"Wait a minute," Eloise said, looking bewildered, which is expected after what I had just admitted to her. "Back up. Did you just say you bought an airplane and a sex club?... For me?"

That I did, and these last three weeks, I've been wondering what I was thinking, if I made the right decision, or if I'd made a huge mistake.

But my gut told me something different from my mind—I did the right thing.

My gut also insisted that the three weeks I've been feeling sorry for myself was something we both needed—a break from each other to be sure a relationship and a future together are what we want.

That's what I've been telling myself, anyway, hoping that's the case.

My heart and mind know I still want her in my life. The question is, is it me she wants in her life?

I nodded, gently saying, "I did. I wasn't in Oregon just to say goodbye to Victoria and her family. I also took home the plane I had bought for us. It had to go through an inspection before it was in my hands. And since I knew I'd be in Portland, I arranged to have it ready for when I left to come home."

"Take home? When did you buy it?"

"Not long after returning from Hawaii. At first, I was going to bring you with me to help pick that perfect aircraft out. But then I changed my mind. I thought it would be better if I made it a surprise."

Her head slowly nodded, looking over me as she processed what I said. Then her eyes returned to mine as she asked, "And the club? Did you say you bought me a sex club? And that's why I saw you with those people that day?"

Bingo...

"Yes. I had no idea they would be there when I returned from Portland. Apparently, Skye's been having a rough pregnancy—she's pregnant with triplets. And because they've been spending a lot of time at the doctor's and home because of her sickness and other pregnancy-related issues, they became desperate to get rid of the club. So they flew to Chicago to present an offer they knew I wouldn't refuse. They were looking to get it off their hands that day and were talking about selling it to another person who practically offered them what they were asking for if I had changed my mind."

"How long have you been interested in it?"

"It originally caught my eye about a year ago. But when you showed interest in my brother's club, and brought up how you wouldn't mind having your own club, I made them an offer. We went back and forth for months, and then they lowered the price by five hundred grand to see if I'd be interested in buying at that price. I told them no. Then when I came home to hear they were here with a price I couldn't refuse, I jumped on it. Then you overreacted about something that was nothing. And three weeks later, longer than it needed to be, here we are; I'm finally getting the chance to set the record straight."

Her eyes lowered, and she let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry. Emma tried stopping me from leaving the office that day. She also tried stopping me at the club, wanting me to confront you, and I refused. So did my sister. Both told me I made a mistake and needed to talk to you, but my stubborn ass refused to listen to them."

"Stubborn's putting it lightly," I quipped, a little cocky, yet a hint of a smile appeared on my lips.

It felt good to see her again, that she was here, and that she was listening to me. Now I just have to tell her about Victoria and how that fucking word ditto drives me nuts.

I rolled back on my knees, dragging my fingers through my hair.

"When are you going to free me, Callum?"

"Soon. We still have more to discuss."

She looked around the room, then returned her gaze to me, saying, "I never thought room eight would be anything like this."

Curious about what she thought the room would be, I asked, "What were you expecting?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I've heard lots of raves about this room and how it's the most sought room here at this club."

"This room is for everyone—naughty and nice—and full of sugar and spice," I winked.

"It's like a glorified hotel room—naughty, inviting, enjoyable, and pleasurable."

"It's all about the couples' sexual fantasies. Whatever they want to do and try is all in this room—with an amazing extra large jacuzzi—which, by the way, gets cleaned out immediately after a couple or couples have left the room whether they used it or not."

Stop allowing Eloise to stall you by telling her what she's wished to know.

"That's good to know," she quietly said before the room grew silent.

Needing and wanting to get this over with, I rose to my feet, my hands gripping my hips as I rocked back and forth on my heels, thinking about how to start the conversation I'd dreaded talking about for years. "As you know, three weeks ago, I was in Portland to say goodbye to a family I'd known for years, hoping it would help free some weight that's been weighing me down for years."

"How did that go?" Eloise quietly asked.

"As expected. It was hard, yet after doing what I went there to do, I felt relieved."

She nodded.

"Anyway. On top of being there to say goodbye was the eighteenth anniversary of the day Victoria took her last breath." I paused and closed my eyes, remembering the day I barged into the room and witnessed a physician administer Victoria with that lethal dose of poison that ended her life.

I opened my eyes and said, "Two weeks before her death, without my knowledge, she moved in with her dad's side of the family. For two weeks, I searched for her, called her, messaged her, and emailed her to no avail. That was, until my brother found her. After finding out where she was and why she was there, he and I immediately hopped on a plane and flew to Oregon. And when we got to the office where Victoria was, I was almost arrested when I fought doctors, nurses, and her family members to get into the room where Victoria was."

I sighed at the thought of what I was about to say next.

"My brother found out Victoria had brain cancer. It's kind of ironic with our situation, actually, your brother losing his life to epilepsy and my ex to brain cancer." I looked away for a moment, then returned my gaze to Eloise. "I never told my friends what Victoria had, but how Rory was adamant about hooking us up. I've come to realize he's known this entire time what caused her death. He knew our situation was similar to those we loved and probably felt we could get through our pain together."

I reached toward her when a lone tear escaped Eloise's eye and wiped away a tear that started strolling down her cheek.

"Victoria was afraid to tell me what she'd been diagnosed with, fearing I'd leave her over it. So, instead of telling me, and asking that I help her, money I had given her to spend on our wedding, she used to pay for her medical visits."

"So that's where Trent's questioning came from," she whispered.

"Yes. Apparently, Victoria felt she'd be a burden to everyone if she stuck around. When she came to me asking for more money, claiming she needed it for the wedding, I gave her more." I took a deep breath and held it. Then slowly exhaled and closed my eyes as I said, "Then I found out after she passed away that she wasn't using the money to pay for the wedding of her dreams; she used the money to help pay for her to move to Oregon and for a physician to help assist her in ending her life."

I lowered my head and shook it. "I paid for her to die, Eloise, and I didn't even know it." I shook my head again, clenching my fists—still angry with knowing I was the one who paid for her to leave this world to head into the clouds. "I didn't even get the chance to help save her life. And I didn't get the chance to say goodbye," I said, choking up.

"I'm sorry, Callum. Really."

"Eighteen years later, that part of me knowing I killed her still haunts me. I would have done anything to take her pain away. I would have done everything in my power to find the best fucking doctor around that would have agreed to see if he could help save her life and take her pain away."

"You didn't kill her, Callum. You may have unknowingly and unwillingly helped end her life. But you didn't kill her."

That's what Trent tells me all the time, as well. But I beg to differ. "I should have known something was wrong. I should have seen something wasn't right with her. I should have known when she asked for more money; something else was going on. I should have seen it all. But I ignored all of Victoria's signs because I was so much in love with her. I was also beyond excited to marry the woman of my dreams that I overlooked everything."

"You were young, Callum. Young. Seriously, how would you have known something was going on with her? Teenage girls have so much going on with themselves that it's hard for anyone to tell or notice if they're hiding something from you."

I found her eyes and sighed. "Eloise, if you haven't noticed, I'm a very observant person. It's something I've always been. I should have seen it, especially when I noticed her losing weight and how she complained of having recurrent headaches that made her sick daily. She complained about her vision being blurry, her memory being shit, her tired all the time, and her balance being more off than on, amongst other things I noticed. So I should have known."

"Didn't you ask her anything about what you noticed? Or ask that she go see a doctor?"

I nodded. "Yes. I did. But she gave me excuses. And stupid, gullible me believed them. She told me not to worry, so I didn't—and I should have. Had I of, she'd still be here."

"You don't know that," Eloise scolded nicely. "You can't think that way. She probably got the news her cancer was terminal and was too scared to say anything to you. If you two loved each other as much as you said you did, she was thinking of you and didn't want to see you hurting for her. She didn't want to put you through any heartache, the same she felt for herself. I'm sure she left Chicago not wanting to hurt you, Callum. She was probably so overwhelmed, hurting herself, knowing she had terminal cancer. And that she'd be leaving you and her family. So, wanting you to remember her for who she was, who you loved, and saw daily for however long you were together, she left her life behind, not wanting to see you endure the pain of watching her die. She wanted you to see her as someone who wasn't sick or dying."

That's exactly what Victoria said in her letter to me.

Still, it doesn't make me feel any better knowing that. I feel I still should have been given a chance to help her. But I agreed with what Eloise was trying to say and quietly said, "I know." Then to let her know she was also correct in her assumption behind my ex's thinking, I added, "It's also something Victoria explained to me in a letter she wrote to me that her mother gave me when I was there to say goodbye to them."

Eloise's face softened. "She wrote you a letter?"

I nodded slowly, quietly answering her, "Yeah, she did."

Her head cocked to the side, arching a brow as she asked, "Did she clear everything you had questions about?"

"She did, but it still doesn't make me feel any more better than before I read it. However, I'll admit it did ease my mind knowing she knew she left the world, accepting her expiration date was sooner than imagined, that she left in peace, and that she left knowing how much she was loved and how much everyone will miss her."

I paused, looking down at my feet, knowing I was about to fill Eloise in on something she and Victoria shared in common, something that irked me to no end. "She ended the letter telling me something she hadn't told me the last three months of her life—she'd say it differently—just like you," I added in a whisper, returning my gaze to her.

Eloise swallowed. I wasn't sure if she figured out what I was about to say or if she was anticipating what I wanted to fill her in on.

"For three months, anytime I'd tell her I loved her, she returned saying ditto," I choked out. "Fucking ditto," I repeated, shaking my head. "I hate that fucking word."

"Callum, I'm so sorry. I didn't know," Eloise pleaded, wide-eyed, and her face white as a ghost.

I sighed, fearing that Eloise was hiding something from me with her health because she wanted to tell me ditto as well. "Victoria felt that knowing what she was going through and hiding from me was by telling me ditto. She thought it would be better saying that than telling me she loved me, assuming it would make it easier for herself and me when the day came of her leaving everyone."

I lowered to my knees, rested my hand on hers, and looked her in the eye. "So now you know the reasoning behind Trent's questioning and my begging you to be open and honest with me. Including my begging that you come to me whenever a problem arises and ask for help, no matter what the situation is, that Victoria's the reasoning behind it, and why I became the person I was for so many years. You and everyone else are right; she was why I refused to involve myself in another relationship."

"Why, though?"

"I was a fucking pussy—it's why the terrible attitude I had. I didn't want to deal with anything or go through another heartache like I had. So, to ensure I'd never get hurt by another woman again, I started the one-and-done thing. Did I enjoy it? Fuck no. Did I miss having a woman to love and call mine every day? You're fucking right; I did. But I told myself that if I wanted to be happy and never have to worry about anyone other than myself, I would stick to being with a woman for one night, and that was it. That was, until I met you. You're the one who ended my ridiculous way of thinking. You're the one who made me want to change. And you're the one that made me believe I can love again—and I did—I am. Those three weeks you were gone made me realize how much of an idiot I'd been, and it helped me realize even more how in love with you I am. I don't know about you or where I am in your heart, but I want you to know I love you. And I want you to know if you need more time to sort out your feelings for me, I'll give you all the time you need to figure that out. I just ask that if you already know or don't think I can ever be that guy to make you happy, please tell me now."

"Well, if you'd release my wrists and ankles from these damn restraints, I'd be able to better assess and think about our situation and relationship."

She's still pissed at me.

But she's right; I need to free her.

"Since I said what I needed to say without worrying about you taking off and running away, I'll release you from these," I said while unlatching the cuffs from her ankles. "What you do after you're freed from me is up to you."

Slowly, I unlocked each restraint, silently praying she won't take off and leave me in this room alone after opening up to her. And the moment I freed the last handcuff, she did the opposite of what I thought she'd do. She immediately dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around me, burrowing her face in my neck.

"I'm so sorry about everything. I'm sorry for not giving you a chance to explain what I saw—running away like a little fucking whiny bitch. I'm sorry for taking off, leaving to wonder where I ran off to and if I was ever coming back—reminding you of what Victoria did. I'm sorry for hurting you because of my insecurities—thanks to my exes. And I apologize from the bottom of my heart for saying ditto instead of telling you how I really feel about you. Please forgive me."

My arms tightened around her, and kissing her head, I said, "I forgive you, Eloise. But I also need you to forgive me for keeping things from you, too. And since it was my fault for what happened three weeks ago, I need you to forgive me for canceling our plans that day. Had I just kept our date, we wouldn't be here right now with me fighting to keep you in my life."

"Callum. You don't have to fight for me."

My body stiffened—fearing hearing the words, don't fight for me because we're done—officially over instantly ran through my mind.

"I'm not going anywhere. The only place I'm going once I leave here is your place. The only place I want to be is wherever you are. I love you, Callum, and I want you to know I fell in love with you when we were in Hawaii. I was just too afraid to admit it—fearing if I admitted I loved you, you'd break my heart. So I said ditto. But had I known that was what your ex would tell you, I would never have said it repeatedly after I said it the first time. And to be honest, when I said it the first time and saw the expression on your face, I fed off it. I enjoyed riling you up, and since we made things official, I felt annoying each other was off the table, and I couldn't find any reason to do it anymore. But then I said ditto, saw your mood change, and it gave me a new reason to mess with you and to get under your skin."

She lifted her head from my shoulder and brought her face to mine, her lips mere inches away from mine as she said, "Again, I'm sorry. I'll never say ditto again. From here on out, it will always be I love you." She kissed my lips, moaning, "I love you so fucking much," in my mouth.

YES!

I hope that means I got the girl!

I kissed her lips, then confessed my love for her again with a smile that grazed her lips, "I'm going to continue annoying you from this moment on by constantly telling you how I feel about you, and I won't even regret it. I love you, Eloise. I fucking love you so much; I hope you'll allow me to continue showing you how much I adore you."

She giggled. "Come on, Callum. What kind of relationship would we have if you didn't annoy me anymore or annoyed each other? That's an easy answer for me—it would be fucking boring. So, bosshole. Start annoying me," she said, grinning beautifully. A smile so beautiful my dick rose from the excitement it caused.

"What I should do is discipline you for driving me bat shit crazy and worrying me for three long damn weeks."

"You should," she said, her smile widening.

"I should. But I won't."

Her lips quickly turned into a frown. "Why not?"

I slid my hands lovingly up and down her spine and back, then squeezed her, tightening her body against mine. "Because you deserve me to show you just how much I love you—the boring yet romantic way of loving someone—by making love to you without toys, torcher devices, and punishment. Just you and me—my dick pleasuring you, our mouths and tongues tangling with one another, and your pussy warming my cock."

"Actually, I'd like that too." She leaned back and looked around the room, then as she returned her eyes to mine, she said, "But I'd rather not do that here. We can do that at home—your home, that is. Don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong with us showing our love for each other here in this room, but now that I've seen it, it's not a room for me. It's a room for my goofy sister," she giggled.

I grinned, pulling her to my mouth. "It's not my home—it's our home. And you're right. This room isn't for us. The room for us is in Highland Park—where I'd be in heaven if you were to move in with me, share my home with me, and eventually raise our future children there with me."

Her head sloped to the side. "Callum? What are you saying?"

I helped her stand as I rose to my feet, turned her to face me, and kissed her, saying, "I'm saying let's get out of here. I have something to give you, but it's at home."

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!! 🤞🤞