Jace shook his head, clearly conflicted. “I don’t know. Without a CEO more aligned with the vision Sutton created here, I’m not sure how I’d get anything done if I didn’t maintain an operational role. Sutton gets what she wants because Martin at least has some modicum of respectfor her.” He opened his bottom drawer and pulled out a pair of jeans and briefs. “Look, I need to change, and we don’t need to figure it out tonight.”
He came around his desk and kissed us both. “I love you, give me five minutes and we can go.”
Jace walked to the bathroom and Kayden took my hand. “Martin needs to go. I don’t like that he’s making the people I love miserable.”
“It’s a lot worse for Jace than me,” I said, resting my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head. I stilled and tilted my head up to look at him. “Wait, did you just say—”
Kayden chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I did.” He cupped my face and kissed me softly. “It’s true. I love you, Olivia. I can’t believe that I managed to get lucky enough to find you twice in this lifetime because you complete my in a way that I never knew I needed.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. “I love you too, Kayden. I love how kind and patient you are, I love how you trust me and Jace, and most of all, I love how it feels to be yours. Watching you become a father to Kaylee has been such a joy and I cannot wait to see where our life goes.”
He lifted me in the air and I squealed in delight as his lips covered mine and his tongue parted my lips.
Jace cleared his throat. Kayden and I separated and turned to face him, and I saw him standing there in a pair of jeans and his Oxford shirt with a shit-ass grin on his face.
“You heard us?” I asked.
“Just the end, but it was fucking wonderful.” I reached for him and he stepped into the room and gave us each a kiss. “This almost makes dealing with Martin tonight worth it.”
I chuckled as we all embraced. “I don’t think dealing with Martin is worth much. I hope Sutton intervenes again before he does anything drastic.”
“I’m talking to Sutton this week. I’ll take care of it. I’m done with his games, and if this company is going to be mine in three years, it won’t include people like him.”
I should have felt relieved at Jace’s conviction, but instead, I felt a sense of dread. Martin had become more and more enraged over the last few months and apparently Sutton telling him to get his shit together had only caused him to take out more of his anger on Jace.Desperate people do desperate shit to maintain power.
Chapter Forty-Four
Kayden
Jace came up behindme, put his hands on my shoulders, and squeezed as we approached the townhouse. “Don’t worry, baby. You’re incredibly likable.”
He kissed my cheek and Olivia squeezed my hand. I had to admit, with both of them by my side the anxious thoughts swirling in my mind lessened. They weren’t gone, they were never gone, but they were certainly more bearable with these two around. It was like I was more capable of having an anxious thought and examining it with interest before letting it go like my therapist taught me. WhenWhat if they don’t like me as much as they like Jace?entered my head, I thought,Oh, that’s interesting, and focused on the feel of Olivia’s hand in mine. She loved me just as much as she loved Jace and that was all that mattered.
Olivia opened the front door and entered first. Jace immediately stepped into the vacant space at my side and took the hand she’d just released. He kissed my temple, and the brush of his lips reminded methere was nothing I couldn’t face with him by my side. I’d never had a desire to rely on other people in my life, but Jace made me feel like I didn’t have to carry the weight of life all on my own, and that was a remarkable feeling.
“Mommy!” Kaylee came running down the hallway from what appeared to be the kitchen as we crossed the threshold. “Did you ask Jace about his tie?”
“Oh, no, I forgot,” Liv said cautiously as they hugged. “I’m sorry, honey.”
Kaylee let go of Liv and walked over to Jace and me. We dropped our hands and bent down to take turns hugging her. “Do you have a tie that matches my dress?” she asked Jace.
My chest tightened as I remembered the father-daughter dance tomorrow night. The one that my daughter would be attending with my boyfriend and not me.
Jace smiled at her before catching my eye and giving me an empathetic look. “If I don’t, I will get one tomorrow. Pinky promise.” He held out his pinky to her and she looped her small finger around his and kissed her thumb. Jace kissed his thumb too and stood up as Olivia’s mom came into the room.
Jace offered me his hand. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said quietly as Olivia greeted her mom.
“You’re not, Jace. It hurts, but it’s no one’s fault. Maybe by next year she’ll want us both to go,” I said, forcing down the lump in my throat. I meant it, even if I was working to mask justhow muchit hurt to see my daughter view someone else as her father when she and I weren’t quite there yet. I knew we’d get there with time, and that thought eased the sting.
By the time I tore my eyes away from Jace—his bright green eyes giving me the impression that he saw right through me and was trying to decide whether he should let it go or not— Olivia and her mother had come over to stand with us.
“Good to see you again, Jace,” she said, hugging him. “And this timeactuallydating my Livvy?”
Jace chuckled. “I’m sorry, Val. She asked me to go along with it and I’ll do anything your daughter wants without question.”
She released him and surveyed him. “That’s why I never suspected you were lying. You can’t fake love like that.”
Jace smiled. “I faked absolutely nothing.”
