Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Space Between Wanting and Waiting
Kian barely moved.
Barely breathed.
His grandfather's words still echoed, sharp and unrelenting.
Carter isn't yours.
Chloe was married.
This isn't just about love—this is about commitment.
And are you truly ready for that?
Kian exhaled slowly, pressing his fingers against his temple, frustration curling through his veins.
He hated this.
Hated the uncertainty creeping in, the doubt Terrence had planted, the way his own mind refused to silence the questions.
Because he knew what he wanted.
He wanted Chloe.
Wanted Carter.
Wanted the life that felt so close yet just out of reach.
But want wasn't enough.
Not for something like this.
His pulse thrummed.
His chest tightened.
And for the first time in years, he found himself questioning—not his love, not his devotion, but whether he was truly ready.
Because Chloe wasn't.
She wasn't ready for him.
She wasn't ready for this.
And forcing something she wasn't prepared to face?
That wasn't love.
That was selfishness.
Kian clenched his jaw, breathing in slowly, forcing himself to settle.
He had let her go once.
Had watched her walk away.
Had lost her to a decision he hadn't been ready to face.
And now?
Now, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
He would wait.
Would step back.
Would let her come to him when she was ready.
But letting her go again?
That wasn't an option.