Page 83 of Sealing the Deal

Mad nods fiercely.

A little girl. They’ve had a little girl. Relief and love and joy grab me in a chokehold, and I don’t bother fighting the tears that fall as Dylan takes Mad’s hand and they walk away together, leaving the rest of us to hug and laugh and all talk at once.

I close my eyes, shaking, my heart bruised and full and breaking all at once.

It’s late by the time I’m allowed to see Izzy. The hospital room is dimly lit. Izzy is propped up against pillows, pale but glowing, cradling a tiny bundle. I step closer, my chest swarming with love all over again.

“You scared us for a moment there,” I whisper, kissing the top of Izzy’s head before letting my gaze drop to the baby. She’s impossibly small. Impossibly perfect. A shock of dark hair, scrunched features, her tiny fingers bunched into fists like she’s gripping on to the world already. I already know she’s one of the luckiest people alive to be a part of this family.

Izzy smiles tiredly. “You know what us Brooks girls are like,” she murmurs. “High drama.”

“She’ll be wielding a pitchfork in no time,” I say, smiling through the lump in my throat.

Izzy smiles, then glances up at me. “Where’s Grayson?”

I make a face before I can stop myself and lean back against the wall. “He had to go. His dad had a heart attack, and he’s going to save the day and be the next CEO of Ashborne Holdings.”

“He’s gone back to New York?” she asks.

“For good,” I reply.

Izzy studies me for a long moment. “What does that mean for your relationship?”

I shrug, the motion hollow. “I don’t know.”

What can it mean? His life is in New York. Mine is in Denver. Neither of us are willing to bend. Neither will ask the other to change.

“We always said this had a time limit,” I say, wishing it didn’t feel like my throat was squeezing shut and my world shattering. “And now that time is up.”

Izzy is quiet for a long moment before she looks up at me, expression thoughtful. And just like when I sat at the kitchen table at the ranch and told the Sullivans about Grayson’s deal, Izzy sees through the noise to what’s important.

“But you love him.”

Tears swim in my eyes and I nod.

“And he loves you?” she asks.

“I think so,” I whisper, remembering all the times he pulled me to him in my bed these past few weeks, the way his dark eyes met mine with an intensity that took my breath away. “But he’s taking over his father’s company. He wants to change the future of Ashborne Holdings and make sure they never destroy another business or community again. He will be helping thousands and thousands of people, finally able to feel proud of his last name. And he wouldn’t be the man I love if he turned that down.” I sigh. “I’m sorry, Iz. We should be talking about you and the baby, not me.”

Izzy shakes her head. “No, we shouldn’t. It was scary there for a minute, but I’m fine and the baby is fine. You are not.”

“I am.”

“I think you’ve been telling yourself that for so long that you’ve tricked yourself into believing it.”

I frown. “What are you trying to say?”

“The Hay Barn is your kingdom, Flic. I get that. You’ve built something amazing. You’ve been happy there. But it doesn’t have to be your whole life. People change and grow and you don’t have to fight that.”

Even though my best friend is voicing the same thoughts that have been circling for weeks now, a part of me still rails against it.

“My life is here,” I say. “With you guys. The ranch. The Stormhawks. The bar.”

Izzy smiles, gentle but sure. “Your life is wherever you say it is. Not just where it’s always been.”

I exhale, almost a laugh. Disbelief not humor. “Are you telling me to leave my entire life behind and move across the country for a man?”

Izzy smiles, dropping a kiss onto her baby girl’s dark downy hair, the exact color of Dylan’s. “I’m telling you to think about what makes you happy, Flic. And choose that happiness.”