Chapter 156: Chapter 158: Difficult Conversations
ARIA’S POV
Aria stayed curled in Damien’s lap while he worked, his one-handed typing surprisingly efficient despite having to hold her with his other arm. She watched the numbers and text scroll across his laptop screen, only understanding about half of what she was seeing....corporate finance had never been her strength.
But sitting here, feeling his steady breathing, the occasional rumble of his voice when he made a phone call, the gentle pressure of his hand on her waist....this was comfortable. Safe. Right.
Except for the knot of anxiety that had been building in her chest for days now.
She needed to talk to him. About her future. About the Chief Innovation Officer position. About what she really wanted to do with her life.
But how did you tell the man who’d just created an entire executive position for you that you didn’t actually want it?
"You’re thinking too loud," Damien murmured, his fingers pausing on the keyboard. "I can practically hear the wheels turning in your head."
"Sorry. I didn’t mean to distract you."
"You’re never a distraction. You’re a priority." He saved his document and closed the laptop, giving her his full attention. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing’s wrong exactly. I just... we need to talk about something. Something important."
His expression immediately became guarded. "That phrase never leads anywhere good."
"It’s not bad. At least, I hope it’s not. I’m just...." She took a breath, gathering her courage. "I need to talk to you about my position at Blackwood Enterprises."
"The Chief Innovation Officer role? Are people giving you problems? Because if anyone on that board is undermining you...."
"No, nothing like that. Everyone’s been professional. Respectful, even." She shifted in his lap to face him more directly. "Damien, I’m grateful for the position. I know you created it to address the board’s concerns about optics, and to showcase my abilities. And I appreciate that more than I can say."
"But?" His eyes searched hers.
"But I’m a doctor, Damien. I finished my medical degree at twenty.....graduated from MIT’s Medical Sciences program as one of the youngest in the program’s history." The words tumbled out in a rush. "I loved medicine. Loved the work, the purpose, the feeling of helping people directly. And then my mother got sick, and I put everything on hold. Became your assistant to stay close and I—"
"You want to go back to medicine," he finished quietly.
"Yes. I got a call last week from the hospital. They want me back. They’re offering me a position in their emergency department, and Damien, it’s everything I’ve been dreaming about. But I didn’t know how to tell you. Didn’t know if you’d be upset that I want to leave the company after you created this entire position for me...."
"Stop." His hand came up to cup her face. "Aria, breathe."
She realized she’d been rambling, her words coming out in an anxious rush. She took a shaky breath.
"I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to answer honestly," Damien said, his eyes intense on hers. "Is being Chief Innovation Officer at Blackwood Enterprises what you want to do with your life?"
"No," she admitted quietly. "It’s a wonderful opportunity, and I’m grateful, but it’s not what I’m meant to do."
"Then you should take the position."
She blinked. "Just like that?"
"Just like that." His thumb brushed across her cheekbone. "Aria, I love you. Which means I want you to be happy. To do work that fulfills you. If that’s medicine, then that’s what you should do."
Relief flooded through her so intensely she felt tears prick her eyes. "I was so worried you’d be upset. Or disappointed."
"I’m neither. I’m proud of you for knowing what you want and having the courage to say it." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Though I will admit, I’m going to miss having you in the office every day."
"The hospital isn’t far. St. Augustine is only twenty minutes from Blackwood Enterprises." She managed a weak smile. "And I don’t start for another month. I can help transition my responsibilities, make sure whoever takes over the Chief Innovation Officer role has everything they need."
"When do they want you to start?"
"Beginning of next month. They’re giving me time to wrap things up here." She bit her lip. "There’s one more thing."
"What?"
"The hours are going to be brutal. ER shifts are twelve hours minimum, sometimes longer. There will be nights I don’t come home. Weekends I have to work. Times when I’m so exhausted I can barely function." She watched his face carefully. "I know we just moved in together, and now I’m telling you I’ll be working crazy hours and sometimes staying at the hospital overnight—"
"Aria." His voice was firm. "I run a billion-dollar global enterprise. You think I don’t understand demanding work schedules? You think I haven’t pulled all-nighters at the office or spent weeks traveling for business?"
"That’s different. You’re the CEO. You have to—"
"And you’re a doctor who saves lives. That’s just as important. More important, probably." His hand tightened on her waist. "We’ll make it work. We’ll figure out the schedule, coordinate our time together, make sure we don’t lose each other in the chaos of our careers."
"You really mean that?"
"I really mean it. But—" His eyes darkened with possessive intensity. "There is one condition."
Her stomach fluttered. "What condition?"
"I own a building three blocks from St. Augustine. Luxury apartments, mostly corporate housing. The penthouse is currently vacant." He paused. "I want you to use it."
"Damien, I don’t need—"
"For the overnight shifts. For the times when you’re too exhausted to drive home. For the days when you have back-to-back twelve-hour shifts and only a few hours between them." His voice was firm. "I’m not going to have you driving forty minutes home when you’re falling asleep on your feet. The penthouse will be yours. Fully furnished, everything you need. It’s fifteen minutes from the hospital and twenty minutes from the office."
"That’s too much—"
"It’s practical. And before you argue, remember that I’m going to use it too. When you’re working overnight and I miss you. When I want to be close to you even if you’re at the hospital. When I need to see you between shifts." His expression softened slightly. "Let me do this. Let me make sure you’re safe and comfortable while you’re saving lives."
The way he phrased it—not as control, but as care—made her chest tight with emotion.
"Okay," she whispered. "The penthouse. Thank you."
"I’ll miss it too. Some parts of it, anyway." She managed a weak smile. "The parts where you drag me into your office and make me come on your desk. Those parts I’ll definitely miss."
His laugh was low and warm. "We can still do that. I’ll just have to visit you at the hospital instead. Find an empty exam room. Make you bite down on your coat to keep quiet while I fuck you against the—"
"Damien!" She swatted his chest, but she was laughing too. "That’s completely inappropriate."
"But you’re thinking about it now, aren’t you? Thinking about me showing up at your workplace, pulling you into a supply closet, reminding you exactly who you belong to."
She was absolutely thinking about it. And based on the heat pooling low in her belly, her body was very interested in that particular fantasy.
"You’re terrible," she said without conviction.
"You love it." He sobered slightly
"So I’ll have the penthouse set up for you this week. Keys, access codes, everything."
"Thank you. She kissed him softly. "Thank you. For understanding."
"I meant what I said before. I want you to be happy. To be fulfilled. If medicine does that for you, then that’s what you should pursue." His thumb brushed across her cheekbone. "But there’s something else you’re worried about. I can see it in your eyes. What is it?"
She bit her lip. "Your grandfather."
"What about him?"
"He just approved me. Just accepted me into the family. And now I’m going to quit the position you created for me barely a month after starting. What’s he going to think? That I’m unreliable? That I can’t commit? That I’m not worthy of the Blackwood name?"
"He’s going to think you’re brilliant and driven and exactly the kind of woman who knows what she wants." Damien’s voice was firm. "Aria, my grandfather respects passion and purpose. He built an empire because he loved the work, not because it was expected of him. He’ll understand this. He’ll probably respect you more for choosing your calling over a comfortable corporate position."
"You really think so?"
"I know so. And I’ll talk to him. Make sure he understands that this isn’t you giving up or being flighty. This is you pursuing your actual career, the one you trained for, the one you’re meant for."
Some of the anxiety in her chest eased."I love you. Thank you for understanding."
"I love you too. And Aria?" He tilted her chin up to look at him. "I’m proud of you."
She kissed him deeply, trying to convey everything she felt through touch.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Damien rested his forehead against hers.
"Now," he said, his voice slightly rough. "Let’s talk about something that’s making me genuinely nervous."
