"What Sam Miller did was a massive breach of privacy, not to mention, ethics. I want to state categorically that Harper and I are in love.” He looks around the faces of the team. “I asked her to marry me because I love her."
He turns to me and looks into my eyes. A chill runs over my skin. He sounds so convincing.
Even I believe him, and I know he’s only saying this to put rumors to rest among the team.
He’s not denying Sam’s claims. He’s also not agreeing to them. He’s sticking to the truth, as much as possible. Which is the right strategy.
"So, the marriage is real?" Mark’s voice cuts into the moment.
Both of us turn to face him.
James looks at me as if willing me to come closer to him, but I resist.
He clenches his jaw and turns to the team again. "It’s real. It’s been real for me since I first saw this woman five years ago."
A ripple of surprise runs though the team.
I’m taken aback, as well.
It’s not a secret that we have a history. But I haven’t spoken about it to the others.
“When I left the Marines, I was in a dark place. I’d lost my faith in what I thought was my calling. I was at a low point emotionally.”
He looks at me. His expression is somber and sincere, and tender.
“But Harper…she saved my life. The memories of the two of us walking the streets of London kept me going. She’d told me about her dream to be a chef. It made me revisit my love for cooking. She gave me hope. It’s why I’m here today. It’s why I started the Edge. It’s why all of you have jobs today.”
The sincerity in his words conveys the truth to me.
It’s reassuring to find out that he felt the connection between us that night too. It wasn’t my imagination. He was drawn to me on a deeper level that night, like I was to him.
He’s providing a glimpse of our shared history, of moments pivotal to both of us. Of the unspoken understanding we shared without being aware of it.
It lends credence to our marriage being real. If we knew each other from five years ago, it means ours is not an overnight relationship. It was one five years in the making.
It’s a master class in getting the team to believe in what we mean to each other.
"Is that true?" Mark turns to me.
"It’s true. He’s my best friend’s brother. We ran into each other in a night club five years ago." I raise a shoulder. "We never met again or kept in touch. But neither of us forgot the other."
It’s all true. Except, he’s still guarded about his heart and his emotions.
Mark’s expression shows he’s not completely convinced.
Ollie, however, clasps his hands together. "I wouldn’t have thought James to be so romantic." Then he reddens. "Didn’t mean that in an insulting way at all."
"It didn’t insult me." James arches an eyebrow. "Maybe a little."
I shoot him a sideways glance. Was that… Did he attempt to crack a joke?
The rest of the team seems as stunned.
Then the line chef giggles.
It breaks the ice—literally. The team relaxes. I don’t. I’m too busy trying to understand why this man can’t share his feelings with me. Why,after making love to me in a way that communicated he cares for me, he’s unable to tell me so?
“So, you knew who she was when you saw her résumé and had me call her in to interview?” Henrik addresses his question to James.
