Chapter 18
PATRICK
The rain still echoed in my mind, and the kiss lingered on my lips, but I needed to focus on the now.
Yesterday’s kiss had stirred something deep inside me, something that made me crave more.
But this morning, I was back at Holbrook, in my usual element, and I needed to play the part of CEO, at least for a few hours.
Still, I couldn’t help but glance at my watch, counting the minutes until I could get back to the museum to be with Sadie.
It felt surreal how easily my priorities had shifted.
For so long, Holbrook Aviation had been the center of my world, a place of power and ambition.
Now, it felt like a temporary stop, an obligation that stood between me and the time I could spend with her, even if it was in her museum hangar, covered in grease.
I shifted the papers on my desk, trying to ignore the anticipation that coiled tightly in my chest, knowing the moment I’d walk through the museum doors, it would all melt away, and all that would matter was her.
The boardroom meetings that day were as predictable as ever, projections, market analysis, and strategies for expanding the Eco-Turbine.
I had a voice, and it mattered, but there was a part of me that no longer felt entirely here.
My thoughts kept slipping back to yesterday, standing under the rain-soaked overhang with her.
The simple joy of being next to her, sharing a quiet, ordinary moment after weeks of tension and silence.
And then the kiss, so soft, yet so full of meaning.
There had been a moment when everything else had fallen away, and it was just the two of us.
As the hours wore on, my attention started to waver. David raised an eyebrow at me during a discussion on next quarter’s budget allocations. “You seem a little distracted,” he commented after the meeting, once the rest of the board had filed out of the room.
“Just got a lot on my mind,” I admitted, tugging at the cuffs of my sleeves to hide the grease still under my nails, a badge from my work at the museum that I refused to wash away just yet.
David wasn’t one for prying, but he’d been around long enough to see through me. “Is it Sadie?”
I shot him a sharp look, though his directness wasn’t surprising. “It’s nothing major, just...” I hesitated, but I could see that David wouldn’t let it go easily. “Yesterday, things felt different. Better.”
“Good,” he said, nodding as though he’d expected this turn of events. “You’ve been putting in the work. Figured something had to give sooner or later.”
“I hope so.” I tapped my fingers on the table, unable to sit still. “But we’re not out of the woods yet. I’m taking it one step at a time. I just need to be careful not to push.”
David gave me a wry smile. “I think she’s already starting to see it, Patrick. Just don’t fuck it up now that you’ve made some headway.”
His words rang true. I didn’t need to overstep again.
If anything, yesterday had shown me that letting Sadie lead the way might be the best thing for both of us, especially now.
I had to be patient. The progress wasn’t guaranteed, but for the first time in a while, I wasn’t bracing for disaster.
Instead, I was cautiously hopeful, waiting for the next move, but trying hard not to make it myself.
After the morning wrapped up, I checked my schedule.
There was a window of free time in the afternoon, and I made a decision before I could second-guess myself.
Since Sadie and I had returned to speaking terms, all of our interactions had taken place at the museum.
But even before all of this started, she always came to me.
I could count on one hand the number of times I had visited her office. I figured it was time to change that.
I took the elevator down to the engineering department, moving through the hallways where the air hummed with the quiet energy of creativity at work.
Her team had always been top-notch, more so than ever when it came to the Eco-Turbine.
That had been her baby before she had ever been involved with the museum.
It had been hers before I even fell in love with her.
Her office door was cracked open when I reached it, the soft buzz of activity beyond just enough to remind me she was in her element here, where she thrived on the details, the problem-solving that defined her work.
I hesitated for only a moment before pushing the door open and stepping inside, my heart beating a bit faster than I expected.
This felt like uncharted territory. I could already see how this wasn’t going to be our normal routine.
But that was good. Everything needed to feel new to make this work.
Sadie didn’t look up right away, focused on the plans spread out across her drafting table.
Her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, her attention completely absorbed by the design.
It was a side of her I loved, her intensity and precision.
The way she lost herself in her work had always been one of the most attractive things about her.
“Didn’t expect to see you down here,” she said, her voice calm but curious as she finally looked up, her expression shifting to something that looked almost pleased.
I crossed the room, trying not to overthink my next move. “Just thought I’d check in. See if you need anything.” It wasn’t just an excuse. I had been thinking about her all morning, the kiss from yesterday still playing on my lips like an echo of hope.
She studied me for a second, the subtle smile on her lips tugging at something inside me, but she kept her composure.
“I don’t think the project needs rescuing yet,” she quipped, turning back to the drawings as if testing the waters, seeing where this interaction was going to lead.
There was something light, almost teasing in her tone, but also the familiar edge of professionalism she always wore so well.
I leaned against her desk, not getting too close but making sure I was in her space in a way that wasn’t intrusive. “I’m not here about the project.”
Her eyebrows rose slightly, and she looked up again, her gaze locking onto mine.
There it was, that subtle shift, the space between us shrinking like it had under the rain yesterday.
For a brief second, it felt like we were back in that moment, standing under the awning with the world drowned out by the storm around us.
But we weren’t. We were here, in her domain, and I couldn’t allow myself to push too far.
“I’m here because...” I stopped, catching myself. I didn’t want to make this into something bigger than it was. Not yet. I let a small smile form instead. “I wanted to see you, that’s all.”
Her smile grew, though she turned her attention back to her work, clearly still in the middle of something important. “Well, I’m here,” she said lightly, but I could feel the unspoken invitation lingering between us.
There wasn’t much more to say. I’d come here to remind her that I was around, to show up in a way that didn’t involve fixing engines or sneaking into restoration bays before dawn.
Now that she knew, maybe things could settle into a rhythm, a more natural pace.
I didn’t have to stay long, but the fact that I’d come here at all felt like enough for today.
“I’ll let you get back to it,” I said, straightening from my position against the desk. But I hesitated near the door, hoping.
And it was hope that was answered. “You don’t have to leave right away,” she offered, the words barely loud enough to hear, but I caught them.
Her voice was softer, the guardedness fading into something that felt like a truce between us, a temporary peace I wasn’t sure I deserved but would gladly accept.
I didn’t need much else right now, just her presence and the small reminder that, maybe, this was the beginning of the path forward.
I moved back into the room, grabbing a chair from the corner and pulling it closer without asking. “Then I’ll stay,” I said simply.
There was a moment where neither of us spoke, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable anymore.
It was filled with a quiet understanding that whatever came next would be something we built together.
And sitting there in her office, surrounded by her work and the life she had created beyond our marriage, I finally felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
Not as a boss or a fixer or the man with all the answers. Just as Patrick.
For now, that was enough.
I had been sitting there long enough to memorize the pattern of the scratches on the old wood of Sadie’s office chair when I saw her eyes flicker in my direction again.
There was a certain stillness in her expression, something that spoke louder than words.
The easy camaraderie that had been lingering between us since my arrival suddenly tightened.
I straightened slightly in my chair, feeling like the air had changed in the room, something deeper unsaid but understood.
“We should probably be talking about the kiss yesterday,” Sadie said after a pause, her voice even, though I caught the subtle edge of tension in it.
I swallowed, surprised by the abrupt shift. “I wasn’t trying to ignore it,” I began, feeling the need to explain even if no accusations had been made. I hadn’t expected her to bring it up so directly, not after all the progress we’d been making since then.
“I know that, Patrick,” she said, her fingers tightening on the edge of the drafting table she had been leaning against. “But it’s there, hanging between us.”