She nods.
“I’m okay.”
Zach moves in closer, his hand brushing her shoulder briefly, grounding.
“Good,” he murmurs.
I watch it, the way they move around her, the way everything between us has settled into something that doesn’t need to be questioned anymore.
This is it.
This is what we built.
“I need to go out for a bit,” I say.
Three sets of eyes turn to me.
“Christian,” I add simply.
They understand immediately.
Jackson nods once.
“Yeah. Go.”
Zach gives me a steady look.
“We’ve got her.”
I know. That’s the point.
My gaze shifts back to her. She’s watching me. Not asking me to stay, not pulling, just… there. Trusting.
“I’ll be back,” I tell her.
“I know,” she says softly before I grab my keys and head out.
The Beaumont feels different now.
Not unfamiliar.
Just… mine in a way it wasn’t before.
Christian is waiting when I walk into his office. He looks up, taking me in properly, noting everything without saying it out loud.
He gestures to the desk.
“I’ve put everything in place,” he says. “Contacts, structure, operations. You take over here.”
I step closer, looking over it.
It’s clean.
Efficient.
Exactly what I expected from him.
“You’re leaving,” I say.
