Chapter Seventy-Seven
After their shower, Blair wrapped herself in a towel and went back into the bedroom, her body still humming from their morning activities. She was reaching for her clothes when she heard Roman clear his throat behind her.
She turned around and her breath caught. Roman was on one knee, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, holding a small velvet box.
“What are you—” she started, but the words died in her throat.
Roman opened the box, revealing a stunning diamond ring that caught the morning light streaming through their windows. It was perfect. Classic but not boring. Elegant, but not ostentatious. Exactly what she would have chosen for herself.
“I bought this weeks ago,” Roman said, his voice rough with emotion. “Before Peter, before the investigation, before everything went to hell. I’ve been carrying it around, waiting for the right moment.”
Blair’s hands flew to her mouth. “Roman...” Her heart swelled not just at the proposal, but at how romantic he was being, getting down on one knee properly.
“I know we’re already engaged because of the Jessica situation, but that’s not how I wanted to do this. I wanted to ask you properly. Because I love you, not because we needed to fool anyone.”
Tears were sliding down her cheeks now, and she didn’t even care.
“Blair,” Roman continued, his eyes never leaving hers. “will you marry me? Not because of fake death schemes or crazy relatives or office politics. But because I’m completely, desperately, stupidly in love with you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you? I want us to grow old together.”
“Yes,” Blair whispered, then louder, “Yes, of course yes, you manipulative, controlling, wonderful man.”
Roman’s grin was blinding as he slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly, because of course it did. He’d probably measured her finger while she was sleeping or something equally sneaky.
As he stood up, Blair threw her arms around his neck, kissing him hard. “I love you,” she mumbled against his lips. “Even when you’re being all secretive and orchestrating my life.”
“I’ll try to keep the life orchestration to a minimum,” Roman promised, holding her tight.
“Liar,” Blair laughed, but she was looking at the ring, watching it sparkle. “God, it’s gorgeous. How long have you really been planning this?”
“Honestly? Months. Maybe longer. I just… I knew. Almost from the start, really. You were the one for me. The only problem? You had that awful cheating fiancé. I had to deal with him first.”
Before Blair could respond, the doorbell rang.
“Ignore it,” Roman murmured, nuzzling her neck.
The bell rang again. Then again.
“Whoever it is, they’re persistent,” Blair sighed, reluctantly pulling away from him. She looked down at herself and at him. Grinning. “Can you get it? You’ll be faster, unless you don’t mind me opening the door like this.”
Roman groaned, dropping the towel he pulled on sweats and nothing else before heading downstairs while Blair quickly pulled on jeans and ran her fingers through her hair. She was still grinning like an idiot and couldn’t seem to stop looking at her ring.
She heard voices downstairs, Roman's and... were those her sisters?
“Blair!” Sutton’s voice carried up the stairs. “We brought coffee and bagels!”
Blair’s stomach growled immediately. When was the last time they’d eaten a real meal? Yesterday had been such chaos...
Once she was fully dressed in jeans and one of Roman’s t-shirts, she headed downstairs to find Sutton and Keira in the kitchen with Roman, who was pouring coffee. Sutton looked tired but determined, her hand resting protectively over her baby bump.
Keira looked young and overwhelmed, dark circles under her eyes that matched Blair’s own. None of them had slept very well.
Roman still only had on his sweatpants and she knew no underwear.
“How are you guys holding up?” Blair asked, accepting the coffee Roman handed her.
“Better now that Peter’s locked up and you’re now safe,” Keira said quietly. “But Blair, we need to talk about... everything. Mom and Dad’s business. What happens now? We know it’s going to take some time, but we need to figure out what to do.”
Sutton nodded, looking uncomfortable. “The lawyers want to meet with us this week. There’s so much to figure out. We need to think long and hard about what’s best for the business and the staff.”
Blair felt the heavy weight of other people’s lives on her shoulders. They couldn’t worry about this later. The staff would want answers and know their jobs would be safe.
“What are you thinking?” she asked carefully, settling at the kitchen table with her sisters.
Sutton and Keira exchanged a look.
“Well,” Sutton said slowly, “technically, as the oldest, I suppose our parents, if alive, might have groomed me to take over. But Blair... I’m pregnant, and honestly? I’m a computer programmer, not a CEO. I don’t know the first thing about running a company like that.”
Keira jumped in. “And I’m only twenty-three. I’m nowhere near ready for that kind of responsibility. I can barely manage my own life, let alone a multi-million-dollar business.”
They were both looking at her now. Blair could see where this was going.
“What... me?” Blair asked, even though she already knew the answer.
“Why not?” Roman said quietly from where he was leaning against the counter. “You’ve been essentially helping to run Kingston by my side. You’re smart, you’re tough, and you know business.”
“But it’s not just any business,” Blair protested. “It’s Mom and Dad’s company. Their legacy. I can’t just—”
“You can’t just what?” Sutton interrupted gently. “Keira and I talked about it, out of the three of us… You are the best suited to look after their business. With Roman by your side, you have his help as well. It couldn’t be in better hands.”
“Please Blair,” Keira added softly.
Blair stared at her sisters, feeling overwhelmed. “I... I don’t know. This is huge. Life-changing huge.”
“Sleep on it,” Roman suggested. “You don’t have to decide anything today. Just know I will be there to help you every step of the way.”
But even as he said it, Blair could feel something like pride settle on her heart. Not only did her sisters trust her to look after the business, but Roman believed she could do it... maybe. Her parents had built something beautiful, something important to them. Peter had tried to destroy it out of greed and jealousy.
Maybe it was time for their daughter to reclaim it.
“Okay,” she said finally. “I’ll think about it.”
But looking at her sisters’ relieved faces, at Roman’s proud smile, at the ring glittering on her finger, Blair was pretty sure she already knew what her answer would be.
Some legacies were worth fighting for.
“There is one thing I’m pissed about with all this,” Blair said after a moment.
“What?” Sutton asked.
“Only one? With what you have been through over the last few weeks?” Keira lifted an eyebrow in surprise.
“Our house… If what Roman has found out is all true, why did they need to sell our house?” The girls had loved their family home.
Roman was the one to answer. “The illusion they needed to show the world. If they had kept the estate, it would have raised too many questions. So they sold it off.”
“And legally we can’t kick the people out,” Blair said, very sad that they couldn’t get their family home back.
Keira shrugged. “Maybe if we offered them enough money, they’d sell it back to us.”
Roman rubbed the back of his neck. “Huh… You know, the day I stormed into your family drama, and I was looking at a house in the area?”
"It was our family home?" Blair narrowed her eyes at him. “You bought it.”
Roman nodded. “It was only finalized two days ago.”
“Really?” Blair was so excited—not only would they have their family home, but Roman had thought to do this.
“The deeds are in all your names,” he informed them, leaving each sister speechless.