Page 96 of Fierce- Royce

“They moved faster than I thought they could,” Royce said.

“We were in Drake’s office when they popped their head in to announce it,” Ryder said. “Be glad it isn’t over the intercom.”

“They wouldn’t dare,” Chloe said.

“No,” Drake said. “They’d rather walk around and gloat face to face with people.”

“Well, if that is all,” Royce said. “I need to get to work.” He leaned down and kissed Chloe one more time. “Let me know how the day goes. I’ll talk to you later.”

He moved past her to walk out with the blueprints and Drake followed him, as it would pass by his office. “You know our fathers are just having fun, right?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I know that. It’s out now so maybe the hype will die with it and they can move on to someone else.”

“That poor person that is next,” Drake said. “But not too many of us are complaining right now, so it’s all good too.”

Royce wasn’t complaining either but wasn’t going to admit it. They could see for themselves.

He was just happy that he and Chloe could hopefully focus on the two of them now and not so much on not being caught.

“I toldyou we knew what we were doing,” Garrett said to Richard on the phone twenty minutes later.

“You did,” he said. “I didn’t think Royce had it in him to play games the way he did, but it’s all good now.”

Richard had to be careful what he said. He’d promised the baby would stay a secret. Even if he was thrilled to know he was going to be a grandfather and loved that they had a family dinner at his son’s house yesterday.

They’d also told him they were letting everyone else know about the relationship today so that he could talk openly if he wanted.

“I know you are getting into your busy season,” Grant said. “Royce will be working nonstop so it’s good this got situated before that time.”

“I did think of that too,” he said. “He’s always been one to put work over everything else. He gets that from me and not in a good way. But they seem to have a good understanding of each other and I can see where Chloe will be supportive and not demanding.”

At least he hoped so. Or hoped his son figured out a better way to balance things than what he had.

Without his kids getting on his case, he was going to slowly start to get out in the field more and take the pressure off of Royce. It was the least he could do. It was time to reevaluate their projects and oversight.

He wanted his son to have everything he didn’t get out of a relationship and that meant not doing it alone.

“Chloe has always been an independent one,” Garrett said. “It’s why we thought they’d hit it off so well and we were right.”

“You were,” he said. “In more ways than one.”

“What ways are they?” Grant asked.

Shit. He was slipping. “This business venture,” he said. “It’s going to be just as successful as your matchmaking has been.”

Both of the brothers laughed over the phone. “That’s a given. We don’t do anything half-assed in our life.”

“I need to take a page from your book,” he said. “Or maybe that is what I’ve been doing for the past several years and it’s starting to work. Who knows?”

“You’re doing everything you can, Richard,” Grant said. “Remember that. We all want what is best for our kids.”

“That’s right,” he said. “I’m hoping Royce learned from my mistakes.”

He hung up a few minutes later and went back to work after he looked at the schedule and what was going on. Then he sent Royce a text and told him he’d start to manage a few more projects, that he was itching to get outside again.

Royce and Elise might give him some shit over it, but he felt great and there was no reason not to do it. Life was too short and his kids deserved their shot at happiness too.

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