Page 30 of You Had Me At Valentine

He holds up a hand. “Please, Lyra. Just listen. Hear me out. I’ll be your VC firm. Don’t go into business with someone you don’t know. Do this with me.”

I’m hearing a lot of concepts that aren’t gelling together in my head correctly, and the earnestness bleeding from Byron is tripping me up. He’s obviously off his rocker. But sincere about it.

And I’m not blind. Something else glows in the depths of his gaze and yes, I know what it is. His voice sayingI love youhas been on repeat in my head, despite multiple attempts to block it.

“I don’t have any pressing engagements at the moment, thanks to you. You’ve got another three minutes to make your case,” I inform him frostily.

“Partners.” He pushes the paperwork toward me, like I haven’t properly examined the header. “You and me. I put up the money as an investor and you run the inn. Sixty-forty split. You’re majority owner. There are some stipulations on paying down the loan that you’ll want to go over with your lawyer. But this lawyer is telling you it’s very favorable."

"You have enough money to buy the inn?" It sounds accusatory, but really I'm just...floored.

"Let's just say your father is generous and has afforded me access to excellent investment advice." He smiles. "And also, I'm borrowing some of it. The point is that you don't need to worry about the money. Let me do that."

My head spins and finally catches up to my heart, which has already latched onto the idea that Byron came here with this plan as his grand gesture. It’s like the super big move at the end of a movie that the hero does to win back the woman. Right?

“Why are you doing this?” I ask. Now is not the time to make assumptions.

I want to hear him use his words.

“It’s a good investment,” he tells me, his smile a little misty. “It’s a way to ensure both of our futures are forever entwined, which is the only way I want to move forward.”

That sounds pretty permanent for someone who worked for my father five minutes ago and lives in Denver. “So, you’re just going to drop millions of dollars on an inn in Kilt Valley because you’re trying to make up for what happened in high school?”

He makes a face. “Not even a little bit. I’m doing this because I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. It’s fate that I have the money and you have the expertise, vision and determination to make this inn profitable. I’ve seen your business plan. I’m all in.”

And there’s my answer. He’s doing this for me. For us.

“Why?” But I already know. It’s there in his expression, the way he’s looking at me, as if he’s found something precious that he has every intention of holding onto.

I feel myself sliding toward him. My anger falling away in the face of this sacrifice.

“Because I’ve spent a decade letting your father define what I’m worth.” He steps closer, and the air between us crackles. “I finally believe I can define that for myself, and I want to spend the next five or six decades proving to you that you can trust me. That my loyalty will be only to you. Don’t you see how perfectly this came together?”

I do see. Everything that happened before sucked, but it made both of us into who we are today.

But do we have what it takes to make it this time?

I look up at him. “And if I say no?”

“Then I’ll step aside and be a silent partner.” He shrugs. “The money is yours regardless of our relationship. But I’m hoping you’ll let me be part of this. Part of you.”

The raw honesty in his voice undoes me. This isn’t Byron trying to save me or buy my forgiveness. This is Byronchoosing me. The way he should have back then.

But in so much more of a spectacular fashion.

My heart floods as I let it fill up with Byron Hale.

I tap the papers. “Seventy-thirty split. I’m the MacLellan in this equation.”

His smile grows the slightest bit crafty. “Sixty-forty and I change my name to MacLellan when we get married.”

My brain explodes and I’m utterly incapable of further negotiation. “You didn’t say anything about fighting dirty.”

His brows lift. “I would have opened with that if I’d known it would be the deal clencher.”

“The problem is that now you’ve made me cry and I can’t see to sign this stupid paperwork.”

He catches my hand and pulls me into his arms. I have zero interest in protesting as a trio of tears slip down my cheeks. Most of it is happy. Some of the ache in my chest is for the lost years and the doubt and the manipulation involved in keeping Byron and me apart.

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