He takes one look at the little cocoon of blankets I’ve made on the sofa, my laptop open on the coffee table with about a million tabs open, and raises a brow. ‘You okay?’
‘As good as I can be, given the circumstances,’ I say with a shrug. ‘Are you?’
He matches my shrug with one of his own. ‘I think so.’ Then he nods assuredly. ‘Yeah, actually. I am. I just left my father’s office for the last time.’
I frown. ‘What do you mean?’
‘After twenty minutes straight of him ranting and raving, I suddenly realised that I just don’t care anymore. So, I’m done. With him. With Vouvalis Resorts. With all of it.’
I blink, stunned. ‘You’redone?’
‘Done,’ he says again, firmer this time. ‘I told him I’m walking away.’
I stare at him like he’s speaking another language. ‘Asher, that’s… that’s your entire life. Your family’s company.You’re really willing to throw all of that away?’ And maybe I’m being presumptuous, but the way he’s looking at me makes me think I’m not, so I add, ‘For me?’
Asher doesn’t hesitate. ‘I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.’
My chest tightens, somehow painfully and beautifully all at once. I take a small step closer to him. ‘So, what happens now? You go live your life, and I figure out what’s left of mine?’
He tilts his head, brows furrowing ever so slightly. ‘Do you want me to leave?’
I swallow hard and shake my head. ‘No.’
‘Good,’ he says with a soft smile. He reaches out and pulls me into him. ‘Because I’m not going anywhere.’
Before I can respond, he closes the distance between us. His hand finds mine and he threads our fingers together. We fit, perfectly. ‘I meant what I said, Imani,’ he murmurs. ‘About proposing to you one day. On our terms. When we’re ready. Being with you these last few months has been amazing – and if it’s only a snapshot of what getting to love you is like, I can’t imagine what being able to love you out loud is going to be like. And I can’t wait.’
My eyes burn with the threat of tears. ‘You know this is going to be a mess, right? The company’s collapsing. My dad’s probably going to be indicted—’
‘Mine too,’ Asher says, sounding almost pleased.
‘What?’ I ask. ‘What the hell?’
He shrugs. ‘I don’t know any of the details, but apparentlyhe’s on the NCA’s radar. It’s only a matter of time. He’s going to get what he deserves.’
‘Wow,’ I say. Asher doesn’t look at all bothered by the fact that his father might soon be behind bars, and I can’t say that I blame him. But still…‘You know there’s a very real chance that I might actually be broke once this has all settled.’
Asher smiles faintly. ‘Then we’ll be broke together.’
The laugh that bursts out of me is loud and helpless and a little hysterical. When I finally catch my breath, I look at him and the warmth in his eyes feels like sunlight after weeks of rain.
It’s too much. The way he looks at me is justtoo much.
‘I love you,’ I blurt out, almost choking on the words. My heart is beating so loud and fast, it’s got to be audible from the next building over. ‘I love you, Asher.’
He goes still for half a second, and then the smile that breaks over his face is so beautiful it almost hurts to look at. ‘I love you, too.’
And then he’s kissing me.
My heart stutters in my chest. My knees threaten to buckle. I cling to him and let myself fall, because I know he’s not going to let go.
It’s strange how the whole world can be falling apart around me and still somehow feel like everything is finally slotting into place.
Outside, everything’s chaos. Headlines, outrage, the slow-motion collapse of an empire. But here, in my apartment, the only thing that matters is Asher.
When he finally pulls back, he rests his forehead against mine. ‘We’ll figure it out,’ he murmurs. ‘All of it. The mess, the future, and whatever comes next, we’ll do it together.’
Somehow, that’s the first thing I’ve heard all day that makes sense. Maybe Peregrine Airways has gone. Maybe everything safe and certain in my life has essentially been burned to the ground. But as he wraps me up in his arms, I realise it doesn’t feel like an ending. Not really.
