Page 37 of Where We Bloom

The wordsI don’t bloody give a shitealmost leave my mouth.

And I’ve never said something like that when it comes to business.Never.

Instead, I take a breath. “It’s time to start delegating this out. I won’t pull back completely, but I’ve been traveling the world nonstop for fifteen years, as you said, Fi. I’m fecking tired.”

Her pretty blue eyes widen, and she tilts her head, looking at me closely.

“You’ve met someone, Connor Gallagher.”

I shake my head, but Ronan chuckles. “I never thought I’d see the day. Who is she, then? Obviously, she lives in Montana if you want to stay there.”

But I study Fiona. We were married for less than five years, and I admit that the relationship ended because of me.

Because I wouldn’t sit still.

Because the business was more important.

But she doesn’t look hurt.

“Stop it.” She reaches out to pat my shoulder. “You’ll not hurt my feelings for this. You and I weren’t meant to be married, and that’s the truth of it. I could have traveled with you, and I chose not to. Besides, I married the love of my life?—”

“That’s me, mate,” Ronan says with a wink.

“—ten years ago, have two gorgeous children, and am perfectly, blissfully happy. So get over yourself and just be bloody honest about what’s going on here.”

“Iambeing bloody honest,” I counter. “For the first time in my life, I don’t want totravel so much.”

“And you mether,” Ronan adds, but he’s not ribbing me now.

“And I should be there, right now, rather than here for a meeting that could have been an email. I have meetings with the cityandthe county this week. I’m meeting with the architectural firm. Iamworking in Montana, you know, building a brand-new resort from the ground up, spending nearly half a billion dollars. And I want to be hands-on with this one.”

I know that the resort in Bitterroot Valley will be special, and I want my hands on every piece of it.

And that has nothing to do with wanting my hands on every inch of a certain bumble bee.

“We’ve seen the schematics,” Fiona reminds me. “It’s going to be bloody gorgeous, and I can’t wait to see it in person. But I’m personally asking you to go to Stockholm on your way back to Montana to spendone daytaking meetings and talking to the people there. One day.”

“It won’t be one fecking day, Fi. It’ll turn into a week or more, and we both know it.”

She’s already shaking her head. “One day. I promise. I’ll tell them you have a family emergency or something, and we’ll get you out of there. Twelve hours of meetings.”

“Twelve hours.” My eyebrows lift.

“I said it would be one day. I didn’t say it wouldn’t be a long one.”

“I’ll work on finding someone else to do the majority of the site visits,” Ronan adds. “Or we split them upamong the board. The properties should know all of us, not just you. You’ve just never had a problem with the travel before.”

No, I didn’t have a problem with it. I thrived on it. I still enjoy travel and am proud of our properties, but I no longer want it to be my lifestyle.

Of course, the woman I want in Montana won’t give me the time of bleeding day, but I’m working on that.

“Tell us about her,” Fiona says as if she can read my mind. “We’re your best friends, Connor.”

“There’s not much to tell right now. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.”

They both stare at me for a moment and then, because they’re a couple of arseholes, they start to laugh.

Not just a chuckle.

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