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“Fine, sleep in here.”
I pushed past him and stormed down the hall. He was right behind me, but not fast enough. I walked into his room, shut the door, and flipped the lock.
He wouldn’t risk waking the girls by knocking or yelling for me.
I was doing perfectly fine until I saw that Liam not only brought in my suitcases, but he unloaded them. All my skincare products were back on the counter, my pillows were back on the bed. My Kindle was in its usual spot, my paperback too. He’d put it all back.
I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but I was so frustrated that I decided to just get into bed and turn off the lights and hope sleep would claim me fast.
* * *
“Haley, this is ridiculous.”Gunther slammed my resignation notice down on his desk—at least it looked like he did from our FaceTime view.
I was using Liam’s office while he was at the gym. The kids were at Colson’s for the day, hanging with Nora. Days after our fallout, I was still trying to piece together my life. Liam had finally stopped trying to “talk” to me. All he was saying was that he didn’t mean what he said, but I believed a part of him did mean it. Why else would the words have been on his tongue in the first place?
“Gunther, I know what I’m doing.”
Abandoning his desk chair, he paced in front of his window, which only made our connection fuzzy and his form blurry.
“You can’t leave the company just so your boyfriend will accept the deal of a lifetime. This doesn’t make any sense.”
He paused long enough for me to catch his brown eyes flashing, and I understood it. I’d be mad if he were doing the same thing, but I couldn’t help feeling more resolve on this decision than any other in my life.
“Gunther, it’s more than that. I’m moving permanently to Oregon. And besides, Liam and I broke up. This isn’t about him…not exactly. I just want to tie things up there.”
He shook his head, letting out a sigh. “You’ve managed working from Oregon this entire time. Why remove your name from the company now?”
I didn’t want to explain it. I just wanted Liam not to have a reason to turn down this offer. If my name wasn’t attached, then there would be no reason at all for him to turn it down.
“I’m paying out my shares, so financially you won’t even take a hit. Why are you so upset?”
Honestly, this was just business, and associates came and went all the time. I mean, I realized Hanes was the H in R& H Enterprises, but still, it shouldn’t make that much of a difference if I decided to leave.
Gunther’s face softened as he stood and tucked his hands into his pockets.
“I have watched you go from an unsure teenager, wearing big, black glasses too large for your face, taking notes so quickly on legal pads that your hands were stained black. I watched as you quietly grew into this confident young woman who had a mind sharper than half the men I work with. Your goodness and kindheartedness were always as much of a tool in this business as your negotiating skills. I have been honored to mentor you, my dear. A privilege you likely don’t understand, but you’ve always meant more to me. You’re like a daughter to me, Haley. A daughter I watched my business partner squander away for years as he hid you then neglected you. The life you deserve to live is so much bigger than any of this––bigger than this company, bigger than Oregon, and bigger than a boxing legend who let you slip through his fingers.” He stepped closer as quiet tears trailed down my face, each word like thread, winding through my lacerated past.
“But if this is the journey you’ve chosen then I wish you all the best. But if this man loves you the way I think he does, he wouldn’t want you to leave something you worked so hard to build. You don’t share with many people how endless the nights were that you stayed up and studied, the courses you took while sitting in meetings with me, learning. You were a sponge for four years of your life, squeezed and wrung out. Could you blame me for wanting the very best for you?”
My lashes felt heavy as I shook my head. I sniffed and worked to hold off crying. I sat back in my chair, taking in the room. Which helped, because this room was a testament to why I needed to ensure Liam kept his gym.
“I just want him to be okay.”
“Being okay is subjective, isn’t it? He may financially be all right, but what if his heart never recovers from you?” Gunther took a seat and leaned forward, pushing his face closer to the screen.
“Do you not understand that you find your way into hearts like a dandelion seed? No way to fight it—you land and love grows. You are not easy to recover from, my darling. I doubt very much that man will be okay without you.”
I heard him but doubt still wiggled its way into my mind. Liam was so hurt by what I had done. This was the right choice; it was the least I could do. Give him this one thing to have, and he would be fine without me. He made it clear the gym was his first priority. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let me go.
30
LIAM
The girls assumedI was sick.
It was the only conclusion they could come to without me telling them what was wrong.
And really, it was so ridiculous, because it wasn’t like Haley had left. She was around every morning at breakfast, every afternoon and night. She was here… She just wouldn’t speak to me unless it was to be cordial in front of the girls. For the past several days, I tried to get her to speak to me, to listen, to hear that I messed up.
