Page 152 of All Twerk, No Play

I curled my legs together, suddenly exposed as a real estate executive who couldn’t even give property to the man I love.

"You really thought I'd live here without you?" His raw voice cracked something open in my chest.

“But I, I thought I was ..” I rubbed my temples, unable to look at him. “I wanted you to have a place that was yours, not tied to your job, so you could focus on your training clients, or your music, or—”

“That’s why you gave it to me?” he asked.

My mind raced, trying to pull together the blurry whir of memories about that day: the deed transfer, packing my clothes, writing the letter … “I thought I told you that. In the letter. Didn’t I say—?”

“You called it a token of your appreciation, Victoria,” he said, his tone resigned. I hated the sound of my full name on his lips instead of being his Tori.

“I thought I was taking care of you,” I whispered. When his jaw tensed, my heart crashed into my toes. “But I just gave you one more thing to maintain.”

“I was never in this for your shit, you know that, right?” he asked, his voice gruff with emotion. “And then you left. You took Connor, let Alex drive you, and I barely got a goodbye.”

“I’m sorry, Cruz. I panicked,” I said, my voice shaking with emotion that I couldn’t steady, even if I’d wanted to. I kicked off my shoes and lowered my bare feet to the floor, approaching him cautiously. “I don’t know what I’m doing, and I feel like right now I’m fucking it all up all over again.”

I swallowed hard, thinking about my first session with my therapist, and her advice that I had to learn to accept support from the people I trusted. It was fucking terrifying, but I powered through the knot in my throat. “But I want to figure it out. Together. As equals. I could quit Sinclair Larsson so we could—"

"No." He recoiled like I'd struck him. "Don't you dare throw away what your mother built. You have the chance to do something incredible with that power. I can’t let you walk away from that."

“So what, then? You said, 'Say yes and figure it out.' So yes, Cruz. Whatever it takes. Yes.”

He nodded with a soft smile, and I exhaled in relief … before his muscles tensed and he glanced down at his scuffed up sneakers. "We might need to try long distance," he murmured.

My hopes deflated. A month ago, he would have dropped everything and moved to the city. I knew it, he knew it, hell, even Alex knew it the day we left. But I’d hurt him, and I would need to regain his trust.

Before I could reassure him that I’d go as slow as he needed, he shocked me. "Because I got offered a record deal last night."

My mouth fell open. "Are you fucking serious?" When he nodded sheepishly, I threw my arms around his shoulders and yelled, “Congratulations! I’m so proud of you, Cruz.”

His arms enfolded me and my brain took off in a runway of ideas about his future career, remembering the way the crowd had cheered his name last night. His hands lingered on my waist as I leaned back to swat him on the chest. “Why didn’t you tell me right away?”

“I was going to have Alex look over the offer.” His shoulders tensed and I nodded, swallowing my disappointment. A month ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated to ask for my opinion, but he’d replaced me. Of course he did. “I don’t know if I’m going to take it.”

“Okay,” I said, trying not to steamroll his consent. “If you want Alex to review it, that’s great. Or if you need a second opinion—”

“Nah, you’re busy,” he shook his head, and his refusal stung. I’d built walls so high no one dared climb them—and now the man I loved was respecting them, and I hated it.

“Cruz,” I said softly, cupping his cheek. “I spent months billing you for air mattresses and furniture assembly. You think I’d let some record label screw you over?”

His warm laugh rumbled, softening the tension between us.

I brought his hand to my sternum so he could feel my racing heartbeat. “I’m sorry I made you feel like you weren’t important. I was lost for a while. But I’m here now. I’m in this, however that looks. If you want your own lawyer, I get it. You need space from me, I respect that, ok?” I licked my lower lip, gathering my courage. “Or if you want me to represent you, just say the word.”

“Tori,” he breathed, immediately shaking his head. “You don’t have time for a stupid record contract.”

“Not stupid. Your career is just as important as mine,” I said firmly. “If you want to do this on your own, without my shadow, I get it. But I learned how to fight from the best man I know,” I said as his lips twitched into a smile, “If you want me, it would be my honor to fight for you.”

He rested his forehead against mine.His warm skin, his gentle breath—it anchored me in a way nothing else could.

“Email me the contract tonight. I’ll rip it apart and—”

“Whoa.” His hands settled on my hips. “We’re not doing this now.”

“But the terms—”

“Can wait.” His lips brushed my temple. “Right now, I just need to know one thing.” His voice dropped, rough with vulnerability. “You’re really okay with this? Me touring? Us being apart?”

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