’t hesitate. She leaned forward, forearms on the table, her eyes holding Avery’s. “I think we can be careful enough for that not to happen,” she said softly. “We know where to draw lines. We know how to protect what matters.”
Avery nodded, waiting.
Quinn’s gaze softened even more. “When I first wanted to acquire Lilith, I was thinking like a businesswoman. Strategy, leverage, growth. But now that I know you, and I know what Lilith actually means to people, I see it differently. Halo will make Lilith stronger, yes. But Lilith will give Halo something it’s been missing. ”
Avery tilted her head. “What’s that?”
“Heart,” Quinn said simply. “A reason beyond profit.” She exhaled, running a thumb along the table’s edge. “You’ve made me want to build something that feels like us—structure with warmth.”
Avery’s chest ached in the best way.
Quinn kept going, voice quieter now. “I told you I love you last night, and I meant it. I wasn’t expecting to.
I wasn’t expecting you. I came here to close a deal, and instead I fell for the woman who ran the company I was supposed to acquire.
You changed my world the moment I walked into that club.
And now it’s better because you’re in it. ”
The lump in Avery’s throat was instant. She swallowed it down, smiling faintly. “Okay,” she said softly. “So, business first. Sixty-forty merger. Partners.”
Quinn smiled back. “Partners.”
Avery reached across the table, brushing her fingers over Quinn’s hand. “I think it’s going to be a great partnership. For both companies. For both of us.”
Quinn’s eyes dropped to their joined hands, her thumb grazing Avery’s knuckles. “I already have the lawyers drafting the paperwork. We don’t have to sign while I’m here, but we can, if you and Gabby are comfortable.”
Avery nodded. “I think the three of us should sit down and have a meeting first,” she said. “But… yeah. I’m pretty sure we can sign before you leave this time.”
Quinn’s smile dimmed slightly, something wistful beneath it. “You hate that part, don’t you?”
Avery’s heart squeezed. “I do,” she admitted. “I hate that we live on opposite sides of the country.”
Quinn turned her hand over, linking their fingers. “Then we’ll figure it out,” she said simply. “One flight at a time. One week at a time. We’ll make it work.”
Avery let herself look at her. The woman who’d walked through a storm for her, who was now sitting barefoot in her kitchen, talking about mergers and love like they were one and the same.
She smiled. “We’ll figure it out.”
* * *
By late morning, the gray outside had settled into a steady drizzle. The kind that blurred the skyline through the glass walls of Lilith’s office and made everything look softer—like the city itself had taken a deep breath.
Avery stood by the window for a moment before her meeting, watching raindrops race each other down the pane. She didn’t mind the weather; it fit her mood perfectly. Calm, steady. The kind of quiet that comes after something’s finally set right.
When Gabby knocked on the open door of her office, Avery turned, smiling. “You got a minute?”
“Always,” Gabby said, stepping in with her coffee and taking the seat across from Avery’s desk. She was wearing her usual uniform: black jeans, blazer, curls pulled into a loose bun that never quite stayed put.
Avery leaned back in her chair. “Okay. So, Quinn came by Friday night.”
Gabby’s brows lifted immediately. “Came by?”
“Showed up,” Avery clarified. “In the middle of the night. Soaked from the rain.”
Gabby blinked, then grinned. “That’s some Notebook shit right there.”
Avery laughed softly. “Yeah, it kind of was.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and got serious again.
“We talked. About everything. The merger’s moving forward exactly as we discussed before.
Sixty-forty split, Halo and Lilith as sister companies—partners, not one owning the other.
Eventually, we’ll probably rebrand or rename both, but for now it’s just about unifying what’s already working. Running parallel. Growing together.”
Gabby nodded, processing. “And you’re sure?”
“I am,” Avery said. “Are you still okay with it?”
Gabby took a sip of coffee, considering. “I trust Quinn when it comes to business. I’ve always thought the merger was a good move. But more than that, I trust you. If you believe in this, then I’m in.”
Avery’s shoulders eased, a small smile tugging at her mouth. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Gabby’s eyes softened, then narrowed just slightly. “Okay, I have to ask you, though, are you two officially dating now, or are we pretending this is still strictly professional?”
Avery’s cheeks flushed before she could stop it. “We’re dating.”
Gabby’s grin spread. “Oh, finally.”
Avery laughed, shaking her head. “She showed up and told me she loved me. Said she didn’t want any of this if it was going to ruin what we could have. She said she’d walk away from the whole deal or make it fifty-fifty, whatever I wanted. I told her she didn’t have to.”
Gabby sat back, eyebrows up. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” Avery said quietly, smiling at the memory. “I told her I loved her too.”
Gabby’s whole face lit up. “God, I’m so fucking proud of you.”
Avery blinked. “Why?”
“Because you’re letting yourself have what you want,” Gabby said simply. “You’re not running from it this time. I know Brittany really messed you up, and I’m just glad you’re not letting that hold you back anymore.”
Avery’s throat tightened. She looked down at her hands, then back up. “I trust her,” she said softly. “The distance is going to suck, but we’ll figure it out.”
Gabby smiled, tipping her head. “You know, with the merger, we’re going to have to either figure out a joint headquarters or we’re all going to be traveling a lot more. Something tells me that’s going to work out in your favor.”
Avery laughed, the sound light. “Yeah, maybe.”
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk. “And just so you know, I’m making sure the paperwork protects Lilith. Even if something ever happened between Quinn and me, it wouldn’t affect the company. I’m not going to leave you high and dry over a relationship.”
Gabby shook her head. “I’m not worried about that, Aves. Honestly? I’m pretty sure she’s it for you.”
Avery groaned. “It’s way too soon to know that.”
Gabby smirked. “Maybe. But I knew it the second she walked into that bar.”
Avery rolled her eyes, laughing. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe,” Gabby said, grinning. “But I’m right.”
Avery leaned back, smiling in spite of herself. “I love you, Gabby.”
“I love you too, Av,” Gabby said, standing and taking her empty cup with her. “And for the record, I’m really happy for you.”
Avery watched her go, warmth blooming in her chest that had nothing to do with coffee. For the first time in a long time, everything felt exactly where it was supposed to be.
* * *
By midmorning, the drizzle had faded to a mist, the city outside tinted in silver light. Lilith’s office hummed with quiet energy: keyboards clicking, phones ringing, low laughter from the creative team clustered near the kitchen.
Avery was deep into her inbox when her phone buzzed with a text.
Quinn: Just got here. Thought I’d camp in your conference room for the morning. A quiet place to take my meetings.
A smile tugged at her mouth.
She typed back quickly: Of course. Make yourself at home.
Five minutes later, the sound of soft footsteps made her glance up.
Quinn stood in the doorway of her office, dressed in charcoal slacks and a white blouse, her blazer draped over one arm.
Her hair was pushed back neatly, but a few strands had escaped near her temple.
She looked both devastatingly composed and somehow familiar in this space, like she belonged here.
“Hey,” Avery said, standing automatically.