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His proximity is disarming. His scent wraps around me and evokes so many memories. Happy memories at that. My resolve wavers as I look up into his searching eyes. He's not just offering an apology.
He's laying down his weapons.
"Let me do this, Pearl. Please."
The word hangs between us, heavy with implications and unspoken promises. I want to march right past him. I need to put distance between his desperation and my aching heart. But the Pearl who would've walked away doesn't seem to exist anymore. Not after everything that's happened between us.
"Fine," I relent. My voice is barely a whisper. "But this changes nothing between us. Understand?"
"Understood," he says. Relief softens the hard lines of his face.
River leans across the table, his fingers stretched out toward me but not quite touching. His gaze is intense, urging me to listen, to really hear him this time.
"I've been talking with Ray Kendrick."
My eyebrows shoot up. “Ray Kendrick? The same Ray Kendrick who owns the Atlanta Kings?”
"Yeah, that one," River confirms. "If Aunt Delta agrees to sell the land to him, she won't just be walking away with a check. She'll retain a one percent ownership stake in the land. And not just the land, Pearl. Anything that gets built there."
I'm momentarily speechless, which is a rarity for me. "You mean...like, if they build a..."
"A resort, yes. She'll have a stake in that too. Perpetual income. That’s a piece of the pie forever."
“She wants it to be wild forever,” I say slowly.
“I don’t have control over that. I can lend you money to pay her debt off, but I can’t make her pay in the future. You could be back in this spot in two years. What I’m offering is so much money that you’ll never have to even think of how much anything costs for the rest of your life. For your kids’ lives. For your kids’ kids’ lives.”
He spreads his hands wide to encompass just what he's offering.
It's a lot to process. A part of me wants to dismiss it as another one of River's grand gestures. Is this just his privilege talking? But the sincerity in his voice is hard to deny.
"There's more." He pauses, making sure he has my full attention. "I've made sure that a portion of land will be set aside. For your family to build new houses on."
"New houses?" I echo. "River Bennett… are you telling me you've thought of everything?"
His brow furrows.
"Everything but how to make you believe I'm serious about this," he admits. A half-smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes appears on his face.
The audacity of his plan is staggering. It's not just money. It's security. It’s stability. It's a future for my family that doesn't involve renting out aged cabins or waiting tables. It's almost enough to make me forget why I was mad at him in the first place.
"Show me the paperwork," I demand. That’s my practicality kicking back in.
River doesn't hesitate. He pulls folded documents from the inner pocket of his tailored jacket. He smooths them out in front of me, pointing out where Aunt Delta's signature would need to go.
"Right there," he says softly. "With one signature, this whole nightmare would be over."
I scan the pages. Each line of legalese screaming promises and potential betrayals. But as I look closer, I see River's influence all over it. There is the clause about the 1% ownership. On the next page, there is the allotment of land for housing. It's all there, in black and white.
"River..." My voice trails off, the weight of his offer leaving me breathless.
I lean back, trying to take it all in.
“This plan is quite generous. But what's in it for you? Where's your cut?"
He shakes his head. The corners of his lips turn up in a wry smile that doesn't quite mask the pain in his eyes. "Pearl, the only cut I want goes to Delta. There's nothing else I'm taking away from this deal."
"Nothing?" I ask. I’m not willing to let him off the hook that easily.
