She was doing it again, her adorable triage and making of lists, but this time, he was the focus of her attention. Damon’s heart squeezed tightly that he would have Haley looking out for him, worrying about him, even as he put his thumb over her lips to silence her.
“I need you,” he said, because it was true. “And not one thing more.”
She looked a little more worried than he’d expected. “What about F5F?”
“I don’t know. We’ll work something out. They were talking about a branch in Chicago, sometime after the one in San Francisco gets going. There are other gyms.”
“You’ll leave New York for me?” She looked astonished. “You’d leave Flatiron Five Fitness for me?”
“Home is where you are, Haley. If this is your dream job, then we’ll be here.”
“Even though I still have Ninja?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.
Damon looked up to see a familiar silhouette on the window sill, tail flicking. “Even so.”
“But you can’t leave the club. They’re your friends and partners, and you’ve worked so hard for it.”
Once again, he silenced her with a touch. “It doesn’t matter as much as being with you.”
She shook her head, so stubborn that he smiled. “No, we both have to follow our dreams together.”
“But...”
“They said they’d create a similar job for me in Queens, if I wanted it. I said no, because I didn’t want to spend all my time thinking about you and missing you, but maybe it’s not too late. Let me call and ask.”
“You can be pretty persuasive.”
She laughed. “I’ll try. I want us both to have what we need, and I think you need your friends.” She took his hand and gave him a little tug. “Now, come and meet my big brother when he’s not being a protective bear, and my mom, and...”
Damon pulled her to a halt. “Just one last thing,” he said, framing her face in his hands. She met his gaze, her eyes wide, her lips curved slightly in a smile. Damon swallowed. “Will you marry me, Haley Slater?”
“Yes, oh yes, oh yes!” she said, jumping into his arms. Damon kissed her, pouring his relief into his kiss, and tried to show her with his touch what he couldn’t put into words.
He wasn’t fully healed. He might never be. But he knew that he and Haley could conquer whatever obstacles were before them, because they would do it together.
And that was the very best promise for the future of all.
Epilogue
It was the first Sunday in March and Ty was sitting at the kitchen table of the house in Brooklyn that he shared with Shannyn. The sky was clear blue and the sunlight seemed brighter because of the way it reflected off the fresh snow. Everything was blanketed in white and the surface of the snow in the yard sparkled like it contained diamonds. The house was mercifully quiet, now that the renovations were done. It was also a lot less dusty. Shannyn was upstairs and he could hear her singing to herself as she chose colors for the wall paint in each room.
Ty had his laptop and was checking the numbers one more time. They still worked. The new initiatives at Flatiron Five Fitness were more successful than any of the team had expected, and bringing in a lot of revenue. The amount of content on their YouTube channel was growing at an exponential rate, with many of their instructors recording their own podcasts for the club. Meesha wasn’t just a social media goddess—she was a whiz with targeted advertising and F5F merchandise was flowing out the doors faster than it ever had before. All of this had financed the expansion into the California market, and the fact that the club already had virtual followers there vastly diminished the risk.
It was going to finance Ty’s departure from Fleming Financial, too. The Valentine’s Day promo with the images of him and Shannyn had kicked things up another notch, which was just awesome. Ty was convinced that F5F could afford him now, and that there was more than enough work for him to be there full-time. In fact, he might need an assistant soon. He suspected the entire team would need assistants and had added that into his calculations. Hunter was the first of the new-hires but wouldn’t be the last.
On the personal front, the house looked fabulous. Shannyn was thrilled and so was Ty. They had a lot of space, a fantastic new master bedroom, bath and closets. During the summer ahead, they’d work on the landscaping. If he sold the penthouse at F5F, that would give them a little extra financial buffer, although Ty knew he couldn’t sell it to just anyone. If he didn’t sell it, he could still make the money work.
It was all because of Shannyn and her brilliant idea.
He closed his laptop, smiling as he heard her coming down the stairs. Her footsteps were slower than usual and he wondered if something was wrong. “You’re a genius, you know,” he said before she entered the kitchen. “And now you’re going to be stuck with me.”
She dropped into the opposite chair and Fitzwilliam jumpted into her lap. She patted him with one hand, almost as if she was avoiding Ty’s gaze. “What do you mean?” Her tone was light but he could tell she wasn’t really paying attention.
Ty leaned closer. “What’s wrong?”
Shannyn frowned, then opened her other hand. It had been clenched in a fist, and Ty saw she had a plastic wand. He had no idea what it was and met her gaze, knowing his question showed. “I’m pregnant,” she admitted softly, her eyes wide and dark. “This is the third test that says so.”
Ty couldn’t read her mood. He was astonished. “But, I thought you couldn’t get pregnant.”
“So did I.”
“Then how did this happen?”
Shannyn smiled, just a little, and Ty was relieved to see a little sparkle in her eyes again. “The usual way, I suspect. It’s not like we invented it, or worried much about avoiding it.” She frowned at the test, held it out toward him and Ty read the result.
Pregnant.
Pregnant!
He took a deep breath, thinking of the ramifications of that. His first reaction was to be glad he hadn’t left Fleming Financial yet, then he realized he really wouldn’t have time for two jobs. It was time to jump in to F5F with both feet. And what about a baby? Was he ready for that change? He didn’t know much about kids, and carrying his nephew Ethan around for a few minutes now and then really didn’t count. It sounded like a daunting responsibility but kind of fun, too.
He realized that Shannyn was watching him.
“Sorry. You’ve officially shaken my world again,” he said and she really did smile.
“How do you feel about it?” she asked.
“That depends how you feel about it.”
“No, it doesn’t. You get to have your own reaction. Just because we’re a team, we don’t have to have everything in common.” She was teasing him, another good sign.
“Well, it seems pretty exciting to me. But scary, too. You?”
Shannyn nodded and took a deep breath. “Exactly. Thrilling but terrifying.”
She looked so uncertain that Ty twisted in his chair, pushing it back and opening his arms in invitation. She immediately stood up, evicting Fitzwilliam and came around the table. She curled in his lap, making a sound of contentment when he gathered her close. The cat circled them, then jumped on the counter to watch. “This is all new territory for me,” Ty admitted. “What happens next?”