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“What do you want?” I ask, knowing that’s why he called me here. He knows what that business means to Bree and what she means to me, and there’s only one reason he would point it out.
“I want to make a deal,” he confirms with a smirk I’d love to punch right off his damn face.
“What do you want?” I repeat.
“For you to stop embarrassing the Shea name. I want you out of that ridiculous relationship and back here working where you belong.”
“And you’ll what—cancel the sale?” I volley as my mind runs with possible ways to save Bree’s coffeehouse. If I can convince him that we’re over and that I’m back at Shea just long enough for Brody to—
“The sale’s already done,” he says, stabbing my ideas with a fucking knife. “You think I’d risk you walking away as soon as I cancel it, so Fields can swoop in and scoop it up?” He barks out a humorous laugh. “Hell no. I bought it. The deal is done. And as long as you work for me and stay away from them, she can keep her little bakery.”
His words wrap around my heart, squeezing, piercing, bleeding me out. Without thought, I bring my hand up and rub my chest, seeking reprieve but knowing I won’t get it. Dad doesn’t say anything, letting me stew in my thoughts. He’s covered all his bases, leaving no room for any loopholes. Except…
“How are you going to put a spa there?”
“I already found another property for the spa. This purchase was strictly done to ensure you’d come back to where you belong. It will make a great luxury condominium complex. Surprisingly, that bakery has a decent clientele. With a few necessary upgrades, it’ll fit in just fine… as long as you hold up your end of the bargain, that is.”
“I need time to think,” I tell him, standing. It’s hard to breathe, and if I don’t leave soon, he’s going to witness me losing my shit.
“You have one week to return to where you belong. If you’re not here on Monday morning, she’s gone.”
“Even if I do return, you have to know I’ll never want to be here. I’ll resent you for forcing me into this, for destroying the little bit of happiness I found.”
“You’ll get over it. You’re meant to be the CEO of Shea, not working as a lackey at Fields. You’ll thank me one day.” He presses the button for the intercom. “Carly, let my next appointment know I’m ready.” And just like that, I’ve been dismissed.
Taking the contract with me, I spend the next several hours combing through it, hoping to find a loophole. When I don’t find one, I take it to an attorney friend and ask him to look over it. When he tells me that without any signatures, the contract isn’t worth the paper it was typed on, I know what I have to do.
Present Day
“You should’ve told me,” Bree says. “You should’ve given me the choice.”
“I know what you would’ve chosen,” I argue, “and I wasn’t going to put you in that position. My family did this to you, and it was up to me to fix it. I know how much Heart’s means to you. It’s all you have left from your grandparents. It’s more than just coffee and cupcakes. It’s your past, your present, your future. It’s your livelihood. I wasn’t going to let you have it ripped out from under you.”
Bree steps toward me and cradles my face in her gentle hands. “I’ve lost enough people in my life to know that Heart’s is just a dwelling. The heart of it is inside me, where nobody, not even your dad, can reach. My grandma took me in when my parents weren’t capable of loving me the right way. She showed me what love looks like, and it’s not four walls at the bottom of a building. It’s you, me, Brody, and my children.”
She smiles softly up at me. “I know without a doubt my grandparents would not only understand but would want me to choose you… choose love over a location.”
“Bree…” I swallow thickly, hearing her words but not wanting to accept them. She shouldn’t have to choose. “I can’t let you—”
“I already did.”
Her admission has me stumbling back. “What? What did you do?”
“I had a letter of termination of my lease drawn up, and I gave it to your dad. It wasn’t really necessary since the contract wasn’t even signed, but I did it, so legally, it’s been handled. I have ninety days to move my stuff out of there before he locks me out.”
She presses her lips to mine. “I love you, Hayden, and I appreciate what you did. I don’t like that you didn’t speak to me, but I know what you did was out of love, so I’m going to forgive you, but in the future, we handle things together.” She takes Brody’s hand in hers and tugs him toward us. “The three of us.”
