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Ford, Hayden, and Gabriel are all quiet as George continues to pontificate, but I can see all three of them getting more and more tense. I just try to focus on eating. I’m sure the food here is lovely, but for the first time in who knows how long, I can’t taste it, can’t focus on it. I’m too tense even for food, which is saying something.

A few of the other Silver Start people murmur agreement along the way, but it’s clear that George likes the sound of his own voice and is used to commanding any room he’s in.

There’s a brief pause as George finally sips at his wine, and it seems that was the moment all three men were waiting for, because they all burst out talking at once.

“No, sorry—” Ford says, at the same time Gabriel mutters, “I can’t do this,” and Hayden says, “This isn’t going to work.”

I blink at them, unsure of what they could possibly mean. George doesn’t seem to know either.

“I’m sorry?” he says, like he must have hallucinated the last thirty seconds.

Ford turns to me, his expression intense. “We can’t keep doing this. It’s all wrong.”

“What are you doing?” I hiss at him under my breath. I have no idea where this is going. Is he seriously sabotaging everything right at the finish line?

“Having my ring on your finger doesn’t feel right,” Ford continues, and the bottom drops out of my stomach. “I can’t go through with this.”

I have no idea what this means. Is he worried that just being associated with me, even if the situation with Liam is cleared up, will cast a shadow over his deal with Silver Start? Does he think the charade is ridiculous and he’s going to reveal that the engagement is fake?

“You shouldn’t have just my ring on your finger,” Ford continues, and my heart trips over itself. “Because I don’t think I’m the only one who’s fallen in love with you.”

56

MAEVE

I stare at Ford, stunned, my mouth falling open in shock. The words he just said don’t make sense. They can’t make sense. Because if they did, it would mean⁠—

Hayden clears his throat. “Ford’s right.”

I whip around to look at him, still not entirely convinced that I’m not having some kind of stress-induced hallucination brought on by too much anxiety and bad Italian food. Part of me still thinks this might be some elaborate performance for George’s benefit, but the look in Hayden’s eyes tells me otherwise.

“I love you,” he says, his voice rough with emotion. He’s saying it out loud, in public, in front of people he clearly doesn’t like, but he’s looking only at me. “I love so many things about you. I love that what you went through with your family and with Liam hasn’t hardened your heart the way I let what happened to me harden mine. I love how you’ve always stood up to me and put me in my place and never let me get away with my bullshit. You keep me humble.” He grins suddenly. “Although I also love when you’re bratty and I get to put you in your place.”

A surprised laugh bubbles out of me despite the overwhelming emotions threatening to drown me.

“I thought that I could get you out of my system,” Hayden continues, his eyes never leaving mine. “I told myself this was just physical, just convenient, something I could walk away from when it got complicated. But that’s not going to happen. You’re not something I can just get over, Maeve. You’ve become vital to me. Even more than a limb. Losing you wouldn’t feel like missing an arm. It would feel like missing something essential inside of me. Something that I need to survive.”

The sincerity in his voice, the way he’s laying himself bare in front of all these strangers, makes my chest tight with emotion. This isn’t a performance. This is real, and it’s costing him his carefully guarded privacy, but he’s doing it anyway.

Before I can find words to respond, Gabriel speaks up.

“You know I’ve been falling for you from the moment you started working at Meridian,” he says, his accent thicker with emotion than I’ve ever heard it. “I tried not to. My parents showed me that love wasn’t real—that it was just manipulation and drama and needing attention. It was about being in love with the idea of love, not actually loving someone. The grand gestures, the suffering, showcasing how much you felt. It’s all about you, not the person, not the relationship. I was convinced that anyone in a relationship felt the same way, or at the very least was just trying to combat the fear of being alone.”

Gabriel’s smile is the most genuine expression I’ve ever seen on his face. “But then I met you, and I realized that all those people acting like that are doing it because they want to have what I feel for you. What I feel for you isn’t about possession or drama or fear. It’s about wanting to take care of you, wanting to see you smile, wanting to be better because you believe I can be. You showed me what real love actually looks like.”

My eyes are burning now, and I have to blink hard to keep the tears from falling. I can’t cry in front of George and these other people. I won’t give them the satisfaction.

Ford leans forward, his icy blue eyes gleaming. “You know, I’ve never been jealous or envious of Liam a single day in my life until I met you while you two were still dating. The first time I saw you with him, I felt something I’d never experienced before. I wanted what he had. I wanted you to look at me the way you looked at him—back when you still thought he deserved it.”

I can feel my eyes going wide. I had no idea he’d even really noticed me back then, let alone felt anything.

“I told myself that hiring you was the right thing to do,” Ford continues. “I didn’t know the details of your relationship with Liam, but I know my brother and I was sure he hadn’t treated you right. I told myself that looking after you was the decent thing to do. But the truth was that I didn’t want to let you out of my life. Even though I would never do anything while you were my assistant, even though I knew I was just torturing myself, I wanted to keep you close.”

“And the more I got to know you, the more baffled I was that Liam could have ever let you slip through his fingers. Your kindness, your thoughtfulness, your strength, and your refusal to back down from what’s right—it’s all incredible. I admire you, Maeve. I really do. It’s been good for the three of us to have you in our lives these past two years. You challenge us, you keep us humble and sharp, and you look after us. I can’t think of a greater mark of character than being one of the men you choose to be with.”

The weight of what they’re saying crashes over me like a wave. These aren’t just love declarations, as wonderful and overwhelming as those are. They’re willing to sacrifice everything they’ve worked for—their biggest deal, months of preparation, their professional reputation—all for me. The magnitude of that choice makes me feel dizzy.

Speaking of staring, George looks like he’s about to have a medical emergency. His face is so red it’s practically purple, and his eyes are bulging. He looks like an angry bulldog having a heart attack.