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She could look stern and serious all she wanted, but I still had the memory of when I told her I was officially named as the future CEO of Glass Designs to visit any time I wanted. Mother’s eyes had gone watery, she’d hugged me, and she’d even said she was proud. Any time I needed a little mood boost, I just had to think back on that moment, and it felt like invisible hands were lifting me until my feet barely touched the ground.
I couldn’t describe how good it felt. There was the domestic side of my life with Travis—the side where I got excited about officially moving in together and our increasingly serious talks about our future together and what that would look like. That side of me enjoyed tweaking the decor in his house to fit our combined preferences and planning dinners like the one we were having tonight. It was the side of me that loved coming home and unwinding with him—letting him give me those massages that always seemed to turn sexual after a few minutes while I told him about my day.
Travis hadn’t continued working for me at Glass Designs as an assistant. Instead, he served the same role for me he served for Adrian and his company. Travis was our emergency consultant we could call in to fix the delicate sorts of problems. Over the last year, I’d learned there was literally no problem the man couldn’t solve. People universally loved him. They respected him and wanted to please him within minutes of meeting him, and he had a way of changing even the most stubborn minds. I guess I was the ultimate testament to that fact.
But the most surprising thing had been the professional side of myself was still very much alive and thriving. I still went to work almost every day and challenged myself. I still got to apply all the things I’d spent my life preparing to do, like finding ways to streamline production and modernize the magazine format by bringing in an online component. I did things like leverage the Callie Rose deal to work with more celebrities and influencers once I could point to how the partnership had verifiably improved Callie’s brand and career. I was doing all the things I’d dreamed of doing since I was a little girl, and I was doing it without going home to an empty, loveless house.
I got to spend weekends like I was spending today, surrounded by my strange but loving extended family. And yes, Travis’ family and friends, maybe with the exception of Adrian, had almost immediately taken me in like I was one of theirs. We weren’t even married or engaged and his parents already treated me like their daughter-in-law. Combine that with the slightly less frosty version of my own mother and the increased effort my father was making to keep in touch, and it felt like my life was finally well rounded. I felt secure and safe and comforted everywhere I looked.
And I owed it all to that man. I turned my attention to Travis, who was… I sighed. He was sneakily making a phone call at the back of the room. He didn’t think I knew, but I happened to have been given a hint by Noah that Travis was in the process of securing a three-month-old tiger cub. It wouldn’t be a permanent pet, but Noah thought it could be staying as long as a month.
He was always collecting. Little odd things he stashed in every conceivable drawer and storage area of his apartment and little creatures that were constantly slithering or crawling around the house. It was overwhelming, wild, and absolutely fun. Because that’s what Travis was. He was an endless source of unbridled love for life and all of its flavors. He was the missing piece I needed, and… Well, I still wasn’t entirely sure what he got out of the arrangement. But the man was honest to a fault, so I got up from the table and punched him on the arm.
“Hey,” I said.
He jumped, ending his call quickly and shoving the phone in his pocket. “Hmm? No. I wasn’t doing anything suspicious.”
I grinned. Honest to a fault, all right. “What do you see in me?” I threaded my hands around his waist, giving him puppy eyes so he wouldn’t try to brush off my question.
He looked down at me, giving some serious thought before he responded. “I see someone I admire.”
The simple sincerity of his answer shocked me. My lips parted and my throat tightened.
“Also,” he said, dramatically hesitating as he reached to tuck some stray hairs behind my ear. “I see something behind your ear.” He pulled his hand back out and produced a quarter. “Lose this?”
I snorted. “Please tell me you’re not practicing magic, now.”
