“Mom and Dad have no say in it.”
And it wasn’t an obsession. It was love. The more I felt it slipping away, the more I realized how real and overwhelming it was. I loved Jordan with almost everything inside me.
Felicia rolled her eyes, moving around me for the door. She started to open it, and—
Fuck it.
I was there in one second and slammed it shut.
She fell back a step, her eyes wide, as she could only gape up at me. “Wha—” she started.
I growled over her, “What did you say to her?”
“Kian?” She didn’t look away from me. She wouldn’t dare.
“I mean it. I’ve let you come here. I’ve let you charge all your alcohol, hotel movies, food, clothing, whatever you wanted on my credit card. Fine. I figured I owe you.
“I wasn’t there for you, not when you needed me, and then I got locked up. You started sleeping with my lawyer, and I’d had enough. You come back here now, and what? She hasn’t left me since I got out, and you were able to send her away after one conversation. What did you say, Felicia?”
Her bottom lip started to tremble before she snapped back, “I did you a favor. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed sticking a knife in her chest and turning it around. The girl was acting like she was in love with you, which is ridiculous. You’ll thank me for running her off one day. Trust me.” She reached for the door.
I moved her back. “Felicia.” I gave her one more warning growl.
“Okay. You’re crazy, you know that? It’s like you—” She stopped as understanding dawned in her depths. A light switched on, and her mouth fell open again. “Oh my God, you love her, don’t you?”
My eyes narrowed to slits. “If you don’t start talking—”
She waved that off. “What, Kian? Are you going to hurt me? I’m sorry. You think you’re the baddest piece of shit around, but I’ve got you beat by a long shot. You might huff and make a call to throw your weight around, but that’s all you’ll do.” Her voice gentled. “I know you’ll never hurt me. You never have. I didn’t know that you loved her. I thought you were only here to…I don’t know…get her help with the foster care building. I knew you wanted her to help with the planning and promotions for it. I’m sorry. It’s not much, but for what it’s worth, I am sorry.”
A headache was forming. She still hadn’t told me. “Felicia!”
“I lied to her. I said you hadn’t been accepted back into the company, and you needed her to make the hail of all Hail Marys, proclaiming how great of a guy you were to change the investors’ minds.”
“You did what?”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry.”
“I’m already in.”
“I know, but she didn’t know that. Neither does the public. And…” She grimaced, looking away, before saying, “I knew Daddy texted you. I told her the code to get in your phone, and…”
I closed my eyes. Jordan would’ve needed to know if it was true, if I was using her or not. She would’ve looked, and she would’ve put two and two together but formed the wrong ending.
I groaned. “Do you know what you’ve done?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s a hiccup. Go find her. I know you have a tracker on her phone. And by the way”—she went to the door again, her hand closing on the door handle—“if you don’t want her to think you’re some crazy stalker, you might want to get rid of that program.”
I didn’t even ask how she knew about that. Nothing would surprise me now. “It was for her safety. I was worried about her.”
“Yeah, well, speaking as a girl, I highly recommend you come clean about that ASAP.” She opened the door but paused once more. “When did you fall in love with her?”
I didn’t answer. When she saw I wasn’t going to, she left. I was alone with my realization.
I’d been in love with Jordan since I saved her. I just never knew it.
Kian was sitting on the edge of the couch, leaning against the back of it and facing the door, as I went inside. His hands were on the couch, his head down, and it was like he was bracing himself from me. He lifted his head, and those eyes were stricken and so haunting. I paused for a moment. My chest tightened.
My throat choked up, but I had to know. “Do you love me?” I had two questions to ask. That was the first.
There was no hesitation. “Yes.” He meant what he said.
My knees almost buckled.
I had one more. “Enough to leave your family for me?”
There it was—the second question. I had to know. No regrets. If he lied, I’d see it. I would have to see it, so I moved closer, watching his eyes. There couldn’t be any flicker of emotion there. Forgetting everything else, this was why I came back.
“Yes.”
It was so quick, so instant, and there was no inflection from him. He meant it.
Kian was staring right back at me, letting me see inside him. I saw love there. It was powerful and consuming. I felt it come into me, and it swept over me. Tears slipped down my face, he wiped one away.
If he were lying…
If he were, then I’d deal with it. I loved him so damn much.
He asked in a whisper, “Do you love me, too?”
“Yes.” A thousand times yes.
His eyes darkened. The corner of his mouth lifted before falling flat again. “I know what my sister told you. It was all a lie.”
My knees really did buckle then. Kian caught me. His hand grabbed my arm and steadied me. I clasped on to him.
“There were some investors who didn’t approve of me, but they left the company. They were bought out, and the proposal that my dad congratulated me on is for a new foster care building. I want to build an entirely new building, just for the foster-care headquarters, and I want your input. It’s something I wish you’d had. I want it to be a place where foster kids can go if they want. It’ll be their constant over the years, like you should have had.”
He tugged me closer to him, so I was standing between his legs. One hand rested on my hip, and the other cupped the side of my face. “That was why I came here, or that was the first reason. I wanted to get your help. I want you to help me with raising awareness about the building, letting everyone know about it.”
And it wasn’t an obsession. It was love. The more I felt it slipping away, the more I realized how real and overwhelming it was. I loved Jordan with almost everything inside me.
Felicia rolled her eyes, moving around me for the door. She started to open it, and—
Fuck it.
I was there in one second and slammed it shut.
She fell back a step, her eyes wide, as she could only gape up at me. “Wha—” she started.
I growled over her, “What did you say to her?”
“Kian?” She didn’t look away from me. She wouldn’t dare.
“I mean it. I’ve let you come here. I’ve let you charge all your alcohol, hotel movies, food, clothing, whatever you wanted on my credit card. Fine. I figured I owe you.
“I wasn’t there for you, not when you needed me, and then I got locked up. You started sleeping with my lawyer, and I’d had enough. You come back here now, and what? She hasn’t left me since I got out, and you were able to send her away after one conversation. What did you say, Felicia?”
Her bottom lip started to tremble before she snapped back, “I did you a favor. Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed sticking a knife in her chest and turning it around. The girl was acting like she was in love with you, which is ridiculous. You’ll thank me for running her off one day. Trust me.” She reached for the door.
I moved her back. “Felicia.” I gave her one more warning growl.
“Okay. You’re crazy, you know that? It’s like you—” She stopped as understanding dawned in her depths. A light switched on, and her mouth fell open again. “Oh my God, you love her, don’t you?”
My eyes narrowed to slits. “If you don’t start talking—”
She waved that off. “What, Kian? Are you going to hurt me? I’m sorry. You think you’re the baddest piece of shit around, but I’ve got you beat by a long shot. You might huff and make a call to throw your weight around, but that’s all you’ll do.” Her voice gentled. “I know you’ll never hurt me. You never have. I didn’t know that you loved her. I thought you were only here to…I don’t know…get her help with the foster care building. I knew you wanted her to help with the planning and promotions for it. I’m sorry. It’s not much, but for what it’s worth, I am sorry.”
A headache was forming. She still hadn’t told me. “Felicia!”
“I lied to her. I said you hadn’t been accepted back into the company, and you needed her to make the hail of all Hail Marys, proclaiming how great of a guy you were to change the investors’ minds.”
“You did what?”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry.”
“I’m already in.”
“I know, but she didn’t know that. Neither does the public. And…” She grimaced, looking away, before saying, “I knew Daddy texted you. I told her the code to get in your phone, and…”
I closed my eyes. Jordan would’ve needed to know if it was true, if I was using her or not. She would’ve looked, and she would’ve put two and two together but formed the wrong ending.
I groaned. “Do you know what you’ve done?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s a hiccup. Go find her. I know you have a tracker on her phone. And by the way”—she went to the door again, her hand closing on the door handle—“if you don’t want her to think you’re some crazy stalker, you might want to get rid of that program.”
I didn’t even ask how she knew about that. Nothing would surprise me now. “It was for her safety. I was worried about her.”
“Yeah, well, speaking as a girl, I highly recommend you come clean about that ASAP.” She opened the door but paused once more. “When did you fall in love with her?”
I didn’t answer. When she saw I wasn’t going to, she left. I was alone with my realization.
I’d been in love with Jordan since I saved her. I just never knew it.
Kian was sitting on the edge of the couch, leaning against the back of it and facing the door, as I went inside. His hands were on the couch, his head down, and it was like he was bracing himself from me. He lifted his head, and those eyes were stricken and so haunting. I paused for a moment. My chest tightened.
My throat choked up, but I had to know. “Do you love me?” I had two questions to ask. That was the first.
There was no hesitation. “Yes.” He meant what he said.
My knees almost buckled.
I had one more. “Enough to leave your family for me?”
There it was—the second question. I had to know. No regrets. If he lied, I’d see it. I would have to see it, so I moved closer, watching his eyes. There couldn’t be any flicker of emotion there. Forgetting everything else, this was why I came back.
“Yes.”
It was so quick, so instant, and there was no inflection from him. He meant it.
Kian was staring right back at me, letting me see inside him. I saw love there. It was powerful and consuming. I felt it come into me, and it swept over me. Tears slipped down my face, he wiped one away.
If he were lying…
If he were, then I’d deal with it. I loved him so damn much.
He asked in a whisper, “Do you love me, too?”
“Yes.” A thousand times yes.
His eyes darkened. The corner of his mouth lifted before falling flat again. “I know what my sister told you. It was all a lie.”
My knees really did buckle then. Kian caught me. His hand grabbed my arm and steadied me. I clasped on to him.
“There were some investors who didn’t approve of me, but they left the company. They were bought out, and the proposal that my dad congratulated me on is for a new foster care building. I want to build an entirely new building, just for the foster-care headquarters, and I want your input. It’s something I wish you’d had. I want it to be a place where foster kids can go if they want. It’ll be their constant over the years, like you should have had.”
He tugged me closer to him, so I was standing between his legs. One hand rested on my hip, and the other cupped the side of my face. “That was why I came here, or that was the first reason. I wanted to get your help. I want you to help me with raising awareness about the building, letting everyone know about it.”
