Page 547 of Manhattan Bossholes

Her expression shifted. “That’s exactly what I mean. I’m so happy that we’re here. I never thought I’d be this lucky, that you would love me too. It feels like a fairy tale, but it’s real.”

I cupped her cheek. “How could I not love you, Natalie?”

Her eyes filled with tears. “I love you too.”

She circled her arms around me and pulled me down on top of her, as we both seemed to realize that this was the beginning of our forever.

31

NATALIE

Iclosed my eyes and leaned into the salty sea breeze, my face turned up towards the sun. I’d become a damn good first mate.

It was sort of crazy that I’d been afraid of going out on the boat, because now I absolutely loved it. It probably helped that James had hired a swim coach to help me get over my fear of the water. Now, instead of being petrified of the deep blue, it actually seemed peaceful and welcoming. I loved the feeling of weightlessness when I swam.

It was just one of my many walls that James had managed to crumble. Slowly, gently, and with so much love.

But I wasn’t the only one who’d changed. I glanced back to where James was checking a sail rigging. The man looked…peaceful. Unbothered. It was still a shock to the system to see that sparkle in his eyes. The man who used to meet life wearing a perma-furrow frequently looked positively delighted these days.

Well, at least when he was with me. I knew the bosshole was still alive and well inside of him, lurking, ready to rage. But that side of him rarely came out of the cave anymore, thankfully.

So much had changed in the months since we’d reunited. I’d worried that things would slowly go back to the way they were in the before times, but James had remained true to his word. The man could actually leave work at the end of the day and truly leave work. He didn’t even check his emails! Once he got home it was all about the two of us. In a way it felt like I gave James an excuse to get out and actually enjoy his life. Those afternoon meetings that stretched into the evening hours were a thing of the past because the man had plans. But not the glitterati stuff that was typical for someone in his position, like restaurant openings and Broadway shows.

Instead, our focus was living life to the fullest with the people we loved. That meant plenty of time cuddled up on the couch watching reality shows in his media room, but also getting out and connecting with family. Kathleen and Teddy had gotten into ballroom dancing, so we always made a point to go to their recitals. We had a standing monthly brunch date with Christopher and Julia. And Steph and her photographer boyfriend, Brendan, came over for game nights that made me laugh until my sides hurt. James had finally learned to prioritize what really mattered, like taking time off on a beautiful day to go sailing and make love, like today.

I was slowly getting used to our unexpected excursions. I think James enjoyed catching me off guard. Today we’d finished up second interviews with two candidates for Clint’s position and the minute the last candidate had walked out of the room, James had turned to me with a devilish smile and said we were taking the afternoon off. Even though I had half a dozen designs to complete, I knew better than to argue with him.

I mean, I had to let the guy be the boss occasionally.

“What are you looking at?” James called to me.

I turned to him. “Miles and miles of absolutely nothing, and it’s perfect.”

He grinned as he made his way to where I was standing. “Isn’t this the best?”

“It’s everything.”

I leaned back against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me.

“I’ve got a question for you,” James whispered in my ear. “But you have to promise not to get mad at me.”

I craned my neck to look up at him, frowning. “Is this work related?”

“Uh, yes?”

I sighed and pulled my phone from my back pocket to glance at the time. We had a mutual agreement that we could only talk business between the hours of 8-5, whether we were in the office or not. “It’s four forty-five, so you’ve got fifteen minutes.”

“Come sit,” he said, taking my hand and pulling me to the bench. “It’s sort of a big deal.”

I settled in and crossed my legs, snapping my fingers at him, which I knew drove him crazy. “Let’s get this over with.”

He ignored my wise-assness. “I want you to pick Clint’s replacement.”

My mouth dropped open. “No way.”

“Way,” he replied. “I’ve picked a frontrunner between Erica and Todd, but I’m leaving the final decision up to you. No one knows the team better than you at this point, and hell, you’ve done the job, and you know what it takes. So…who’s your favorite?”

I had to literally bite my tongue to keep from blurting out the idea I’d been batting around in my head for ages.