Page 94 of Fierce- Royce

“And we won’t,” her father said. “This is about you and the baby and being healthy. That is all anyone cares about.”

“That’s right, Mark,” her mother said. “We are a little bit in shock over the news but don’t mean any harm either.”

“I know,” she said. “You tell me I have to compromise and I am. I have been. But I’m going to continue to do things my way. It’s working for now.”

She just hoped it continued that way too.

33

The Next Step

“I’m here to see Chloe,” Royce said on Monday morning.

He was at Fierce and had to pick up and go over some plans for another project they were working on. It’s not like he actually had to come in for them, but they figured now was the time to let the Fierces know about their relationship.

In his eyes, the sooner he got it out there, the better it’d be and they could move on to the next step in their lives.

Not that he was positive about what it was going to be, but he was thrilled that Chloe cooked dinner for his father and Elise at his house yesterday.

She wasn’t nervous about it either. It was laid back and fun and everyone talked about life in general.

His family was excited about the baby, but they didn’t pressure either of them for answers or questions more than how she was feeling.

He knew her family gave her a harder time and felt bad she had to do it alone. But she wouldn’t be alone again going forward.

“Is she expecting you or do I need to call back?” the woman at the front desk asked.

“She knows I’m coming,” he said.

He moved past the woman and to the back of the building where Chloe’s office was located.

When he got to the back, he knocked on her open door and then went in.

“Hey,” she said. “Here for the blueprints?”

He rolled his eyes, not sure why she said that. “That and something more,” he said.

She laughed at him. “Come in. I let it drop around Grant that you were stopping in around this time to go over a few things. I could see his eyes light up and I expect them to be here soon.”

She got up from her desk and went to shut her door but leave it open a crack.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“They like to be sneaky and spy on people.” She was talking quietly now. “I’m not trying to be mean but just having fun with this. That is what they say they do with us, right?”

“Yeah,” he said, his hand on her back. The Fierces were partners with him now, not just clients. Maybe they felt they had some more freedom, he wasn’t sure.

“Let’s look these over while you’re here and see if you’ve got any questions.”

They looked at the blueprints and she was flipping through and showing him the changes she’d made. There wasn’t much he had to ask because she knew what she was doing and there were rarely any issues.

“How long do you think they will be?” he asked. “I want to get my mouth on you again. It was lonely in bed last night.”

She turned her head and looked at him. There was a smile on her face.

They hadn’t talked about living together or anything like that, but he was positive she’d be on board with it soon.

“We only spend one to two nights together as it is,” she said.

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