Page 125 of Billion Dollar Dispute

“So, what happens next?” I ask, uncertainty eating at me.

“I saw a therapist,” she reveals.

This could either be really good or really bad. I brace myself, wondering if she’s about to let me down easily.

I park in an empty spot outside a new brick apartment block, ten minutes closer to my house. The area is nicer, and I feel better knowing she and Chad live in a good place.

“How was that?” I ask cautiously.

“Good,” she says, though I sense some hesitation. “We talked about how my past is impacting my future. I need to change from saying I can’t trust anyone to saying I’ll take the time to trust.”

“I’ll give you anything you need. Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

She blinks at me, and I have to use all my willpower not to reach out and touch her cheek, to cradle her head like she’s the most precious thing in the world.

Turning away, she climbs out of the car. I follow, and we enter the building, which thankfully has security.Thank fuck.I love knowing they’re safe here.

Her hands shake as she opens her door. As soon as we enter, I take in her apartment, cozy and cute, just like her. The curtainsstill allow golden light to peek through, stopping the place from looking like an average boxy apartment with a hint of caramel in the air.

“The view,” she says, pointing to the window. “It’s nothing like yours, but I’ll admit, I got this place because of that. It was my favourite thing about your place.”

“Is that all?” I ask, still haunted by our time together at my place. I dream of it every fucking night, wishing it was real. Of course, when I wake up, I realize it was just a dream… again.

“Of course not. It was just one of the highlights,” she says, understanding exactly what I mean.

I take a deep breath and try to steady myself. “I want to make this work. Whatever you need, just tell me. I’m here.”

She meets my gaze, and I see the hesitation in her eyes. “It’s not that simple, though. I’ve spent so long building walls to protect myself, that I’m only now just started tearing them down.”

I nod slowly, taking in her words as I step closer to her. “I get that. I’ve made my own mistakes. I’m not asking you to let them go right away. But I need you to know, I’m not going anywhere. I’m here, and I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

Her lips twitch into a small smile.

“I’m so proud of everything you’ve been doing. It actually motivated me to do something big. I’m going to start a new company called DreamMakers, which is inspired by you.” I reach out to hold her hand. “I want to help single moms or dads start their dream business or turn around a failing one.”

She frowns, tilting her head. “But I thought you fell short on your inheritance?”

“I told my dad everything and he said that my choices didn’t make me a failure. He actually considered it exactly the opposite. He was willing to still give me the money.”

She looks at me, her eyes softening, as she threads her fingers through mine, and for the first time in a long while, I see the possibility of something real between us. But I also know it’s going to take time. Time that I’m willing to give, no matter how long it takes.

“So, where do we go from here?” I ask, my voice full of hope.

“I don’t know,” she admits, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I’m willing to figure it out, together.”

Chapter 38

Harvey

A week later, Chad’sbasketball camp is in full swing. Parents aren’t allowed to stay and watch because it supposedly distracts the kids, so we’ll pick him up later this afternoon. We walk out hand in hand.

“What do we do now?” I ask.

“As part of my therapy journey, I have to try different ways to cope with feelings and thoughts. One of them is exercise, so maybe we could run together?” she suggests.

“Let’s go home and get changed,” I say. “If you enjoy it, we might need to buy you proper running shoes.”

She tilts her head, her brow furrowing. “I need special shoes to run?”

---