Xander
That promise scares me. What are you planning?
Calm down.
Lottie
As long as I don’t have to marry and you don’t end up in jail.
Xander
Or at least the first one.
I’vegot to go.
Entering the Merged building, I head for the elevators.
I put my phone into my pocket, wondering just how I will get it fixed. Victor Lock might welcome my marrying his daughter.
Roxy might even agree. Not because she wants me. The thought lands harder than I expect.
She would do it to protect her sister. To secure stability for the child. Practical motivations. Rational. Defensible.
But insufficient.
For her, perhaps, they are enough.
For me, they are not.
We’ve been avoiding any conversation about our future. Or my betrayal. The only semblance of a substantial exchange happened this morning, when I told her we’ll find a place and move in together.
She hasn’t fought me on that, which should be comforting. A step in the right direction.
I know Thunder. When she goes quiet, she’s making a decision.
She’s likely packing, ready to drag herself back to that apartment that barely qualifies as livable.
The irony? I’ve been an unwilling participant in most conversations. The only conversation I really, truly need to happen is eluding me.
The past three days proved we could exist together. We didn’t kill each other, and she didn’t run away.
That’s a low standard, even for someone like me. Unfortunately, in our situation, anything counts.
The fragile rapport we established scares me, so I don’t press the conversation, because there is more at stake now.
I’m going to be a father. Fuck. Even days later, the idea still sits well. Amazing. Like my future. Destiny. Anchor.
Winning Roxy isn’t a discipline I’ve mastered. But today, I can begin.
“Liam,” Alina squeals as I step out from the elevator. “They’re waiting for you in Corm’s office.”
I nod and walk across the open-concept floor toward Quinn’s corner. I pause in front of Roxy’s open door.
Her office is empty, and yet her presence seems to linger. This place has meaning for her.
It’s been her first breath of freedom. A tower she built brick by brick, to achieve something her family never supported.
She succeeded here. She found respect here. She found a family here. And this is where I start on my journey to rebuild her trust.
