Riley was already protesting before I even finished tying the blindfold.
“Lucas, what the hell are you doing?” she snapped, flinching at my touch like I was leading her into open flames. “Why am I being kidnapped? Are you going to sell my kidneys?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. God, she was chaos. Beautiful, flailing chaos. “No, I’m not selling your kidneys. Chill, Morgan—it’s a surprise.”
“That doesn’t calm me down!” she whined, waving her arms like I’d gagged her instead of using the softest silk scarf in the world. “You know I hate surprises. And being blindfolded. And walking blind. And being kidnapped—”
“I said it’s not a kidnapping!”
“Feels like one!”
I took her hand and squeezed it, anchoring her in. “Trust me.”
She grumbled under her breath but didn’t pull away. Her fingers curled around mine, tight and familiar. That alone made me want to kiss her senseless and forget the whole reveal. But no—she deserved this.
“This better not be a skydiving thing,” she muttered as I led her carefully across the pavement. “I swear if I hear a plane, I’m jumping off the blindfolded cliff myself.”
“You’re so dramatic.”
“I’m serious! If this is a public flash mob—”
“You’re giving me ideas now.”
“Lucas!”
“Okay, okay,” I said, chuckling as I stopped us in front of the double glass doors. My palms were sweating, and not just from the heat.
I placed my hands gently on her shoulders. “We’re here.”
She groaned. “No! I’ve been blindfolded for fifteen minutes and might have a heart attack!”
I smiled. God, I loved her. “Three, two—”
“Lucas—”
“—One.”
I slid the blindfold off slowly, watching her blink against the sudden brightness. And then it happened.
Her entire body went still.
We were standing in a crisp, white-walled clinic—sunlight pouring in through the tall windows, the scent of new equipment still fresh in the air. It wasn’t just clean. It was hers. Everything. All of it.
Her jaw dropped.
Zara was right in front, linking arms with Raphina, grinning like she knew she’d never top this moment. Dr. Hill clapped softly beside a few of Riley’s former professors. My teammates lined the walls in casual clothes, and even some of the board members from the foundation had shown up.
But the best part?
Her name.
Right there, bold and proud, above the front desk:
MORGAN PERFORMANCE & REHABILITATION — Powered by the Lucas Rivera Foundation
I watched her read it three times. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
Then finally, she turned to me, eyes wide and glassy. “What… what is this?”
My chest squeezed. “Welcome to your own practice.”
She looked like she was about to collapse. I stepped closer, brushing her cheek gently. “This—” she whispered, breathless. “This is mine?”
I nodded. “Your clinic. Your name. Your program. We had this dream since high school, remember? The one where you’d run your own PT center and I’d fund it like the future football star I claimed I’d become?”
Her eyes shimmered with tears. “Lucas…”
“I never forgot that. And after everything that happened, I realized—we could actually do it. So, I made a few calls. Used the foundation. Pulled a few favors.”
“You mean moved mountains,” she whispered.
I shrugged. “Anything for you.”
She turned in a slow circle, drinking it all in—the therapy rooms, the hydrotherapy pool, the mobility equipment, her journals stacked perfectly on the polished wood counter. Every inch of the place screamed her. Designed to heal. Built to last.
And the people. All the people she loved. All of them, smiling like this dream had always belonged to them too.
Tears slid down her cheeks.
And then she launched herself into my arms so hard I nearly stumbled.
“Oh my god,” she whispered. “We did it.”
I wrapped her up, tight and warm. My voice rough. “Yeah. We did.”
She kissed me then, full and hard, right in front of everyone. And damn, it felt like the first time all over again.
The room exploded in cheers and laughter.
Zara’s voice cut above them all. “FINALLY!”
We broke apart, but I didn’t let her go far.
“You really thought I was going to sell your kidneys?” I teased, brushing her hair back.
She smiled through tears. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t.”
I leaned in close, nose to hers. “Welcome home, Dr. Morgan.”
And for the first time… I felt like I was home, too.