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“Are you coming to the party this afternoon?” Jayson asked. “It’s in celebration of the tablet fix. Gia singlehandedly saving your company and all.”
“I’m planning on it.”
“Good. I have an important announcement to make.”
“I look forward to it,” Royce said with a curt nod. Jayson couldn’t tell if the other man was lying or not.
Gia arrived at the start of the party, only to bump into the party planner on her way in. “Looks fantastic in here, Joanna.”
“Thank you. Everything is in place, Ms. Knox.”
Gia didn’t correct her by saying that her name was Knox-Cooper. She was too tender after everything that had happened to go there. “Wonderful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. My staff and I will be in the background making sure everything runs smoothly.” Joanna, her hair pulled back in a smart tight ponytail, turned to straighten the platters of catered sushi.
Music was playing in the background and Gia walked to a bucket of ice to grab a soda for herself. Taylor and Addison were there, smiles bright.
“We’re here for you no matter what happens.” Taylor offered. “I’m really excited for you.”
“Thank you.” Gia hugged Taylor and then Addi. “I appreciate your both showing up.”
“And miss the action?” Addi asked as she straightened from the hug. “Never.”
“Photo booth, ladies!” The photographer interrupted.
“Not me, thanks.” Gia waved them off. “You two go ahead.”
The photographer shooed Taylor and Addison over to the booth and handed them each masks on sticks. Taylor, halfway to the booth mouthed the words “you owe me.”
Gia wiggled her fingers in a wave, relieved at having avoided the embarrassing photo booth.
“If I could have your attention.” The low sound of her ex-husband’s voice came from the front of the room.
Jayson, dressed in black trousers and a slate-gray shirt, climbed onto a sturdy chair. Not that he needed to. His presence was so commanding he didn’t need the chair to establish that he was in charge. His power was as undeniable as her admiration of it. She’d spent years guarding herself from that power, but now she saw the truth. That was simply Jayson.
“Not that anyone asked for a speech, but I have one.” His eyes flicked to the back of the room and Gia turned to see her brothers enter. Bran gave her a wave, his mouth flinching into a half smile. Royce wore a frown as usual, but when he walked by, he briefly cupped her neck in a supportive gesture.
“I’ve been a part of ThomKnox for going on seven years,” Jayson continued. “I was named chief technology officer almost five years ago, the same year I married one Miss Gia Knox-Cooper.”
Smiles around the room were soft, careful. More than a few heads swiveled in her direction.
“Our marriage did not outlast the role, and I’ve been telling myself for nearly two years that I was okay with that. That relationships work but sometimes they don’t, and Gia and I fell into that latter category. It was a lie I’ve been content with until recently, when I realized that not only was I in love with Gia when we were married, I have been for the entire time we were divorced.”
Those soft smiles melted into gasps, Gia’s own gasp among them.
“Gia is a gracious, beautiful, incredibly lovable woman,” Jay went on. “She’s giving. She’s tough. She’s strong. She’s a certified genius mastermind.” Nods of support came from several of their coworkers. “She’s been in the role of running Marketing, and I know she loves this company with her whole heart, but Marketing isn’t where she belongs. She’s an MIT grad with a nerdy brain in that gorgeous noggin of hers. She loves code more than any one person has a right to. She found the glitch we’re all celebrating.” He cleared his throat and added, “Not me. She doesn’t need me.”
Her chest tightened as those words. That wasn’t true. She did need him. More than he knew. She thought about her family members who had tried to take care of her over the years. Not because they thought she was incapable or weak, but because they loved her so very much. She’d recently learned that it was okay to lean on others; that it would have been okay to lean on Jayson while they were married.
Needing someone didn’t make her unworthy. It made her human. Beautifully human, flaws and all.
“And yet I’m the one who’s chief technology officer of this company. Or well, I was,” Jayson finished. “Was CTO.”
“No,” Gia whispered. She’d made a decision about what she wanted after talking with her mother. She finally knew her goals and dreams and wasn’t afraid to claim them. Jayson in the role of CTO was the right place for him to be. It had been all along. Her father, while he’d fumbled, wasn’t wrong about that promotion.
“I love this department. I love ThomKnox as a whole,” Jayson was saying. “I love Royce and Taylor, Brannon and Addison, and Jack and Macy like they’re my own family.” He then locked his gaze on Gia’s. “I love my ex-wife enough that I refuse to stand in the way of her living the life she should be living. I should have done this years ago, G,” he said, his eyes on her. “I never should have taken the position that was destined to be yours. I should have walked out the door and not looked back when you said you wanted the divorce. I should have left you at ThomKnox with your family to claim what was rightfully yours. No matter how badly I wanted to be in your orbit.”
Oh, Jayson.
