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I’m frozen in place, staring down at what I know is the last real love I’ll feel in this lifetime. What kind of fool lets something like this go? But what match am I for her daughter? I know the weight of that love. The willingness to sacrifice whatever it takes. A love so rich you’d willingly drown in it.
With that, I get an idea.
“Then, let me givehersomething,” I say in desperation.
“Ronan…”
I’m already moving to my desk, grabbing my checkbook from the top drawer. “Please, Shannon. If you won’t take it for yourself, take it for her. So I know you understand that she is just as important to me as you are. So she never has to want for anything. So she knows she’s worth it. Do this for your daughter, Shannon.” I look up at her with a pleading expression. “I know a parent’s love.”
There’s a hint of sympathy in her eyes as she takes the check from my fingers, her gaze slowly trailing down to the number written on the paper. When they go wide, I know she’s about to argue.
“It’s too much—”
“I’ll have my financial advisor call you. He can put it into an account for her, so it accrues interest. By the time she starts college, you won’t have to pay a dime. You’ll be able to relax, knowing she’s taken care of.”
When her eyes drift back up toward mine, I see the softness in her expression. In the next breath, she’s in my arms again. I’m breathing in the scent of her shampoo and memorizing the way she fits in my arms, tucked just under my chin.
I mumble into her hair, “You were never just a fling to me. You know that, right?”
When she nods, I hear the tiny yelp of a sob escape her lips. I want to try and convince her to stay again. I wish I had the guts to throw all of this away for her. Sell the company and my properties, give away all of my money, just to give her and her daughter the normal lives they deserve.
But I’m too afraid that my pain will seep back in and ruin it all. Without work to bury myself in, what is left of me?
Shannon and her daughter deserve better.
“Let me drive you to the airport,” I whisper, but she shakes her head.
“No. I can’t stand to drag this out any more than it already is. I have to go, Ronan.”
When she pulls herself out of my arms, it feels like another stab to the chest. Another loss. Another woman slipping through my fingers. It’s like living that same tragic day over and over and over again.
I can’t watch her leave.
Instead, I turn and face the window overlooking the city below, then hear the sound of the front door closing, like the ring of a gunshot that nearly kills me.
Just like that, she’s gone.
And I’m alone.
The pain is sharp and unyielding, so instead of feeling it, I sit down at my desk and turn the monitor back on. The email from Emerson still open on the screen.
Without another thought, I click Reply.
From: Ronan Kade
To: Emerson Grant
Subject: Re: Investment Opportunity
Emerson,
Let’s meet at your earliest convenience. I’m very interested in hearing about your new company, and my schedule is wide open.
Sincerely,
Ronan Kade
RULE #1: PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS
