Ariana slid in wordlessly, her husband cheerfully boasting about the press already. He had his phone out and was reading quote after quote about how he was being called a bold, daring visionary.
I exerted more energy than I ever had in the weight room just trying not to roll my eyes.
The moment Nathan realized Ariana was with us, he clapped for her like she was the star of the show, pulling her in for a swift kiss before hooking a hand around her hip.
“Well, did I surprise you, my love?” he asked, his grin a permanent thing.
Ariana’s smile was demure as ever. “You certainly did.”
“And are you pleased?”
“It’s a lovely initiative,” she answered.
“And the perfect thing to keep you busy and get you back in the swing of things,” Nathan said, thumbing her chin. “See? I told you I know what you need.”
Ariana wore a closed-lip smile, but leaned up on her toes to kiss her husband.
I watched all of this from the corner of my eye, all the while listening to Kozak fill me in on how Wood took the news earlier.My assistant was just as gutted as I was to lose Wood, but we had no choice but to take it in stride. I assured him we’d figure it out, one step at a time, and then excused myself from the conversation with a quick squeeze of his shoulder.
I swung to Nathan and Ariana next.
“Congratulations on the Sweet Dreams donation,” I said to Nathan. “Maven has put so much into that, I know she’ll be thrilled to hear there is even more to work with now.” I slid my gaze to Ari next. “And I know she’ll be over the moon to have you as her partner.”
“Ariana will be leading, in fact,” Nathan corrected. “As you know, Maven has her hands full these days with a nearly one-year-old. She has asked to take a significant step back. She still wants to be involved, of course, as well as Grace, but they will both take orders from our new general here.”
He rubbed Ariana’s arm with a prideful smile, and she leaned into him like she loved him more fiercely than anything in the world, like he’d given her the best gift.
He has, you stupid motherfucker, and she does love him.
They are married, in case you forgot.
The reminder was a stinging one, and it had me shaking my head at how foolish I was being, searching her for clues she was unhappy because selfishly, I hoped she nevercouldbe happy with him — or with anyone who wasn’t me.
If my stomach was sour before, it was a rotted pit with that realization.
All those years ago when I made the choice I did, all I wanted was for her to be happy. Now, here she was, as happy as she could be — married to a rich, handsome man whom everyone adored, who took care of her, who knew giving her the Sweet Dreams initiative would bring her joy.
It seemed I was the only one who wasn’t charmed by him, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t know why.
Sure, I didn’t agree with all the choices he was making for the team, but he was doing what any new GM would — shaking things up.
My disdain for him rested solely in the fact that he had Ariana, and I was jealous.
Once again, I was behaving like a selfish little boy. It was like I couldn’t fucking help it when it came to her.
I internally shook my head at myself before taking a deep breath and giving a real smile, one I hoped Ariana could see was genuine. “I’m really happy for you, Ariana. I know the program will thrive beneath your charge.”
“Thank you,” she said, her gaze a bit questioning.
“If you ever need help wrangling the team to get involved, just say the word,” I added.
“Oh!” Nathan snapped his fingers, as if a light bulb had just flickered on in his brain. “That’s genius, actually. We could have the players out in the community, delivering mattresses and taking pictures with the kids. I like the optics here. Shane, can you work the first few meetings into your schedule and get on board with Maven, Grace, and my beautiful wife here?”
“I’m sure he’s too busy to—”
“Of course,” I answered, not letting Ariana finish her assumption. “It would be my pleasure.”
And for the first time that night, I didn’t have to force my smile or veil a lie.
