Chapter 15

15

As the first light of Monday morning crept over the horizon, Kinsley pushed the big ‘For Sale’ sign deeper into the ground. But the lawn had grown dense under her care, and it refused to budge. It was as if the property was mirroring her own heart—unyielding, reluctant.

“Go on, let him take it,” she grumbled as her fingers lingered on the edges of the sign, the anger in her voice cutting through the quiet. She wanted Daegan to see the house empty, to feel the void she’d left behind and understand the depth of the damage he had inflicted. He could have it all—every painful memory, every shattered dream. She refused to cling to a place that now only served as a reminder of his betrayal. She should see the house as so much more—yet it now felt tainted.

Kinsley was done. Her heart was too bruised and battered to endure any more. There was nothing left for her in this town, no reason to stay and watch the ghosts of her past dance mockingly through the halls of the home she once cherished. Guilt gnawed at her insides, threatening to consume her whole, but she steeled herself against its onslaught. “Sorry, Granny,” she whispered toward the house. She felt like she was leaving a beloved pet at a shelter, walking away from someone’s sick bed when they needed her most. It wasn’t just Granny, it was her family—her entire heritage.

The chipped mauve paint, the worn door handle, the old tower, the bay window where her grandmother used to read—every inch held a memory. But they had all turned on her the moment she trusted the wrong person. It was an echo of what it once had been. Kinsley wasn’t strong enough anymore to be what it needed. She had called off the renovations, seeing her hopes and dreams disappear before her very eyes.

Her mind had been made up. She was going to the airport to fly to her hometown and wallow for at least a week. When she returned, she would pack the rest of her things and drive back across the country again. Kinsley needed her friends right now. Graciously, they had offered her a place to stay. She still wasn’t sure what her final offer price would be, or what she was going to keep versus donate to the shelter Mr. Westerhouse also sponsored, but she at least knew one thing as she walked up the staircase he had made her scream on one last time.

Daegan was the worst person she could have trusted with anything more than a closing contract.

“What do you mean Kinsley quit ?” Daegan shouted. “I’m sorry, Tina, I’m not yelling at you, I just… I can’t understand why. When did this happen?” His mind raced, trying to figure out what he could have done differently.

Tina’s voice was calm and measured, a soothing balm to Daegan’s frayed nerves. Leaned back in her chair, she leveled him with a knowing look. “She quit Friday, right after she realized you’d left for Miami without telling her. She looked hurt. Betrayed, even. Something about going back to people who actually care about her—her words, not mine. I didn’t want to bother you with it until you?—”

Cameron. It had to be. She was choosing Cameron.

“She left for another man,” he thought out loud, the words tasting bitter on his tongue.

“Now that’s ridiculous,” Tina scolded. “You’re the only man she talks to me about.”

“Tina, between the two of us, we both know Laurel is the gossiper that is in-the-know about everything around here. Even she told me that Kinsley is seeing someone.” Daegan was frustrated.

“Well maybe this is one time she got it wrong. Or maybe, just maybe, Mr. Westerhouse,” Tina swirled around in her chair to face Daegan. “That person is you . Kinsley is smart. She wouldn’t blabber to Laurel and use your name; it would spread through the entire company like a wildfire!” Tina leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Nobody trusts Laurel with anything secretive,” she laughed. “You know what happened the last time we did.”

She had a point.

“Has she ever mentioned Cameron to you?” Daegan asked, shoving his hands into his pockets to keep them from trembling.

Tina nodded. “Cameron and Brienne are her two best friends.”

“Did she mention having feelings for Cameron?” His voice was hesitant, almost afraid of the answer, wishing he had been straightforward with Kinsley about it.

Tina paused. “Cameron is a woman, Mr. Westerhouse. And I know for a fact they are just friends.” She gave him a rough pat on his leg from where he sat opposite her desk. “Best friends. If you’re worried about Cameron, you’re worried about nothing.”

Daegan was a fool. A dumb-ass. An idiot.

Shit.

Realization crashed over him like a cold wave in autumn, leaving him feeling foolish and ashamed. He had jumped to conclusions without even having the courage to ask Kinsley about Cameron directly. Instead, he’d listened to fear and written off the one person who’d given him every reason to believe in her. He could navigate multi-million-dollar deals with ease, but when it came to his own heart, he’d stumbled, cowardly and clumsy. His fists clenched at his sides as heat rushed to his face. He’d pushed her away, and now she was gone.

Then he remembered something. “But a few weekends ago, when someone came to visit her—I heard her say he came by over the weekend.”

“She was on the phone with me, Mr. Westerhouse. My brother is Kinsley’s contractor. They’re working on renovations for her house. That’s who she was referring to.”

He swallowed hard. He’d really fucked up. He had even seen the start of the renovations when he dropped off the luggage in her bedroom.

Tina continued, “That woman loves you. I can see it in her eyes—don’t you? I mean, I shouldn’t—” Her voice quieted, “This treads a fine line in company policy.”

Daegan’s eyes shifted to her, lips in a thin line. Company policy could wait.

She smiled. “You should go see her before it’s too late. I can have someone step into your meeting for you this afternoon.”

It would be so easy to retreat, to convince himself that he was better off going to that meeting, and letting her walk away. But deep down, Daegan knew that Tina was right. The way Kinsley looked at him ignited a fire in his very soul—that wasn’t a lie. And his feelings for her, the depth of his longing? That was the most honest thing he had ever known.

He didn’t give a damn about her house anymore. He could save Trueport another way. But there was only one chance to mend things with Kinsley, and he had to take it.

“Make sure Roger gets his last paycheck,” he said as he walked out Tina’s door.

With a heavy heart and trembling hands, Kinsley climbed into her car. She forced herself to look back at the beautiful home, knowing this would be the last time she laid eyes on it while it was still hers. The next time she saw it, she’d be signing it away and collecting the remaining pieces of her shattered life. The memories of the love and laughter she had shared with her grandmother held together every brick and shingle. She couldn’t build it again, despite how hard she’d tried.

Her flight would leave in a couple of hours. Daegan seemed to like to take off without warning; it only seemed fitting to do the very same.

Agreeing to be his personal assistant had been nothing but a mistake. She shouldn’t have moved here to begin with. If she’d had enough money, she could have followed through with her plan to turn Granny’s house into a beautiful bed-and-breakfast right away. Instead, it sat at the beginning of renovations that would never be completed.

As she turned the key in the ignition, a single, traitorous tear slid down her cheek. She loved Daegan with every fiber of her being, with an intensity that frightened her. Even though a part of her hated him, that longing refused to let her go. She would not let it consume her, she couldn’t. It would fade in time, she just needed to gain enough distance for Daegan Westerhouse to become nothing more than another sad memory.

With a shaky breath and a final, lingering glance at the home that held so many dreams, Kinsley put the car in gear and began to drive away. Each mile that passed beneath her wheels felt like a piece of her soul being ripped away. But even as her heart shattered into a million jagged shards, she knew this was the only way to protect herself. This was the only way to ensure that she would never again know the devastation of being left behind.

She loved Daegan. But she wouldn’t survive it.

This time, I’ll leave first.

Daegan gripped the steering wheel like it was the only thing keeping him tethered to reality as he broke more than a few traffic laws speeding to Kinsley’s house, using every possible side street he knew. He had to stop her. He had to talk to her about whatever was going on.

As he pulled onto her quiet street, he didn’t give a damn about every single one of those houses that he had an agreement to buy. The only one he cared about right now was that damned one he didn’t. The house that had the beautiful staircase, the original moldings, the scent of pine wafting through each room.

The house that Kinsley had every right to keep.

Daegan was done with his grandiose real estate plans. They paled in comparison to the woman who had captured his heart, the woman whose body fit so perfectly against his own. Kinsley was all that mattered now; he would gladly abandon every ambition and every dream to be with her.

Her car wasn’t in the driveway. The only thing greeting him was a sign on the front lawn. His heart sunk into the pit of his stomach.

‘For Sale.’

The words mocked him, their bold letters standing in stark contrast against the light mauve he had come to appreciate.

“No…” he whispered, a painful irony filling his chest. After everything, she was letting go of the one thing he thought she’d never part with. The one thing he’d tried so hard to take from her. He hadn’t just hurt her; he’d shattered the woman he loved completely.

Daegan couldn’t get his mind straight. His mind raced as he parked the car, hands shaking as he fumbled with the door handle. He had to find her, had to stop her from making this mistake. He checked the garage, his heart sinking when he found it empty. The door was locked. His knocks went unanswered. Kinsley was gone, and he had no idea where to look.

His chest tightened. The panic rising inside him made it hard to breathe. She couldn’t leave, not like this. Not without hearing him out. Not without knowing the truth.

Daegan climbed back in his car and dialed the one person who knew everything.

“Laurel, I don’t have time for this—where is she?” Daegan tried his best to remain calm, despite his heart pounding out of his chest.

“Mr. Westerhouse, I—” Laurel began to say.

“I love Kinsley,” he admitted to the biggest gossiper in the entire company. Despite the words slipping through his lips, he didn’t regret them. “She’s gone and I don’t know where. But you do. I know you do. Kinsley’s big mouth and your big ears go together like a magnet, like peanut butter and jelly, like?—”

“I get it, Mr. Westerhouse.” She sighed. “Okay, she went to the airport. Her flight leaves at three-fifteen.”

“Thanks, Laurel.” Daegan hung up and peeled out of the driveway, dirt kicking up in his wake.

He’d be damned if he let Kinsley slip away without telling her exactly how much she meant to him.

The chill of the airport was warmer than Aunt Tilly’s, but it still managed to seep into Kinsley’s bones. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, a futile attempt to ward off the cold. As she sat there, shivering in the bustling terminal, she couldn’t help but wish she had thought to pack something warmer. But then again, she hadn’t exactly been thinking clearly when she’d made the decision to leave.

She’d joined Daegan at this very airport just over a week ago, boarding a flight she would never be able to forget. That last-minute trip had changed the trajectory of her whole life. She’d been so thrilled to board his jet, to embrace this new and thrilling connection with this enigmatic man. Even as she sat there, shivering and heartbroken, she couldn’t bring herself to regret it.

As much as she hated to admit it, she longed for the sound of his voice, the warmth of his touch. The way he would look at her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. But even as her heart cried out for him, her mind knew better. It had all been a game to him. He had never wanted her. The most precious thing to him was the title deed to her home.

A ‘Flight Boarding’ message popped up on the app on her phone. Kinsley gathered her things and made her way to the gate. The other passengers were already assembled in a chaotic mess of a line. No private jet today. Instead, she was flying what she often referred to as “cattle class.”

Her phone vibrated with another notification—delayed again. Kinsley stared at the screen, vision blurring as the words mocked her. It was as if the universe itself was unsure whether to let her leave. Aunt Tilly would have called it fate, a cosmic nudge to rethink her choices.

But Kinsley didn’t believe in fate anymore. Daegan Westerhouse had seen to that.

Daegan’s heart pounded in his chest as he rushed to the nearest ticket counter, his words tumbling out in a breathless plea for the fastest available ticket to anywhere. The agent, sensing his urgency, worked quickly to print his boarding pass. By some miracle, Daegan managed to breeze through security without a hitch.

He glanced down at his watch. Three-fifteen. Surely the plane had boarded by now. They would be taxiing, possibly even in the air.

It hit him that he didn’t even know what flight she was on. When he found the departure board, only one flight had a departure time of three-fifteen. And it was delayed.

Daegan raced down the terminal, his eyes darting from sign to sign as he searched for Kinsley’s gate. Each step felt like a leap of faith, a desperate gamble against the odds. He had never known fear like this before—not in the cutthroat world of real estate acquisitions, not even in the face of boardrooms full of people eager to watch him fail. The thought of losing Kinsley, of never again holding her in his arms or seeing the love shining in her eyes, was a terror that eclipsed all others.

And then, like a beacon in the storm, he saw her.

“Kinsley!” he beamed, excitement radiating from his voice as he spotted her. She was about to get her ticket scanned.

She looked back at him for only a moment. Her hair was in a messy bun, while her face told the story of sleepless nights. But his glimpse of her restless face was quickly broken. She turned back to the gate agent. “Thanks,” he heard her say as she grabbed her carry-on and started toward the bridge.

His heart sank, panic setting in. It was now or never. “Kinsley, wait! I need to talk to you.”

She stopped and turned around as he ran up as close as he could get. But she didn’t say a word. Her eyes looked past him, not at him.

“I’m sorry.” His breath caught in his throat. “I should have told you before. I love you, Kinsley.” His heart was pounding so hard that he wasn’t sure how his chest could contain it.

“Sir, do you have a ticket?” the gate agent asked, though Daegan couldn’t be bothered right now.

“How could you love me? You couldn’t even tell me you were leaving to go to the Miami office.” Her face was distraught.

“I didn’t know until late last night when Roger called me. But I did try to tell you. I texted, I called—God, Kinsley, I didn’t just leave without telling you. I needed you to know. I tried, Kinsley.” There was a crack in his voice—a struggle to compose himself.

Kinsley came a little closer. “Then why didn’t I receive the messages?”

His eyes widened. “Your work phone. Did you ever take it to IT to have them get you a different one?”

Kinsley’s mouth opened, though nothing came out for a moment. “No, I never did,” she admitted, looking down toward the worn flooring.

“Kins, I thought you were sick. I wouldn’t just leave you without telling you. I don’t want to leave you at all. I don’t want to lose you .” Daegan didn’t care about the desperation in his voice or the people staring. He was shaking at the thought of losing the one person that he was willing to let in.

“I thought you were going to leave me, anyway.” Her voice remained strong, though she shifted her stance.

“No, that isn’t what I wanted to do at all.”

“What about my house? You can buy it now.” She was being a tough nut to crack. “I listened to the meeting.” Her voice quivered slightly. “I heard you say that you were still working on getting my house. You can’t deny that, Daegan.”

“I don’t want it anymore,” he admitted. “And I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to say in the meeting. I couldn’t let them know about the conflict I was having. I don’t care about that project; I’ll figure out something else for the town. I only care about having you. It took me too long to realize that none of it matters without you, Kinsley. I don’t need the house. I need you. I need us.” His voice, typically strong, felt weakened.

“…And if I say yes to us?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the background noise of the airport.

“Then we go forward as a couple. With you as my girlfriend. No more working for me. We renovate your family home and tackle everything. Together.” A heat bloomed inside him.

“What about all the other homes you’re buying? And the ones you already bought? All the acreage behind my house?”

“I’ll think that through. But none of that is important now. I don’t want that if it means losing you—losing us.”

A look of contemplation crossed her face, lips pressing into a thin line.

“What do you say? Stay? Stay and tackle saving Trueport with me?”

A small, bashful smirk tugged at her cheeks as her cheeks blushed. “An entire town? That’s a lot to ask, Daegan,” she teased.

“Don’t worry, we can start with your house first.” He reached out for her with both hands, all-in, win or lose.

Kinsley dropped her carry-on as the last call for boarding rang out on the intercom, and let him sweep her into his arms. When he kissed her here, where everyone could see, he was so grateful she wasn’t his employee anymore.

Her eyes looked brighter when he pulled back to kiss the top of her head, before he squeezed her tight. “You were right, Daegan,” she whispered against his neck, “what we were doing was wrong—for the CEO and his personal assistant.” She placed her delicate hand in his, sending an electric pulse up his arm. “But for us? We’re just right.”

As they left the airport that day, Daegan realized he didn’t need a personal assistant at all. All he needed was Kinsley at his side; she would make sure he always did the right thing.

She’d give him hell if he did anything less.

“So, I have some great news!” Kinsley exclaimed, running into Daegan’s office.

Daegan looked up from his desk. “Well, hello, beautiful. And what’s the good news?”

“Cameron and Brienne both agreed to move here to help us run the bed-and-breakfasts!” She beamed, a smile spreading ear-to-ear. “I am so excited, I can’t wait. We have so much to do. Can you believe it?”

A matching smile spread across Daegan’s face as he pushed back from his desk and stood, crossing the room to gather her in his arms. “I’m glad to hear it. There’s a lot of restoration work that needs to be done on many of those old homes. But once they’re in order, we can get caretakers or hosts for the homes that need them. Then all we need is to revive the adventure tours and seaside activities to help our guests make the most of their stay in this beautiful town.”

Kinsley melted into his embrace, the solid warmth of his body chasing away any lingering doubts or fears. “There’s so much to do, so many plans to make. And to think this all began because of a stubborn CEO,” she laughed.

“Don’t forget the beautiful, determined woman that wouldn’t give in,” he whispered in her ear. His warm breath caressed her neck.

It may not have been the grand resort Daegan had originally envisioned, but Kinsley knew in her heart that this was the right path. When she had pitched the idea to his investors, emphasizing the potential for personalized service, luxurious pampering, and one-of-a-kind local offerings, they had jumped at the chance to be a part of something so special.

And the best part? This was just the beginning. Gradually, they would develop the surrounding property, adding a smaller resort on the property behind her home, and amenities that would draw even more visitors to their ailing little town. It would take time, of course—Rome wasn’t built in a day. The economy of their struggling town wasn’t going to bounce back overnight. But Kinsley had faith that within a few short years, their vision would be a thriving reality.

Daegan’s arms tightened around her, drawing her back to the present. She tilted her head back to look up at him; her breath caught in her throat at the tenderness and love shining in his eyes.

“I can’t wait to share every step of this journey with you,” he murmured, his voice low and intimate. “There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side, Kinsley. No one else I’d rather build a life and a legacy with.”

Kinsley leaned into his touch, her heart so full she didn’t think she could take it. “I love you, Daegan. I love the life we’re building, the future we’re creating. And I can’t wait to see what adventures await us.”

“I love you too, Kinsley. More than anything.”

He captured her lips in a tender kiss, pouring all of his devotion into the gentle press of his mouth against hers. In that perfect, shining moment, all that remained was the two of them, their hearts beating in sync as they stood on the threshold of a bright, beautiful future.