Her lips twisted to the side. “Something like that.”
“Wow...” I turned my head to look out at the yellowing grass of the park. “This was not how I expected this conversation to go.”
“How did you think it would go?” she asked.
I rolled my head to the side on the headrest to look over at her. “I kind of thought you’d yell at me for not telling you right away. Or maybe judge me for having a surprise baby at my age. Or tell me I’m stupid for marrying someone so quickly.”
She smirked. “Who says I’m not judging you?”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Please.”
“I’m not perfect,” she said simply, like that explained it all. “And I know what it feels like to make a choice that no one understands.”
I tilted my head in question, but she waved her hand at me. “Story for another day.”
That made me realize we still had so much to learn about each other. Maybe we’d never know it all, but we were there for each other, and that’s what mattered most. So I reached for the other gift that I had put in the back seat and handed it to her.
“Is it twins?” she asked with a worried look.
Laughing, I said, “No, it’s not twins.”
With a small smile, she opened this gift and pulled out a silk robe withMaid of Honorstitched above the breast pocket.
“Holy shit,” she said. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”
I laughed. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes, but I think you should know, I don’t look good in orange.”
43.Jude
On my flightback from New York, with city lights twinkling below me out the window, I got out my phone and texted Aaric, Quentin, and Cruz, leaving Bryce out of the group chat.
Jude: How did meeting Bryce’s fiancée go?
A few minutes later, there was a text.
Quentin: You know looking at blue light too soon before bed disrupts sleep, right?
Jude: I wasn’t going to bed any time soon anyway.
Aaric: She seemed nice, but she didn’t stay long.
Cruz: I think the wheatgrass shots made her sick.
Aaric: Fuck off.
Cruz: hahaha
I shook my head at them, biting back a frustrated sigh.
Jude: This isn’t a joke. She could end up with half of Bryce’s shares.
The chat went dead for a while.
Quentin: I think she’s hiding something.
I closed my eyes, a shiver of dread going through me. If she did something that hurt the company, my father would seek her retribution, whether I asked for it or not.
