“Oh, I’m not done.” Scarlett flicks her gaze back to the rest of the table. Trina ticks up an eyebrow, clearly unaware there was more, but Scarlett lifts her chin in determination. “Just one last thing. If you want this book, you’ll let Ryan continue edits. You can kick the next one to whomever you feel is appropriate, but Ryan started this, and I want him to finish it with me.”

Anastasios’s nostrils flare and his eyes narrow. “We’ll talk about it and get back to you.”

Trina’s eyes bounce back and forth between Scarlett and me before she reclines in her chair and folds her arms over her chest. “You know this book will do exactly what you were expecting it to before. It’ll be good for your imprint and make you a ton of money. With Scarlett Frye’s name on it from the start, you’re in an even better position. I don’t think you understand that she almost quit entirely. As of yesterday afternoon, she was done. You’ve already broken your first contract with her. Someone else will scoop this book up in a heartbeat. She wants to stay here. Do not let her walk out of here without an answer.”

The silence that falls over the room is deafening. My heartbeat roars in my ears. Scarlett reaches over and grabs my hand under the table. She doesn’t look at me, but she squeezes once, and I squeeze back.

Whatever happens, she did exactly what I had hoped she would. She saw the life she wanted, and she reached out and took it.

It seems impossible, but I love her even more now than I did before. This brilliant, beautiful, bold woman is mine. And whatever comes at us now, we can handle it together.

“Okay,” Anastasios finally says. “We will draw up a contract with your terms and send it to your agent to review later today.”

The desire to jump up and whoop into the air is so strong that I have to physically grab the bottom of my chair to keep myself seated. With all the professionalism in the world, Scarlett thanks him, and we all stand to file out of the room.

In the hallway, Casey shakes our hands. Trina gives us hugs. They go back to his office to talk about another writer or something that I am too distracted to remember. I walk out to the parking lot with Scarlett, where I pull her to the side of the building and kiss her senseless. It feels like the perfect outlet for the giddy pride in her that started building while I watched her in that room. Lucky for me, she seems more than willing to kiss me right back.

“You tricked me,” I say into her skin when we come up for air.

“I didn’t want to interrupt your groveling,” she teases.