Page 51 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

Good for him.

Too bad I feel like I’m walking on a tightrope. And at any moment, Henry will shake the wire just to see if I fall.

“Yeah.” Leah flashes a smile at him. “You don’t have a British accent.”

“I spent most of my adult life in the States,” Kane says.

I know Leah knows that. Kane’s something of a mini-celebrity in America. She just wants to keep him talking, which is a good tactic. But Kane isn’t who we have to worry about.

It’s his parents.

Before we can continue the conversation, Tamara walks in. “I’m so sorry, I’m late. The auction ran behind schedule.” She walks over to Kane and kisses him on the cheek, and I see my friend’s face soften immediately.

“We were waiting for you.” Elizabeth doesn’t look pleased.

“My apologies.” She glances up at us, her brown eyes brightening as she smiles. “It’s wonderful to meet you guys.”

I shake her hand. “It’s nice to meet you finally, Tamara.”

“Kane’s told me a lot about you.”

“All good, I hope?”

She chuckles and then turns to Leah. “That’s a beautiful dress, Leah. Yeah, I know your name,” Tamara says, stretching a hand across the table. “I’m Tamara Caldwell.”

“Another American.” Leah beams, shaking her hand.

“Can we get started on dinner?” Elizabeth cuts in, her nose turned up.

The meal’s brought out, and almost immediately after eating, the interrogation begins. Henry, despite his condition, doesn’t waste any time. He’s been holding onto his company with an iron grip, refusing to let Kane take over until he’s damn sure everything’s in order.

And now, apparently, that includes me.

"Quite the sudden engagement," Henry says, his voice gravelly but sharp. "I didn’t even hear a whisper of it until recently."

I meet his gaze, unflinching. "We wanted to keep it private," I say smoothly. "Leah and I prefer things to be personal, not a public spectacle."

Elizabeth scoffs. "That’s hard to believe when you’re parading her like a trophy."

Leah stiffens next to me, but she stays quiet. I can feel her tension, the way she grips her napkin a little too tightly. I reach under the table and squeeze her knee. It's subtle, but it’s enough to let her know I’ve got this.

"Leah isn’t a trophy," I say, keeping my voice even. "She’s the woman I love. And if that’s hard to believe because you haven’t seen it splashed across tabloids, well, maybe that says more about your assumptions than it does about us."

Kane leans back in his chair, arms crossed, watching the exchange with a slight smirk. Tamara looks mildly uncomfortable, her gaze flickering between her husband and in-laws. And then there's Emma, who’s been mostly silent, tapping away on her phone, but I can feel her eyes on us. I’m not sure I like her.

Henry narrows his eyes. "This marriage. It wouldn’t have anything to do with buying my company, would it?"

There it is.

He doesn’t even dance around the accusation. He’s got that look in his eye, the same one I’ve seen a hundred times from men in his position. He’s trying to determine if I’m here for love or leverage.

I lean forward, resting my arms on the table. "Let’s not kid ourselves, Henry. The business is important, but so is Leah. I wouldn’t marry someone just for a deal."

Leah jumps in, finding her voice. "I’m sorry, but that’s ridiculous. I love Silas more than anything." Her voice has an edge, as if challenging them to tell her she’s wrong. "He’s been there for me in ways you can’t imagine. For him, for Caleb, I’d do anything."

Elizabeth's eyes narrow to slits. "How much is he paying you to say that?"

Leah stiffens, and before I can stop myself, I’m on my feet. The chair scrapes loudly against the marble floor, and the room falls into a tense silence. Caleb and Dylan stop talking, their eyes flicking to me. Kane uncrosses his arms, his eyes narrowing.

---