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“What about the show?” Adrian asked, trying to make sense of it all. Dom was sputtering and seemed incapable of forming full sentences.
“I’m staying on the show, but I’ll be doing it as SV Design. When we re-signed the contracts, I made sure it listed me by name, separately from the Valenti Brothers company list, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“How can you afford this?” Dom had found his words and was flinging them angrily at his daughter, trying to hit the right button to make her stay. “I know how much you make. Starting your own business takes a lot of time and money.”
“Gee, if only there were someone I could sell some of my equity to, someone who would take good care of Valenti Brothers while freeing up my capital. If only…” Sofia turned to Adrian.
He held his breath, afraid to break the magic of the moment. He needed to hear it from her lips. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? She grinned, and his heart stuttered in his chest.
“What do you think, Adrian? I’ll sell you half of my quarter of the business. You get your buy-in, and I get enough to get my own branch off the ground.”
He stepped closer, caution warring with happiness, and cradled her face in his hands. He saw the truth in her eyes. “Are you sure? How can you decide so quickly?”
“Quickly? Would you like to see the twenty-page business plan I’ve got in the drawer of my desk? I’ve been plotting for my own chance ever since I realized Dad would never let me go. Every question I asked? I needed answers so I could figure out how it would work.”
“But you’d be giving away part of your legacy.”
“No, I’d be selling part of my legacy to someone Itrustto build on that solid foundation, so I can invest in my future.”
Was he imagining that emphasis on the word trust? Was he hearing hidden messages his heart longed to hear where there were none? “And Enzo and Frankie?”
“They will still have majority control with Seth. You’re not going to be able to override their decisions, but you’ll have a seat at the table.” Her eyes shone with truth and hope, and Adrian felt his own hope rising to meet it. This brave, brilliant woman never failed to surprise him. Was it any wonder he’d fallen hard?
“Sofia, I’m so sorry I doubted you. My life was fine before this whole crazy mess began, but as a wise woman once told me, fine never means fine. I thought I was happy, but that’s only because I hadn’t realized how much better it could be with you. Now that I’ve had a taste of what a future with you could be, I don’t want to go back to fine. I want to work hard to build spectacular with you. It was never about the business. It was always you. I love you, Sofia Valenti. Will you give me another chance?”
“Oh, you marvelous idiot, I love you, too. God, I’ve missed you. I’m sorry that my questions pushed you away. I didn’t realize how they sounded, and then you wouldn’t even let me explain—”
He touched a finger to her lips to stem the tide of words that she’d held dammed up all these weeks. “Say that first part again.”
“I love you, you idiot.”
He was still chuckling when she pulled him in for a kiss, and he let himself fall into her. He ignored the clapping, the catcalls, and the disgusted snorting from the peanut gallery. All that mattered was that this amazing woman had given him a second chance. He poured his heart into the kiss, telling her without words how much he needed her.
Adrian grinned down at Sofia but didn’t let her go. He didn’t want to let her out of his arms now that he’d convinced her back into them. “One last question…”
“Hmm, what’s that?” The bemused expression on her face delighted him.
Damn, he was the luckiest man. His dream may not have turned out the way he’d planned, but combining it with hers made it even better. “That seat at the table?”
Sofia nodded.
“Can it be the one next to yours?”
She paused, and then smiled brilliantly, the smile he’d never thought he’d see again. “Absolutely.”
“Then it’s a deal.”
And he sealed it with a kiss.
Epilogue
Three monthslater
“He needs to be dirtier,grittier. You can do better,” Jake chided Natalie as they both stood back and looked at Enzo.
“Sure thing, Jake.” She reached for the small pot of soil on her makeup counter and a small jar of Vaseline. “One dirtier landscaper coming up.”
Sofia watched her brother shift uncomfortably in the makeup chair and glare at the young woman who was preparing to paint him with dirt.
