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“I know I’ve been an asshole,” I say. “But if you give me another chance, you will never, ever, not for a moment, doubt the place you have in my life. I want you. I need you.”
She blinks, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. She bites her lip, a habit I know so well that it makes me feel like my heart is being squeezed.
I need her so, so badly.
My heart feels like it’s pumping mud, every beat heavy and almost painful as I reach into my back pocket, pulling out the paperwork I had my lawyers draw up. I hand it to Sophie, and she takes it, her brows furrowing as she looks down to read the words printed on the page.
“What is this?” she asks, sounding confused. Her gaze keeps scanning, and her eyes widen as she answers her own question. “Declan, you’re—this says you’re signing all of your shares of Dynasty over… to me.”
I nod. “I am. I’m stepping down as CEO.”
“I…” She blinks. “I saw your interview. About the new direction for the company. You said you were stepping down, but I had no idea…” Her delicate throat works as she swallows. “Why would you do this?”
“Because Dynasty means nothing to me,” I tell her, hoping she can hear the truth in my words. “Nothing means anything without you. I put my heart and soul into building Dynasty, and now you have my heart. So you should have Dynasty too.”
“But—”
“Don’t worry. If you don’t want to take on the role of running the company, I completely understand. It will still be yours, and I’ll help you find someone to handle the day to day of overseeing everything. But you’ll be the one with the final say. The controlling interest will belong to you.”
She lets out a shuddering breath, her eyes glazed. Her teeth trap her bottom lip between them as she glances from the paperwork to me, searching my eyes like she’s trying to find something hidden in their depths. But nothing is hidden there. Everything I’m feeling, every thought I have, belongs to her. I stand before her, holding her gaze and trying to remember how to breathe.
Finally, she shakes her head. “I can’t accept this, Declan. Thank you, but… it’s too much.”
I can practically see her trying to rebuild the wall around her heart, and panic flares through me. Before I even know what I’m doing, I drop to my knees, my chest aching as I gaze up at her.
“It’s not too much,” I tell her, my voice shaking. “Nothing would be too much to show you what you mean to me, Spitfire. To show you how much I care about you. To show you that my world cannot exist without you in it. Because you’re everything. You’re fucking everything to me, so the least I can do is give you everything I have.”
“I don’t want your company.” Her lip quivers, and she gives a small, sad smile. “I just wanted you.”
“You have me.” I sit back on my heels, catching her free hand in mine and bowing my head as if I’m praying. Maybe I am. My forehead rests against the back of her hand, and I close my eyes. “You’ll always have me, Sophie. Even if you never let me see you again. Even if you hate me for the rest of your life, you’ll still have me. Because I love you. I love you so fucking much that I can’t breathe without you. And I’ll happily spend every minute of every day on my knees, begging you for another chance.”
The room goes silent, and I cling to her hand. I don’t want to let go. It’s the first time I’ve touched her in far too long, and I hate myself for being the cause of that. But even this small connection between us feels like a lifeline, like an anchor holding me steady in a storm of wild, chaotic emotions.
This woman will always be my anchor. My compass. My reason for everything.
“You…” Her voice is soft, barely a whisper. “You what?”
“I love you.” I drag in a breath. “I should’ve said it so long ago. I hate that you’re hearing those words for the first time after I hurt you so badly. But it’s true. I love you, and I’ll always love you. I’ll grovel for you, and I’ll fight for you, and I’ll do everything I can to protect your heart. Please, Spitfire. Please. Give me a chance to fix this. I’ll do anything. I love you so fucking much.”
Her hand shakes in mine, a tiny tremor like a leaf in a breeze. I can hear the soft exhale of her breath, and then she makes a little noise in her throat.
“I… god, my heart hurts so much,” she admits, her voice small. “I missed you, Declan.”
Tears well in my eyes, and I lift my head to look up at her. She’s crying too, a few of those glistening tears in her eyes finally falling, tracing the perfect curve of her cheeks.
I shake my head, feeling like I’m about to crumble to pieces. “Please, baby. Please. Give me a chance to fix this. To fix your heart. To fix us.”
Time seems to stand still as she gazes down at me. She’s holding a piece of paper worth billions of dollars, but that’s not what I’m focused on at all in this moment. I wouldn’t care if she took the company, my lifeblood for so many years, and tore it to pieces from the ground up. Because I meant what I told her. All of it is meaningless without her.
All I care about is her.
Then, finally, she nods.
“Okay,” she whispers.
That single word hits me like a blow to the chest, shocking my stalled heart back to life. Hope rises inside me, almost choking off my breath as my throat goes tight.
“You’ll give me another chance?” I ask, my voice hoarse.
