I’m calm as I walk into the dean’s office, though I have a feeling I know what’s coming. Things haven’t been great for Leia and me lately. I didn’t think it could get any worse, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m about to be proven wrong.
“Professor Astor.”
I nod at Dean Ferguson and tense when I see Leia sitting in the seat opposite him. Goddamn it. Why the fuck can’t my girl and I just catch a fucking break? I sit down next to her, resigned.
“It has come to our attention that the two of you have breached our no-fraternization policy,” the dean says, looking regretful. He glances at me, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.
“What happened?” I ask him before reaching for Leia. I grab her hand and entwine our fingers before placing our joined hands in my lap. She tenses, but I shake my head slightly, indicating that it’ll be fine.
“Every member of the college’s board received a set of photos this morning,” Dean Ferguson says. He reaches into his desk drawer and pulls out a manila folder that he slides toward me.
I open it up and clench my jaws when I find myself staring at dozens of photos of Leia and me, most of them taken right outside my front door. Because she’s paranoid about her family seeing us together, we make sure we’re rarely in public together, yet this folder somehow seems to have evidence of every single time I kissed her goodnight. What the fuck?
Leia gasps, her breathing uneven. She’s panicking. I need to fix this as soon as possible. There’s no way I can let this affect her. She has too much on her plate already. The look in her eyes tells me she’s close to losing it, and I know how much she’d hate to burst into tears right now. I need to get her out of here.
“Leia and I are in a committed relationship. She has already handed in her dissertation, and I wasn’t the one who helped her with the majority of it. By the time I joined Astor College and became her advisor, she was already nearly finished with her dissertation. Her previous advisor will be able to confirm that.”
Dean Ferguson nods. “We’ve launched an investigation. If Professor Larson can confirm she wrote most of it without your guidance, then Leia may be allowed to defend her dissertation.”
He hesitates and looks away. “I… I can try to save Ms. Sital’s academic career, but I can’t save yours.”
I chuckle and cross my arms. “That’s quite alright. My grandfather needs me to take a more active role in the business, anyway. It’s about time I give up on my career as a professor. If I really wanted to stay, I’d just have you and the board replaced.”
Dean Ferguson’s eyes widen, as though realization is finally sinking in. Yeah, I’m not just any Astor. I’m one of Harold Astor’s only two grandchildren, one of two direct heirs to his fortune.
“I will, however, be forced to do just that if Leia experiences any issues with her dissertation. She’s nearly done, and she worked her ass off. I’ll be damned if all that hard work is taken away from her.”
He nods in understanding, but I know it isn’t just in his hands. Whether or not Leia will walk away unscathed is unknown. It’ll depend on the college’s board members, and everyone else involved. This won’t be easy. Even if they do allow her to defend her dissertation, they’ll give her a hand time.
“I’ll hand you my formal resignation tomorrow morning,” I tell him, before pulling Leia up with me. “Do what you can to save the future Mrs. Astor’s academic career, and I’ll see to it that an adequate donation is made,” I say, tipping my head toward Leia. The shock on his face is priceless, but I think it’s the shock in Leia’s expression that I love most.
I pull her out of his office, her hand in mine. Since the truth is out, there’s no way I’m letting her go.
“Future Mrs. Astor?”
I smirk at her. “You and I both know it’s only a matter of time. This is it for me, Leia. You’re the one. I don’t care if he knows it too — it’s not like that knowledge can harm us now that the truth is out.”
I doubt she even realizes how much my academic career meant to me. I’d never have given it up for anyone but her, and I didn’t even think twice.
My phone buzzes, and I grimace when I see eleven missed calls from my grandfather. I see he’s been notified, too.
“Let me drive you home,” I tell her. With how anxious she seems, I don’t want her driving. “I need to go see my grandfather.”
Leia nods and follows me. “Are you sure everything is going to be okay, Thor? I’m so worried. You’re losing your job, and I might lose my doctorate. How could you possibly be this calm?”
I lean over and buckle her in, pressing a kiss to her lips before straightening. “I’m calm because I’ve got you, Leia. All I need is you and the kids. Everything else is replaceable.”
I won’t ever tell her that my heart is breaking. She doesn’t know what my job as a professor meant to me, and I’m going to make sure she never finds out. Leia would never forgive herself, even though she isn’t to blame.
My thoughts are still on her by the time I pull up in front of my grandfather’s office. Leia seemed distraught when I dropped her off, and I’m not sure what I can do to make things better. Lately I keep finding myself in completely powerless situations. I can’t stop the way my kids are alienating her. I can’t stop Alice’s behavior without ruining my relationship with the kids. I can’t keep my job now that the college found out about us.
It feels like everything in my life is falling apart, and the way I’m clutching at the strands of my life just makes it unravel faster.
“Adrian!” my grandfather snaps when I walk in.
I grit my teeth when I see the photos on his desk.
“I will give you three seconds to explain why you’re involved in a major scandal at the college I entrusted you with.”
He looks furious, and for a moment, I’m speechless. This isn’t how I wanted everyone to find out about Leia and me.
“I’m going to marry her,” I say simply.
Grandpa’s anger drains away, and he looks at me. “What?”
I nod and gather the photos on his desk into a pile before straightening it. “There’s no doubt in my mind. She’s the one.”
“What are you talking about, Adrian? She’s your nanny and a student. I love Leia as much as Amara does, but this is incredibly inappropriate.”
I slip the photos into the envelope and hold it against my chest. “Is it? The kids love her, and so do I. I never thought I’d want to be with anyone else again, Gramps. She’s different.”
“You lost your job over her, Adrian. You were so desperate to be a professor that you’ve been procrastinating on taking on more responsibility within the company. It was your mother’s greatest dream to see you follow her path, and you’re giving that up for her?”
I smile at him. “It was my mother’s greatest wish to see me happy. Truly happy. She never got to see that while she was alive, but I’m still honoring that wish. I’m happy now, Gramps. I hear you. I know what this is costing me, but you’re failing to see all that I’m gaining. Leia is unlike any woman I’ve ever met before. Alice has been giving us hell, and she’s handling it with such grace. Hell, I think she loves the kids more than she loves me, you know? I know what I’m doing. She’s worth it.”
He looks at me long and hard. “You and Amara… you’re both the same. Stubborn to a fault and willing to sacrifice everything for the one you love.” He looks away and shakes his head, but I see the reluctant smile he’s trying to hide. Leia is worth anything. She’s given her all for my family. It’s about time I do the same for her.
