“I’ll make more,” I reply. “And I’ll try some confetti frosting instead of vanilla next time.”
Kurt grins at me. Then he pats Nico’s shoulder. “You found yourself a good one.”
Nico hugs me to his side and gives Kurt a pleased smile. “The best. I’m lucky she wants to be with me.”
As we walk into the building, Nico presses a soft kiss to the top of my head. “I really am lucky,” he says quietly. “I remind myself of it every day.”
I loop my arm around his waist and hug him hard. “We’re both lucky.”
Once we get inside, we head to the employee dining area, which has been redecorated into a party space for the occasion. Nico debated holding the event at a banquet hall off-site, but opted for doing it here because it’s safer.
“This way, everyone can relax,” he explained. “We’ll check out all the guests ahead of time, so on the night of the event, we won’t have to worry.”
Much, was the word he left off the end. I know Nico will still be on high alert all night. Just like I know he has several employees working on rotation to man the security cameras to make sure nothing goes wrong.
Better safe than sorry,as Nico likes to say. And after everything we’ve been through, I’d tend to agree.
Though we’re not late by any means, the dining area slash party space is already buzzing by the time we get there. There’s a group of younger employees dancing in the corner, where the DJ station is set up. Several people are checking out the arcade games Nico rented for the evening. Around the buffet tables near the entrance, there’s a small crowd of people loading up plates and chatting happily.
On the way into the room, a tall man with short blond hair comes over to us. He and Nico exchange a quick handshake slash shoulder clap as Nico exclaims, “Leo. So glad you could come.”
Leo flashes Nico a quick smile. “Of course.” His chin lifts. “Looks like you’ve expanded since the last time I visited. But that was what? Two, three years ago?”
Nico nods. “Yeah. We’ve been growing pretty steadily over the last couple of years.” Tugging me closer to his side, he adds with a smile, “This is Sofia. My girlfriend.” Then he glances at me. “Leo and I used to serve together.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say. When I offer my hand to shake, Leo’s much larger one engulfs mine.
“We weren’t on the same team,” Leo explains. “But we worked together on some ops. Once we discovered our shared interest in computers, we stayed in touch.”
“Leo’s working for a security company in Sleepy Hollow,” Nico explains. “We work on cases together sometimes. Although Leo’s been busy with his family these days.”
Leo’s rugged features soften with affection. “Yeah. They’re great.” He pauses as a soft chime sounds from his pocket. “And speaking of family, I think that’s my wife, Georgia. If you’ll just excuse me…”
“Of course.” Nico claps Leo’s shoulder again. “I’ll catch you later. And tell Georgia I said hi.”
As we watch Leo walk away, phone pressed to his ear, Nico kisses my cheek. “You ready to go inside?” He turns me slightly. “I think there’s someone waiting to see you.”
As I follow his gaze, I realize he’s right.
Across the room, seated at the table closest to the buffet, are Brian and his son, Adam.
As I hurry towards Brian, he spots me and jumps to his feet. Then he says something to Adam and makes a beeline for me. Hedoesn’t bother with handshakes or polite greetings; instead, he pulls me in for a hug.
“Sofia,” he says once he releases me. “It’s so good to see you.”
I have to swallow a few times before I trust myself to speak. “It’s really good to see you, too. Thanks so much for coming.”
Brian smiles. “As if I wouldn’t. You invite me here for this big announcement, all expenses paid, no less…” He raises a brow at Nico. “I’m not sure if you’re trying to buy your way into my good graces.”
Nico extends his hand. “No bribery, I promise. I just know how much you mean to Sofia. And flights are expensive these days. Since we’re asking you to come here, it didn’t seem right to ask you to pay, as well.”
Brian gives Nico his patenteddon’t give me bullshitlook. Then he chuckles and shakes Nico’s hand. “I’m just giving you a hard time. Sofia’s told me all about you. And if she says you’re trustworthy, then I believe her.”
Nico’s smile shifts to something more serious. “I will always take care of Sofia. And I’ll never lie to her. She’s the most important person in the world to me.”
Aww.
Nico and Brian exchange a long look. Then Brian gives him an approving nod. “Good. She deserves to be treated like the special person she is.”
