Page 68 of Bonus Daddy
“Mom,” Greta yelled, holding up a champagne flute full of sparkling cider that a server had brought out on a tray. “Can I get hair tinsel?”
“Sure.” I gave her a thumbs-up as another server approached me with champagne.
Dylan, I learned, owned a chain of daycare centers. Liv ran the Boston Revs, and Delia was a prosecutor and philanthropist. Between them, they had something like ten kids. They clearly led busy lives, but the love and affection they shared was palpable instantly.
Dylan plied me with champagne and charcuterie, asking question after question about me and the kids. Every so often, she’d look at her brother pointedly, as if trying to tell me something.
Brian was across the room with a handful of men, talking about what I could only assume was baseball and empire building, given the folks involved.
In theory, these were the kind of people I avoided at all costs. While I was married to Kenneth, I’d never fit in with the crowd of folks who owned corporations and sat on boards and owned helicopters. They had always made me feel insignificant and small. Like they could sniff out that I was a farm girl from Vermont and not one of them.
But this group could not be more different. These women welcomed me with genuine smiles, and their children had been kind to mine from the first moment. And there was no putting on of airs around here. It was so unlike what I was used to. No showmanship, no one-upping. Just honest friendships and fun.
When a wave of emotion welled up inside me, coming dangerously close to spilling over, I excused myself to the bathroom. After a couple of cleansing breaths, I recovered, and when I came back out, I detoured to the floor-to-ceiling windows. I was there, soaking in the view, when I felt his presence.
“Having fun?”
I turned toward him, my eyes filling with tears. So much for collecting myself. “This is too much.”
He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. For several seconds, we stood like that, silently watching a plane land at Logan Airport across the harbor.
“Nothing is too much,” he said softly. “You’ll never be too much.”
The silence returned, a calm descending over us even with the chaos going on in the penthouse.
Despite how overwhelmed I was, I couldn’t deny just how perfect this felt.
I was definitely in love with this man. With his kindness and thoughtfulness and his heart. I’d been denying it and avoiding it for too long.
The timing could not be worse. Nothing could happen. But I could at least enjoy this perfect moment.
Chapter 24
Brian
I’d never felt anything like this.
The smiles and selfies and constant quoting of Lake Paige lyrics. I hadn’t realized this artist had created an entire subculture of friendship and empowerment around her music, but it was on full display tonight.
It had taken minutes for the daughters of Dylan’s best friends to bring Kit and Greta into the fold. Now they were all glittered up and screaming nonstop. It was energizing and exhausting at the same time.
I loved it.
Jess looked so beautiful it was difficult to keep my eyes off her. She glowed with happiness, and the slinky dress didn’t hurt.
Dylan, of course, had racks of clothes delivered to the hotel penthouse for all the women and girls to choose from.
Room service had brought up snacks, and the girls had engineered a fashion show that eventually transitioned into a dance party. I’d never seen Kit so animated and excited. She was in her element, chatting with the older girls and consulting on shoe choices.
In typical Jess fashion, she’d chosen a bright pink dress with sparkly straps. The makeup artist had made her lips look even moredelicious and kissable than usual, making it impossible for me to stop staring at her mouth.
I wanted it. To kiss her, to hold her. To show her how much I cared about her. But I couldn’t cross that line. Not yet.
Thankfully, we’d been so busy that I hadn’t had much time to even contemplate it. I’d been put on photography duty, and I took my role seriously, memorializing every moment for the girls.
At the stadium, we were whisked through a VIP entrance and up elevators manned by men with earpieces. It was all very official and unlike any experience I’d ever had at a ballpark.
Beckett led us through a maze of hallways, then ushered us into a well-furnished room to wait.
