Chapter 29 029
RYAN
I was in Aaron’s office when Emily called.
He had his phone on speaker, set face-up on the edge of his desk, while he scrolled through emails on his laptop. The late-morning light poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, turning the city outside into sharp lines of glass and steel. It was one of those offices that screamed control—everything in its place, nothing unnecessary. Very Aaron.
I sat across from him, elbows on my knees, rambling in circles about Zara.
“And then she just kept talking,” I said, shaking my head with a soft laugh. “Like nothing monumental had just happened. Like she didn’t just knock the air out of my lungs with one word.”
Aaron hummed absently, nodding as he skimmed his screen. He was half-listening. I knew that look. He was waiting for me to land the emotional plane.
“I don’t know, man,” I continued. “Some days it feels like I’m doing everything right, and other days it feels like I’m one wrong step away from messing her up forever.”
Aaron finally looked up. “Welcome to parenthood.”
Before I could respond, his phone lit up.
Emily.
The name hit me square in the chest.
Aaron’s gaze flicked to mine instantly, something sharp and curious in his eyes. He didn’t touch the phone yet.
I held his stare for a second, then nodded once. Go ahead.
He answered, voice smooth and casual. “Emily, hey. How are you doing?”
Her voice came through the speaker—clear but shaky, like she was holding herself together with sheer force of will.
“Aaron… are you… are you still willing to invest in my business?”
Something twisted hard in my chest.
Aaron’s eyebrows lifted. Slowly, deliberately, he looked at me.
I didn’t hesitate. I mouthed, Say yes.
He cleared his throat. “Well… yeah. Sure. You can come over to my office. I’ll be leaving soon, but we can talk.”
There was a pause on the line.
Then I heard her exhale—long and shaky, like she’d been holding her breath for hours.
“Thank you so much,” she said quickly. “I’ll be on my way now.”
The call ended.
Aaron set the phone down carefully, like it might explode, then leaned back in his chair and turned fully toward me.
“What,” he said slowly, “is going on?”
I dragged both hands down my face, palms scraping over my eyes. “My thoughts are everywhere, man. I’m tired.”
“That’s not an answer.”
I dropped my hands and stared at the ceiling. “Emily wouldn’t ask for help unless she had no other option.”
Aaron studied me for a long moment. “You want to talk about it, or do you want to keep pretending you’ve got everything under control?”
I scoffed quietly. “Don’t start.”
He leaned back, crossing his arms. “How about the therapist I told you about?”
I let out a humorless laugh. “The hell, man? I’m not going to see a shrink over what happened three years ago.”
“Why not?”
“Because I survived it,” I snapped. “She survived it. We’re fine.”
Aaron raised both hands in surrender. “Fine. Fine. Just saying.”
My phone buzzed on the desk.
Miranda.
‘When will you be in the office? Clients overseas want to confirm meetings. Need your sign-off.’
I typed back fast.
‘On my way.’
I stood, grabbing my jacket. “I have to go. Miranda needs me in the office.”
Aaron’s gaze sharpened. “Miranda?”
“Yeah,” I said, shrugging. “My new assistant. We’re picking Zara up after school today. I need to get some things done before then.”
He tilted his head slightly, studying me like I was a chessboard he’d already mapped out.
“I thought you wanted to catch a glimpse of Emily today.”
I froze for half a second too long.
Then I said, “Not really.”
Aaron’s expression made it very clear he didn’t believe me.
I grabbed my keys. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
He shrugged. “Okay then. I really hope you know what you’re doing.”
I left before he could say anything else.
The drive to the office felt longer than usual. Traffic crawled. Red lights lingered. Every quiet second in the car filled with Emily’s voice replaying in my head—shaky, desperate, proud enough to ask for help but not from me.
She’d gone to Aaron.
Not me.
That shouldn’t have hurt.
It did.
I pulled into the parking garage, shut off the engine, and sat there for a second longer than necessary. My chest felt tight, like something unresolved was pressing against my ribs.
I took the elevator up, stepped into the familiar hum of my office suite.
Miranda was on her feet the second she saw me.
“Mr. Thompson! The overseas clients are pushing to confirm next week. They want to fly in. I’ve got the proposal draft ready, but they need your approval on the timeline and the budget addendum.”
She spoke fast, words tumbling over each other as she followed me into my office, tablet clutched to her chest like a shield.
“Come in,” I said, loosening my tie. “Repeat that slower.”
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
I turned back to her—and realized she was standing way too close.
Close enough that I could smell her perfume. Floral. So sweet.
The second our eyes met, she jumped back half a step, cheeks flushing bright red.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Thompson,” she said quickly.
I cleared my throat. “It’s fine. Just… give me some space, okay?”
She nodded fast. “Of course. Sorry. I just—”
“It’s okay,” I said, softer. “Let’s go over the proposal.”
She handed me the tablet, fingers brushing mine for a fraction of a second too long. I ignored it and focused on the screen.
The numbers were solid. The timeline made sense. The budget addendum was clean and well-justified.
“Looks good,” I said. “Send it. Tell them we’re locked in for next week.”
Her smile was instant—too bright, too eager. “Right away.”
She turned to leave.
I watched her go.
And thought, I really hope Miranda has no feelings whatsoever for me.
Because I didn’t have room for that.
Not when every quiet moment still belonged to Emily.