Page 20 of Devoted Love: A BWWM Romance

“What’s there to take?” I skim over it. “I’d suggest narrowing down your campaign focus statements to three or less. We want them in a giving mood, not weighed down.”

He nods. “That woman’s been waiting in the wings since your divorce.”

“Sarah?”

“Yes, Sarah. Look at her.”

I look across the room, and she's staring at Jordan.

"What's that bitch got that I don't got?”

“Is that supposed to be her?” I snicker. “I need you to keep your day job.”

Erik throws his head back and laughs. “Whatever. Keep pretending you don’t see it.”

"All right, love doctor, what do you prescribe?" I cross my arms, waiting on his official diagnosis.

"Look at where you're headed in your career. What do you see in the future? It's cool to have a little fun here and there, but my friend, we're getting too old for dating for the sake of dating. It's time to get married, have some kids."

“And this is what you see in Brooke?”

He shrugs. "She's a good starter wife."

I shake my head, unbelievable. “Remind me to have this starter-wife discussion with you after she leaves with half of your bank account.”

Erik stands. "I have one word for you, prenup."

He strolls over to Brooke. I watch as he whispers in her ear, and she giggles. Brooke is a nice person, but I'm beyond selecting the "right person" for my station in life. What does that mean anyway? It sounds like a bunch of nepotism and privilege to me. When all I want is a woman I can trust, love, and I look forward to sharing my life with until nature takes its course.

Is that Jordan?

The woman in question faces me. Are you good? she mouths.

I shake my head. She slides off the table, and I motion for her to calm down with my hands. I need some mousse, I mouth.

Jordan turns away, rolling her eyes and covering her radiant smile with her hand. Dating her, I've learned she doesn't talk a lot, but she misses nothing. She sees the world like the masterful coder she is. We're all bits and pieces of a bigger picture. She doesn't give too much weight to matters others obsess over.

And I want to spend the next few hours alone with her.

“Your clothes should be on fire?" Taylor leans over, stealing looks at Ryker. "And that's Sarah?”

"Yep, that's her." There are very few people I can't work with, and she's one.

“Fire and ice.” The wag of Taylor’s head makes me step closer.

“I thought we just got off on a bad foot since our first unofficial introduction was at The Dungeon. It’s been three months, I’m over it.” I sit at my computer and type a few more notes. “With that said, are we set?”

“Yes. You've done an amazing job of integrating all the systems." She leans over my shoulder, reviewing the notes on my screen.

“I take that as a compliment. How long will it take for you to build it? Can we have it fully functional by Wednesday?”

"I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen. But we need their official sign-offs."

“I’m on it.” I send the final versions of the sitemap and the flow chart for the app to the printer. The coding takes hours. We require signatures on the final proposal before the real work starts.

Taylor adds her initials. “What time does your flight leave?”

“Ten. I’ll have to hit up a beach and soak up some sun.”

---