“Nah. Well, maybe if you’ve got an extra…” He shrugs, although his eyes linger on the box. He’s a sucker for high-end baked goods, and he’s addicted to Bobbi’s nama-cream cupcakes.
Fiona places the cupcakes on my desk. “I bought four, so we can share.”
His hands buried in his pockets, Josh stands next to her and studies the box, probably trying to see what flavor nama cream she bought. He adjusts his jacket and sniffs. “Strawberry. Damn.”
I smirk. That’s his favorite, but the little sticky labels on the individual cakes show three other flavors as well. I turn to my wife. “Which one do you want?” I ask, hoping she’ll stay. “How about the strawberry?”
Josh shoots me a death glare, which I ignore. He can have the blueberry cupcake, which is his second favorite. It won’t kill him. He’s a big boy.
“I already had one.” She smiles, but it doesn’t hide a smidgeon of shadow on her face. “And I’m feeling a little tired today. Think I’ll head home and nap.”
“You can nap here and we can go home together.” I start to gesture at a small antechamber where I keep a chaise longue for quick catnaps when I’m exhausted.
“But I brought the Maybach, and I want to drive it back.” She runs her hands along my shoulders. “Have these amazing cupcakes, and a more amazing day.”
I kiss her on the mouth. “It’s already perfect.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Fiona
The second I walk out of the office and pass Amélie, my smile slips.
We’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t get pregnant.
I initially bought four cupcakes to share with Bryce, but after I overheard that, I knew I wouldn’t be able to fake being serene.Don’t overthink it. And for God’s sake, don’t give it the worst possible interpretation.
He was probably just thinking about our agreement. A baby would be inconvenient. I’m not sure if I want to start a family right now, and Bryce probably wants a baby even less because his mom is so psychotic about it.
I reach the elevator bank and hit the button. It climbs slowly from the lobby. At least I didn’t lie about being tired. For some reason, I’m really sleepy even though I had the largest cold brew on the menu. The cold brew supposedly has more caffeine than regular coffee, so I don’t know why I’m still so drowsy. If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect that Lareina slipped me some sleeping meds, but she couldn’t even drink her own coffee without my sipping it first to make sure it was okay. That poor woman. She told me that she basically starved until she met Ares.
“There you are.”
I turn around and face Josh. His voice is as smooth and hard as glass. “Yes? What is it?”
“Games aren’t my thing, so I’ll be blunt. Don’t ever betray or hurt Bryce again.”
My spine straightens. Although his criticism is justified, I don’t have to like it.
“I hate it that you make him happy, because you’re too poisonous. He looks tough outside, but inside he’s a big teddy bear. He shouldn’t have to suffer for your amusement.”
My jaw tightens at the unfairness of his doubts, but I soon realize I haven’t given him any reason to know I’m not going to act the way I did back in college. Does Bryce torment himself, wondering about my behavior and motives? Does he believe I might turn my back on him?
I didn’t sense anything like it, but Bryce and Josh have always been inseparable. Besides, aren’t identical twins supposed to be in tune with each other? What if I missed something?
This reaction from Josh, more than anything else, reaffirms my decision to fess up everything to Bryce tonight. I wouldn’t want him to suffer because of my doubts and insecurities. The need to be perfect in order to be worthy of affection has been hammered into me since I was seven. It led me down an exhausting, painful path, and I want to deviate from it, no matter how my belly roils with fear.
I look up at the face so identical to Bryce’s, but at the same time so different. “I’m not playing a game. This is my life.”
“Your life? Wasn’t it your life ten years ago?” Josh scoffs.
“It’s different now.” My voice is surprisingly firm.
“We’ll see about that.” He points two fingers at his eyes, then turns them toward me. “I’ll be watching, Fiona.”
“Watch all you want. I won’t ever hurt Bryce again.”
The elevator doors open and a woman rushes out of the car, almost bumping into me. “Sorry!” she shouts without turning back and runs off, a plastic bag looped around her wrist.
