Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires #3) by Lauren Asher

I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear those words from her until she said them.

“I plan on coming home.”

“When?” Her voice has a certain edge to it.

“I’m not sure.” I bite down on my tongue. Until I have my shit sorted out, I don’t want to return because Lana deserves better than that. She deserves the best I have to offer, and a twenty-four-hour sobriety chip isn’t going to cut it.

“Then why call?”

“Because I wanted to let you know that I’m going to find a way to make everything right.” Post-rehab me is motivated by a single goal: show Lana and Cami that I will spend the rest of my life proving how much I love them.

“That’s all?”

“And that I love you,” I add.

She sighs.

My grip on the phone tightens. “Just give me time to fix this, okay?”

Her steady breathing fills the silence.

“Okay,” she says before the line goes dead.

“You’re back!” Iris throws her arms around my neck and cries.

The moment I texted the family chat saying I was back in Chicago, Iris replied that she was on her way with Declan.

I peel her off me and take a good look at her face. “Are you crying?”

“Yes. I can’t help it.” She wipes at her face with frustration. “It just happens.”

I shoot Declan a what the fuck look. He only shrugs as if this happens all the time.

Wait a minute… Declan would never brush off Iris’s tears like that without a good reason—

“You’re pregnant.” The words fly out of my mouth.

She nods with a few tears streaming down her face.

“Holy shit. Congratulations!” I pull her back into a hug.

“Since when?” I look over Iris’s head at my brother.

“We found out a week after you left.”

“I wanted to tell you, but you weren’t here.” Iris’s tears soak through my shirt.

“She was very upset about that. Cried for what felt like a day,” Declan mutters.

“This is doing wonders for my ego.”

Iris slaps my chest with a laugh. “I’m emotional.”

“Yeah, an emotional wreck,” I finish for her.

She pushes against my chest, and I release her.

Her nose wrinkles. “You smell like an airplane.”

“Probably because I just landed a few hours ago and haven’t had a chance to shower yet.”

Declan pulls Iris away from me and into his embrace. “How was rehab?”

“Like a party, except no one wants to be there.”

“Sounds like a typical Friday for me.” Declan’s lips twitch.

Iris’s eyes roll.

“Did you get the chip?” Declan asks.

I pull it out of my pocket to show him. “That and a nice conversation with our father.”

Declan’s brows tug together. “Our father?”

“Turns out whatever inheritance he has is contingent on him attending AA meetings too.”

My brother drops on to the leather sofa. “Shit.”

“Yup. My thought exactly.”

“Isn’t that…triggering?” Iris sits down next to Declan and clasps his hand.

I shrug. “I spent thirty days getting over my daddy issues.”

“And?”

“Turns out the only person I was hurting is myself, and safe to say masochism isn’t my kink anymore.”

Declan’s smile is small but powerful. “Teach me your ways.”

“Oh, you can plan on it once I get Lana back.” Until then, nothing else matters.

“What do you think your grandpa offered him?” Iris asks.

“There’s still six percent of the company left uncontested.”

“I knew Grandpa wouldn’t let him walk away with nothing. He always had a soft spot for that piece of shit.” Declan rubs at his stubble while staring off into the distance.

“We’ll figure it out.” I pull out my phone. “Are either of you hungry? I was thinking about ordering delivery.”

“Wait. You’re staying?” Iris frowns.

“I still have a few things to sort out before I head back to Lake Wisteria.”

“Like what?”

“How the hell I’m going to get to keep the lake house.” I already spoke with the real estate agent and told him to hold off on accepting any offers, so it’s only a matter of time before I figure out a solution.

Declan’s frown deepens. “You can’t keep it.”

“I have a meeting with Leo tomorrow to see otherwise.”

His chest falls from his heavy exhale. “And if he tells you that it’s impossible?”

“Then I’ll find a way to prove him wrong.”

“Cal…”

“What?”

Declan leans forward on his elbows. “You don’t need to come up with a solution on your own. We’re here for you.”

The pressure in my chest releases like a popped balloon. “Don’t go all soft on me now that I’m sober.”

His lips twitch. “Asshole.”

“That’s more I like it.”

Iris’s glassy eyes make me laugh.

“Seriously? You’re crying again?”