to tour the property and they would hold, and that was the sole reason I guided Sadie up. "Your office and the staff space to the left. The right side could be used for treadmills or cardio equipment, or we could put the women's space up here for more privacy if you wanted and leave the whole bottom floor for the gym to limit the foot traffic. That might be a better idea actually," I murmured, guiding her through the space.
"You put a lot of thought into this," she observed.
"I tried to think about all the things you might want. Is there anything missing?" I asked, matter of fact and keeping my hands to myself. I'd expected more excitement from her, but she seemed hesitant to give me anything.
"Yes," she said. "What's missing is the fact that you aren't touching me. You're a foot away from me, and I just can't get excited knowing you're still pissed." In the urgency of dealing with Vanessa that morning, we hadn’t had time to settle things between us. I’d known it ate away at me, but it felt good to know Sadie couldn’t stand fighting with me either. The admission pulled at me, drawing me to close the distance and pull her into my chest.
"I could have lost you," I said, tucking my chin against the top of her head as she tried to burrow into my chest. "I'm pissed because I would burn the entire world down to keep you safe, but I can't protect you from your own choices."
"I know," she sighed. "I'm sorry. I know it was a stupid reflex, but I’d just watched everything I've spent my entire adult life building burn to the ground. It was traumatic, and I got lost in the shock of it. We know I hate feeling out of control. Choices being stripped away from me puts me in a bad place."
"You have to know that I'll make it right, Sadie. This location is part of it, but we're going to rebuild the old location too. You lost the gym because of me, so I'll give it back to you," I murmured, grabbing her face and turning her attention to me.
"I don't want—"
"I don't care. I've told you where I stand, so all that's left is for you to decide what you want," I said. "If it's the same as what I want, then things like yours and mine won't exist once we're married. I have more than enough money to make this gym everything you want it to be, but it will be done with you as the owner of this location. Not your father." Her wide eyes stared up at me. "I'll try to respect your choice if you would be more comfortable making monthly payments or something along those lines, but it would be silly in the long run when we could own it outright."
"We?" she asked, turning shocked honey eyes to the surrounding space.
"We," I confirmed. "I won't have anything to do with running it aside from managing the security, but I'll be here to help with whatever you need, Baby Girl. I have entire business teams at my disposal through Matteo."
"I don't—" She paused, looking at me softly. "I don't want to tell you how I feel right now. I don't want it to be twisted up in this gym and for there to be any reason for you to think my feelings are because of you wanting to give me this."
I sighed in relief, smiling down at her. She might not have said the words exactly, but the sentiment rang like the sound of a hammer against a gong, anyway. "We have all the time in the world," I said. "But I'll make you say it sooner than later."
She laughed and my heart swelled with the sound as it echoed around the space. That I could make her smile despite her world burning down around her, that was the truth of the love pounding between us.
"You're more important to me than this gym. I would be with you even if I had to choose," she said, still dancing around the words. I suspected Sadie, like me, didn't say them easily.
It made them that much more worth hearing.
"So it's a yes on the location then?" I asked, smirking at her.
"Of course, it's a yes. How could I say no to this place? The wood beams and the metalwork in the bones of the building? It's perfect."
"Good," I said, leaning