Bryce must have noticed my change in demeanor, because he stepped back, giving me a concerned look. “Should we go inside?”
I tilted my head, reaching for his hand. “Bryce, I appreciate you going to this effort, I do...” My words trailed off. How did you tell your fiancé that he was being too nice? Too kind? Where did one draw the line? Baby gear? A boutique? An entire house?
“It’s too much, isn’t it?” he asked. He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, looking at the house.
I winced.
He shook his head, pulling me into a hug as he continued looking at the house. “I was thinking about our date for today, so I got on my phone and was just scrolling houses on MyHome.”
“As one does,” I teased.
He chuckled, his chest lifting against mine. “Well, I saw this one and instantly thought how perfect it would be for us.”
My lips lifted. “It’s sweet, it is, but when you just sweep in with all your money, you take my choices away.”
When I shifted in his arms so I could see his expression, I spotted a frown. “I... I never realized I was doing that.”
“I know you didn’t mean to, but I’ve never been house shopping before. I’ve only ever watched it on TV. I don’t want to miss out on the process.”
Now his features really sagged. “Shit, you’re right.”
“You didn’t, um... you didn’t buy it yet, did you? Because if you did, I’m happy with it, you know, but if you didn’t, then?—”
Chuckling, he pulled me back tighter to him. “I haven’t bought it. Don’t worry, we can go to the restaurant and talk through our plans, get a new account on the MyHome app, whatever you want.” He pulled apart from me, going toward the car to open the back door, but I stayed where I was.
“Well, we don’t have to go quite yet.” With a small smile, I tilted my head toward the door. “What’s the harm in looking around?”
He grinned, coming back toward me. “Let’s give it a look. Together.”
58.Bryce
The five ofus founders sat in the office together with Simon. Maybe it was just because I knew of his condition, but I found myself looking for any slight change of his features—the redness of his cheeks, the extra wrinkles formed around his lips, the way he winced a little as he sat down in the office chair.
Even though my wedding was coming the following week, would it be enough? Or would we all have gotten married before he could make good on his promise?
Jude called the meeting to order, not participating in any small talk. He wouldn’t even look me in the eye. “Our annual charity gala is tomorrow night, and with the extra press attention around Simon’s condition and Bryce’s engagement, I want our head of PR to brief us on potential questions we may get.”
“Smart,” Simon said.
Jude nodded toward Owen, who let Solana in. She handed a sheet of paper to each of us. “These are your talking points if someone asks you a question outright. As always, I recommend you practice them in a mirror to make sure it comes across naturally.”
I glanced down at the piece of paper in front of me, noting there were lines written to be convincing from my perspective.
When I looked up, Solana brushed a heavy curtain of dark hair behind her ear. “Remember, just because someone’s not wearing a press badge doesn’t mean they’re not connected in some way. Anyone you speak to could be leaking information to competitors or news organizations.”
Cruz nodded emphatically. “Unless it’s your mama or one of us...” He made the motion of zipping his lips.
Solana asked, “Any questions?”
No one had any, so she exited the room, leaving the six of us in there.
Cruz stood to give us a presentation on people attending the event. Major names in the tech, finance, and design spaces would be there, along with local political figureheads. While most people came to the gala to enjoy the music, food, and company, we all had a mission assigned based on our company goals. Quentin had to schmooze the CEO of a leading fintech company. Aaric was to connect with the CPO of a major app to help us improve employee morale. Cruz would meet with famous attendees in search of potential testimonials. Meanwhile, Jude would form a warm impression with a new app developer we wanted to eventually acquire.
However, this year, my only chore was to convince everyone in attendance that I was madly, deeply in love with Jada Baker.
It would be the easiest role I’ve ever had at a company affair.
We went over a few miscellaneous items before turning to the topic of my wedding, which they would all be attending. Part of me wanted to disinvite Simon, but for all his faults, he was like a second father to me. I hated to think of wasting what precious little time I had with him.
