The Finish Line

Tobias wakes to an icy wind from an open window. Startled, he reaches for his gun before realizing Cecelia is outside throwing snowballs. She pelts him twice before he playfully slams the window shut. She sneaks inside and throws three more snowballs before he chases her through the house and tackles her onto the couch. Cecelia announces a proper snow day with a snowball fight, snowman, and snow cream. They battle in the garden, where Beau betrays Cecelia’s hiding spot. She falls face-first in the front yard, and Tobias declares victory. When she attempts to tackle him, he lets her win, falling with her on top. She proves she fights dirty by grabbing his crotch. Surveying the snow, Cecelia mentions they deserve a good snow day after their last one, inadvertently referencing a painful memory of a previous snow day when she begged him to acknowledge their connection and he refused. She apologizes for the reminder. He promises to make this day more memorable. She throws another snowball at his face and runs.

In the kitchen, Cecelia prepares snow cream while Tobias refuses to eat snow. She jokes about feeding a stubborn French child in the future. His reaction is somber as he touches her stomach and asks if she wants children. Cecelia says she is not opposed but is concerned by his expression. Tobias admits the idea appeals to him but deflects when pressed, confirming only that he can have children and but fears bringing them into his dangerous life. She convinces him to try the snow cream, and he devours his bowl, joking about visiting Mark at the hardware store for supplies. They kiss passionately on the couch.

Hours later, tipsy from wine, they watch news coverage of a new terrorist organization. Tobias bristles with tension and reaches for his phone to call Tyler and Preston but stops himself, saying their relationship is his priority. He voices disgust for men who kill innocents and admits he has done horrible things without losing sleep, wondering if he inherited traits from his cruel, temperamental father. Tobias confesses that he saw Cecelia in Paris during her sophomore year on a night when he had just killed a man. Knowing she was visiting places they had discussed, he fled to avoid her, feeling like a monster with blood on his hands. The emotional chaos of feeling nothing for taking a life but being torn apart by his need for her left him devastated. He confesses that he has felt alone his entire life and no longer wants to be. Cecelia wraps around him tightly, promising she is not going anywhere. They share a deep kiss before he carries her to the bedroom.

Cecelia arrives home to find Tobias teaching Beau French commands. Eager to read his latest journal entry, she reflects that the past weeks have been a honeymoon period. Tobias warns that the entry will upset her. In it, he writes about a secret he is still hiding, one he fears will change everything, asking for patience. Angry, she goes to confront him and finds him on FaceTime with a French woman named Sonia, who urges him to make her a priority. When Tobias claims it is club business, Cecelia detects the lie. They argue about his continued secrecy. He admits Sonia is part of what he is hiding and wants to speak with Cecelia eventually, reminding her of the truce they called and asking her not to jump to conclusions. Cecelia accuses him of falling into old patterns and questions how she can trust him when he does not trust her.

Later, she reads another journal entry about their fight. Tobias writes that his intense fear of losing her drives his overbearing behavior. He also admits he is afraid of the Beretta she carries after seeing murder in her eyes mid-argument. They text apologies. Over the following week, Tobias becomes increasingly on guard, running up to three times daily. They spend Thanksgiving alone. The Ravens grow more vigilant, flanking her during errands. Infuriated that he continues hiding behind their truce, Cecelia resolves to force his surrender to achieve complete transparency. She views this as a war for their future, determined to break him before he breaks her again.

In a flashback, 33-year-old Tobias wakes in a hospital after being shot while running. Tyler is at his side. Tobias realizes he wanted to die, having no will to live without Dom or Cecelia. He is devastated to have survived.

The narrative shifts to the main present-day timeline. After a run, Tobias receives a text on Julien’s phone from Antoine requesting a status update. He sends staged photos of himself and Cecelia. Antoine replies with travel details for Julien, whom Tobias is impersonating, ordering him home. Tobias panics, knowing this means losing control.

A flashback to age 31 shows Tobias in the clearing, hearing Cecelia play George Michael’s song “Father Figure” on repeat from her balcony. Tormented about explaining his deceptions, he drinks gin, having already given the order to mark her that night. He is conflicted, knowing Dom and Sean will react badly. Antoine calls, informing him that his nephew died in a deal Tobias was meant to oversee. Antoine uses the situation as leverage, threatening to involve himself in the place Tobias calls home. The music from Cecelia’s house stops, and her light goes out. Realizing he must prioritize dealing with Antoine, Tobias heads for his car. He considers sending a text to cancel the order, but deletes it, allowing the marking to proceed for her protection.

Hours later, in his Charlotte office after a failed meeting with Dom and Sean, Tobias has made a costly new arrangement with Antoine. Consumed with guilt, knowing Cecelia woke marked and alone, he receives an urgent call from Roman Horner. Back in the present, he recalls the events that followed: a meeting Roman that transformed his view of the man, speeding to Triple Falls in time to see Dom dying in Cecelia’s arms, losing control of his club, and ordering Cecelia to leave and never return. He reflects that emotions led to disaster and vows not to let love make his decisions with Antoine. Believing a storm is coming, he must stay ahead. Having decided, he speeds away in the Camaro.

At her café, Cecelia feels on edge because Tobias has been quiet all morning. Suddenly, he pulls up in his Camaro looking tortured and determined. He charges into the restaurant and strides toward her, demanding she come with him. Over her protests, he informs Marissa that Cecelia will be out for the rest of the day and carries her out to the car. He speeds to her house in grim silence.

Inside, he presses her against the door, saying he lost her and will not lose her again. Cecelia sees a packed duffel bag and realizes he was planning to leave. She pleads with him not to go, but he insists it is for a few days to protect them. She gives him an ultimatum: If he walks out, they are done forever. She accuses him of breaking promises and being unable to trust in them as a couple. He explodes, shouting that while he knows a threat is coming, he does not know the specifics and cannot protect them if he is in the dark about the details.

He restrains her, stripping her naked against her will and pressing her against the couch. He tells her that the rage, helplessness, and fear she feels is what he experiences every time she is threatened. He says she has won; he is staying and surrendering to her. Her anger fades as she grasps his sacrifice. She tries to comfort and seduce him, but he pushes her away until, giving in to rage and desire, he strips and initiates rough, angry sex, bringing her to multiple orgasms. Afterward, he compels her to perform oral sex. She asks for more, and he takes her to the bedroom to continue.

In a flashback, 31-year-old Tobias arrives at the garage to confront Dom and Sean. Dom verbally attacks him, accusing him of playing parent instead of brother and ordering him to leave. Tobias confesses he is in love with Cecelia. Sean returns, and Tobias informs them he is marking Cecelia that night for her protection. Sean charges at him, but Dom stops the attack. Dom tells Tobias to mark her and live with the consequences, then declares that the Triple Falls chapter is his and Cecelia is under his protection. He severs their personal relationship, making it business only. Tobias asks them both to promise Cecelia will always come first. Dom storms out, and Sean tells Tobias he will never fully possess Cecelia because parts of her will always belong to him and Dom. Sean leaves, and Tobias feels the slam of the door in his bones.

The narrative shifts to the present. Restless and haunted by his memory, Tobias fights the urge to wake Cecelia or drink. Cecelia bursts outside, crying, having woken to find him gone and thinking he had left. He pulls her into his lap, apologizes profusely, and tells her he surrenders completely. His white flag is hers. She asks him to talk instead of drinking. He tells her the full story of his confrontation with Dom and Sean.

She insists Dom would not want him tormented by guilt. Tobias confesses that he feels he lost a son, not a brother, and worries Dom died because Tobias broke his heart. Cecelia firmly refutes this, repeating Dom’s last words: Frères pour toujours (brothers forever). She tells him that he must accept Dom’s sacrifice and love. Tobias finally breaks down, sobbing in her arms as he releases years of guilt and grief. After calming, he confesses he does not know if he is the same man she fell for. She reassures him that to her, he is everything. They sit quietly, and he notes her juniper scent, connecting it to gin. She calls it coincidence, but he insists nothing about them is. They hear a car arriving close to three in the morning. Tobias calms a startled Cecelia, telling her they are expecting their ride.