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“Butterfly,” he whispers, holding me tight against him.
I have this quick vision of a cheesy romantic comedy and how close we are to being one right now. Like when the protagonists find one another and run in slow motion toward each other’s arms. Everything is so familiar. His muscles, his breathing, the beating of his heart.
That classy aroma of his fills my nose, and my mind is flooded with memories and happy moments we shared. Oh, how I missed him. My heart begins to waken, and a surge of electricity snaps me out of yesterday’s romantic haze and sets me back where I belong. The present. A time where Tristan isn’t part of my life or my future.
Peeling my body away from his, I gather my wits and set some shields around my heart. But those eyes, they fight my resolve. The sadness they flash is like a hammer demolishing the walls I’m raising.
“Why—what are you doing here?” I ask, waiting for some kind of logical answer. Then I spit the cruelest words I’ve ever said in my life. “You never called me—after that text.”
“It felt… insufficient. We needed more than just a couple of texts or a call.” I see his secret smile and, if I’m not mistaken, a steely resolve that I never saw before in those green depths.
“I’m sorry for leaving. I didn’t know how to handle the situation correctly. Leaving you broke me, but I thought it’d be the best for you.”
My stomach is in knots as I stare at the man who swore to love me forever, yet when the ground shook the foundation, he ran without giving us a second glance. That remaining shattered piece of my heart still can’t comprehend any of the words he is trying to say.
“We were a unit,” I remind him. “Not anI, but awe. We were supposed to handle everything as a team. But you and your stupid hard limit were more important than us.”
He nods, his lips turning up, showing a tender smile.
“Yes, my hard limit will always come first, Thea,” he confirms. “You’re my hard limit, baby. The press was slaughtering your name because of your past and because of what my sister released.”
He touches his temple. “The way I saw it, we had to terminate our triad. Take away the one thing that would fuel the media bonfire. So I made a choice between the three of us, and I chose the two of you.
“I didn’t want you to face more public ridicule. And I knew that if anyone could take care of your heart, it would be him. And the same goes for him. You’re perfect for each other. It was a painful but easy choice.”
“It wasn’t your decision to make,” I close my eyes for a brief moment as his words hammer the insides of my heart. Sacrificing for the cause sounds poetic, but…
“Thank you for the explanation, Tristan. I appreciate the closure.”
He walks to my desk, setting the bag of take-out on top. Then he pulls a black velvet box from inside his suit jacket and hands it to me.
“I took over Cooperson Corporation.” My eyes widen.
My hand holds the box tight as if it’s the one object that keeps me standing. Pria told me he’d been helping his father, but taking over… that I wasn’t aware of. My heart shrinks, assuming that he did it, that he succumbed to his parents’ demands. Marrying Victoria for her company and becoming that man he hated.
Tristan doesn’t stop his explanation.
He moved the company from Greenwich to Kirkland, Washington. The company’s bringing new job opportunities, embracing diversity, and supporting nonprofit organizations that will help people like him.
Young people who don’t have their family’s support and need a hand, a home, or whatever it is they need to help them accept themselves, instead of suffering because of who they are.
“Congratulations. I’m happy for you, Tristan.” I try to inject as much generic warmth as I can into the words, but I know I do a crap job at it.
He angles his head slightly to the left, his eyes stare at the box, then lift to find mine. “Forgive me, please. It was never my intention to hurt you or Matt. Ever.” He takes another step, an arm coming around my waist. “Thea, you’re my light, my life, my everything. But those are only words. I’m ready to let my actions speak for me.”
As his gaze dives toward the box again, I open it, finding a crystal butterfly the color of my eyes inside. He bends down and kisses my cheek lightly.
I feel like the room is spinning. This is exactly what I wanted. If Tristan had said these words to me months ago, I would’ve been the happiest woman in the world. But now…
“What you’re offering,” I start in a low tone. It’s all I can manage to keep the tears at bay. “It’s exactly what I wanted.”
My eyes remain glued to the butterfly that has a couple of tiny butterflies on its wings too. Like tiny babies. “Whatwewanted. But then you left. It became too hard for you, and you left us. You crushed me. What if it happens again?”
“It’ll happen. Probably a million times. Matt is a public figure. We’ll have to figure out how we’re going to handle our relationship and protect our children.” His voice doesn’t falter. He’s sure of himself, of this future.
“Why are you here?” My voice is almost a whisper. I wish Matt were here, holding my hand. “We said our goodbyes. You never called, I don’t think there’s much left, is there?”
“Of course there is.” Tristan brushes his hands together as if warming them up. “You can say that I don’t belong as many times as you want, but that doesn’t make it the truth. You can tell me there’s nothing left for me, but there’s plenty.”
