Page 103 of Let Me Love You

Tears are streaming down my face. “I know you already do a lot of good. I went to the charity auction with you.”

He nods. “I’ll continue to donate, but this place will help people every day. And I want you to help run it.”

I furrow my eyebrows. “Help who?”

“Do you know of any doctors you trust? Someone who isn’t in the medical field for millions of dollars but to help people.”

There’s only one doctor who pops into my head. “Dr. Evans. She worked with me at the hospital. I can give her a call and ask.”

A big grin takes over his face. He must take my answer as my agreement. If I say no to the clinic, I’ll be hurting my neighbors. But if I say yes, then I’m saying yes to him. To our family. To forever.

My heart is in my throat as I push up on my toes. His blue eyes sparkle while he watches me, waiting for me to make a decision. And I do. I press my lips against his. Our kiss isn’t rushed. No, we take our time exploring each other again as if it’s our first time. Five days apart is too much—

I pull away. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think living in New York will be good for the kids. Here in Granite Falls, they have family and friends.”

He nods again. “I already thought of that. It’s why I brought my sister along.”

I wait for him to continue. I’m not sure what his sister has to do with it.

“After all the hoops I had to jump through to stay CEO, I can see why my father retired young. I’ve decided to become the Chief Marketing Officer and step down from CEO. Isabella has agreed to take on the role. She has wanted it for as long as I remember.”

My jaw drops. He … what? All thoughts escape my brain. Everything he has done was to be able to remain as CEO. “Please don’t tell me I’m one of the reasons why.”

He shrugs. “Just a small portion.” Then he winks, and one of the shards of my heart snaps back into place. “There’s also Summer and the baby.”

Something about this doesn’t sit right with me. “I can’t let you do this. You’ll regret your decision eventually and grow to resent us.”

Victor crushes me against his chest, keeping his strong arms wrapped around me. “I won’t. I promise.” He pulls away slightly, keeping his arms around me. He looks me in the eye as he says, “I saw my future when I watched my dad almost die because of a heart attack. I want to have a long life with you and the kids.”

When I open my mouth to protest more, he plows on. “Not to mention that my grandfather also died of a heart attack while still CEO. It may not be genetic for me, but the job itself is probably causing it.”

“Then how do you expect your sister to handle it?”

“She was made for the fast pace of being CEO. For now, she’s going to stay in Granite Falls so I can train her. She’ll go to the city a few times a week but other than that, she can do everything through Zoom until she’s ready to handle it on her own.”

I don’t respond, taking a moment to soak up everything he’s said. This is a big decision, one that I can’t be too hasty in making. But he wants to be here with us and help do something amazing for our community. He’s not running away. No, he’s running to us. Maybe I can put my heart on the line one more time.

“I’ll go call Dr. Evans.”

He gives me a single, knowing nod. “I’ll call my realtor.”

Chapter 46

Victor

6Months Later

Today is the grand opening of our clinic, Happy Hearts. After everything my father went through, even with all the medical care in the world, I can only wonder what people who don’t have easy access to a doctor would do.

Harmony and Lana stand beside me with big, proud smiles on their faces. I squeeze Summer’s hand and look down at her. Her gaze is on Serenity, who stands near the ribbon. Her bright pink dress is popped out by her beautiful baby bump. Over these past six months, she has glowed, and I’ve been lucky enough to stand by her side.

We bought a new house big enough for the four of us plus an office for me. Bigger than her condo but smaller than the house I had. She keeps giving me lecture after lecture about not wasting money, so a big house was out of the question. It will take me some time to not jump immediately to spending money when that was how I was raised my entire life. But she’s right. Why waste money unnecessarily? We’d both rather pour it into the clinic anyway.

Dr. Evans says something to Serenity before my wife climbs off the small stage. She walks over to Summer and me and says, “You’re wanted at the ribbon.”

I shake my head. “You two do it. It’s yours.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “No, this is ours. Now come help us.”