Page 54 of Falling For Her Boss

“Hey, guys,” Joshua says casually, as though nothing awkward has come between the three of us these past few weeks. “Good party?”

“Are you kidding? Of course it was, I threw it,” Logan says. Joshua cracks a smile in the rearview mirror and shakes his head to himself as he starts up the engine. I don’t respond, a little in shock. I had expected at least a little coldness, a little time to warm things up between us all, but Logan and Joshua easily fall back into their easy banter as we drive to the restaurant. It feels surreal to me how easy this has become. Did I really sit for hours in my office worrying about how this was going to go? Because right now, it feels as natural as I always dreamed it would.

We reach the restaurant and Logan quickly rushes around to my side of the car to open the door and help me out. Joshua watches him with an approving smile, meeting my eye for the first time and nodding to me. I didn’t say a word on the way here, but I can tell from Joshua’s face that we’re cool. I smile back, allowing Logan to thread his arm through mine as we walk inside.

We’re given the same table as last time, but there’s so much no tension around this table as we settle down to look at the menus. Logan catches my eye across the table.

“Will you be having your usual?” he asks with a smile. I smile back. Every time he speaks to me, I get this rush of warmth through my body.

“Of course. And you?”

“Definitely.”

I can feel Joshua looking at the two of us. It feels a little unusual to be under such scrutiny. Of course, we have been a secret for the past few weeks, and it’s meant that we’ve avoided all chances of being around people we know. Now, we’re having dinner with the person who is the most important to both of us, and it’s impossible not to think about what he sees when he looks at us as a pair. All I want in life is for him to approve, and it seems like this is going well so far.

Someone comes over to take our order and pours us all a glass of red wine. We’re quiet for a moment before Joshua clears his throat, picking up his glass of wine.

“I’d like to say a few words,” he says. My heart seizes. This will either be a very positive speech or his opportunity to lay out to us how much he disapproves. I hold my breath, reaching for my own glass. Joshua turns to me first.

“Isabella…these past few weeks, I’ve realized something. I missed the moment where you turned from a girl into a woman. I was so focused on raising you right that I forgot to look out for the signs that you’re grown. I should have realized that you don’t need me anymore.”

“That’s not true,” I say gently. “I do need you.”

Joshua offers me a sad smile. “Not in the same way as before. And that’s fine. I should have seen it coming, and I shouldn’t ever have tried to stop it. This is your life. And I’ve come to see over this time we’ve spent apart that you’re perfectly capable of judging what is right for you. I shouldn’t have dismissed you the way I did for so long. You’ve flourished, and it’s so good to see. I don’t know if that’s attributable to my buddy Logan, or whether something else just clicked, but I’m happy for you.”

I finally feel like I can breathe as Joshua turns to Logan.

“Brother…I know I gave you a hard time. I know I didn’t trust you, and that was my own stupidity. I should have known that you would never do anything to disrespect me, or my sister. Even though I haven’t been around to see you two as a couple since you got together, I know that you’re treating her well. I know this because I’ve never seen her look this happy before. And that’s because to you.”

Logan’s cheeks are a little flushed. “It’s good to hear you say that, man. You know how much you both mean to me.” Logan reaches for my hand across the table, brushing his thumb over my knuckles. “You have a wonderful sister, and one of the biggest reasons why is because of you. You raised her more than anyone else did, and I’m so proud of you. Some day, you’re going to have a family of your own, and you’re going to make a perfect dad. You gave Isabella the world. You worked hard for her. But most of all, I’m thankful for the fact that you introduced her to me. I promise, I’m not going to play with her heart, because I love her with all of mine.”

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