Page 40 of Forever with the CEO

The rest of the evening went by awkwardly. No one was saying anything, but that was probably because Annie and Jack were making enough noise on their own. I was used to it, and to some extent, so was Nick. Bob and Sophie looked as if they wanted to bolt out of here. That also gave me a little hope. Maybe after tonight, they’d abandon their stupid idea altogether. Then maybe Nick and I wouldn’t have to go through with the marriage.

“I’m going to get these two to bed,” I said at seven. “And then I’ll come right back down. It shouldn’t take me long.” I threw Nick an apologetic glance. He gave me a half smirk, and I knew exactly what it meant:“I’ve got this.”

And I was certain he did.

The twins were actually excited for their bedtime routine, which rarely happened. They usually liked to stay up for as long as possible. It wasn’t even eight by the time they were both in their beds.

“We love you,” Annie said, and my heart grew twice its size in a split second. I was sitting at the edge of her bed. Jack got out of his and came to us as well, lying down next to his sister. They both cuddled me.

“I love you both so much,” I said and leaned forward, kissing Jack’s cheek, then Annie’s before sitting up again.

It was so strange that Sophie had no interest in joining me when I offered for her to help put her grandchildren to bed. It was obvious they weren’t your typical grandparents.

“To the moon?” Annie asked because I often told them that.

“Yes. To the moon and back.”

“So, if you love us to the sun and back, it’s more?”

“That’s right. I love you to the sun and back,” I corrected, tapping her little nose with my finger, and she giggled.

Annie yawned, and so did Jack. They were usually less tired on Fridays, but this time they went out like a light before I even left the room. I’d been afraid that Sophie was going to say something to upset them while we were having dinner. I could finally relax. Sort of.

Now it was time to face the music.

I rolled my shoulders as I went down the staircase. I stopped on the top step to glance at the ring Nick purchased and admired it. It was beautiful. If this were a real engagement, I would have been thrilled with this ring. But it wasn’t, and I needed to keepthat in mind. One day, with someone else, it would be, but not today.

As I hit the bottom steps, I caught wind of the conversation.

“The fitness branch is quite popular,” Bob was saying.

“And you plan to grow it even more?” Sophie asked.

“Exactly. I want to open five more locations throughout the country,” Nick replied.

“And you have shares in the other companies belonging to Whitley Industries?” Bob inquired.

I stepped out and said, “I’m back. The twins are asleep.”

The mood changed instantly. Bob looked at Sophie, clearly giving her the lead. She narrowed her eyes as I sat next to Nick.

“Come on, babe, sit on my lap. We don’t have to keep the PDA to a minimum now that the kids are in bed.” He gave Bob and Sophie a lazy smile. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Sophie bristled. She looked very much like she did mind. So I did exactly what Nick suggested and sat on his lap instead.

I immediately realized it wasn’t the best idea. Especially when Nick put an arm around my waist and pulled me even closer to him. My back was flat against his chest. Could he tell that my body temperature was going up? That my pulse was racing like mad? I had to get used to this. I needed to put a wall between us, but right now, I couldn’t.

“How long has this been going on?” Sophie asked. “Because we didn’t hear a word from Jim and Nora about it.”

“Ah, well,” Nick said, sounding thoroughly relaxed, “they wouldn’t have had much to say about us because we barely knew each other.”

Chapter Eleven

Allison

“We only saw each other sporadically, at the occasional birthday,” I said, playing off Nick.

“It was only after the funeral,” he continued, “that we started growing closer.”

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