Page 57 of Say You Remember Me
“Anyway,” Ian interjected smoothly, picking up the narrative, “once the elevator was finally back in service, I knew I wanted to see Maddie again—soon. So I got her number and arranged to meet up. It was a little tricky, since she lived a few hours away. But we managed to have our first date shortly after, and made it work whenever we could.”
I nodded along, caught up in the story we’d rehearsed. “Eventually, I decided to apply for another position at Hastings Industries just to be closer. This time, unbeknown to either of us, it was actually for the position of Ian’s executive assistant.”
“And, of course, she got the job,” Ian said, giving me a proud smile and a quick wink. Like our working together had been inevitable.
“Well…” Margot’s expression twisted into something sly and almost condescending. She looked at Ian and said, “This girl certainly moves fast, doesn’t she? Sees the Hastings prize and doesn’t waste any time locking it down.”
But Ian chuckled, unbothered by her jab, and with a hint of mystery in his tone, he said, “Actually, that’s the real twist in our story. I’d been so burned in the past by women just looking for a piece of my family’s money that I never told Maddie I was a Hastings. She thought I worked for a different company in thebuilding. She didn’t find out that I was a Hastings until her first day at work when we both got the huge surprise that she’d been hired as my assistant.”
“Are you serious?” Drake asked with a chuckle, his eyes wide like he found the coincidence as amusing as we had since at least that part of the story was true. “That’s almost too crazy to be true.”
“I know,” Ian said. “We were shocked, to say the least.”
“Yeah,” I said, joining in. “I’d planned to surprise him with getting a job in New Haven, since the long-distance thing wasn’t sustainable with how deep our feelings were for each other. But man, did we both get the shock of our lives that first day.”
“That we did.” Ian glanced at me, his eyes sparkling as if remembering our true origin story. “A very happy surprise, though.”
“So your whole relationship was based on lies and deceit?” Margot asked, not nearly as excited about our story as we were. “What a great foundation for a future marriage.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Ian quickly cut in, his gaze steady. “We knew all the things that mattered. The only thing she didn’t know was the family I came from. But everything else between us was real. We knew each other’s hearts…” His voice dropped to a pointed calmness, before he finished by looking straight at Margot and adding, “Unlike some relationships I’ve had in the past.”
And I had to resist the urge to smile, because seeing Ian take a subtle dig at Margot felt oddly satisfying.
He turned to me then, his eyes warm. “And to be honest, I’m just grateful it was Maddie who was in that elevator with me that day.” He squeezed me closer, brushing his thumb along my hip in a way that sent a thrill through my system. “From the outside, I get that it might seem fast, but I’ve never been happier—and I can’t wait to start our future together.”
Margot’s smile grew tight, her gaze darting between us, clearly feeling the weight of Ian’s attention on me. Finally, she cleared her throat. “Well, I should say hello to a few other people. It was great seeing you again, Drake.” She nodded toward him, a smile on her lips that didn’t reach her eyes. Then glancing back to Ian and me, she said, “Enjoy your evening, you two.”
With that, she excused herself.
19
IAN
“Want to head out?”I asked Maddie after finishing a conversation with the owner of a wig company about two hours into the mixer.
“Sure.” Maddie shrugged, her blue eyes glittering from the soft light of the chandeliers above. “I’m good with whatever you want.”
“Okay, good.” I sighed, the tension I’d been holding in my shoulders all evening releasing slightly at the idea of escape. Because after two hours of handshakes, introductions, and Margot’s relentless gaze, I was spent.
Not to mention the fact that my nerves about tomorrow’s presentation were also creeping in.
So taking Maddie’s hand in mine—a gesture I was starting to enjoy more than I should—I led her out of the crowded room, leaving our glasses on a tray by the door.
“Are you always so popular at these events?” Maddie asked once we’d made it to the foyer that led toward the elevators. “Or do you think you had more people coming up to you tonight because of your keynote tomorrow?”
“I usually talk to a lot of people at these events,” I said as we walked past a painting of a fox in a wooded landscape. “But the line was new.”
“Yeah, that line was crazy.” Maddie looked up at me, and with a teasing glint in her eyes, she added, “Who knew my fiancéwas such a hot commodity?”
“Well, apparently you did…since you moved towns and got a new job just to be closer to me.” I winked.
“Do you think Margot bought our story?” Maddie asked in a hushed tone, glancing around quickly to make sure Margot wasn’t following us.
“I couldn’t tell you,” I said with a shrug. “It’s been nine years since we spoke, so honestly, I have no idea what’s on her mind these days.”
“Makes sense.” Maddie nodded, though from her expression, I sensed she might’ve been looking for some reassurance.
So I quickly added, “But regardless of whatever Margot might think, you were incredible tonight. I’m pretty sure Drake will be expecting a wedding invite any day now.”
