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I twist in his arms and snake my arms around his neck. "I love you, too."
We kiss as the elevator doors open and everyone files out. Brady's fingers slip into mine before we make our way into the ballroom. Bursts of burgundy and gold fill the holiday-themed hall. Tall Christmas trees decorated with tinsel sit in one corner of the ballroom and a live band plays in the other. I smile as I take it all in.
"There are some people I'd like to introduce you to," Brady tugs me toward a group of people.
I lick my lips nervously and let him lead the way.
Brady greets the group and then introduces me as hisfriend.Someone offers me a glass of champagne, and I take it.
"How did you two meet?" A short-haired blond in a pale pink dress asks me.
"We met in our small town randomly one day."
"That's a gorgeous diamond," she comments.
My cheeks burn. "Thank you."
"I'm wondering iffriendis code for Fiancée," she gives me a cheeky wink.
I begin to panic. "Uh—"
"Don't worry," she pats my arm. "Your secret is safe with me."
"What's your name?" I ask her.
"Oh, sorry," she slaps her palm against her forehead. "I'm Harlow. I met Brady at a convention a year ago. I've been trying to get him to help me with my start-up company ever since."
"That sounds right up his alley," I laugh. "What's your company?"
Harlow motions to a table, and we both walk over to it and take a seat.
"The vision," she clears her throat, "is to create a safe space on the internet for pre-teens."
"That's an interesting area of focus," I tilt my head to the side. "How'd you land on it?"
"My son, Grant, is 15," she reveals. "I had him when I was 16 and his dad was never around. So, I did most of the raising on my own. Grant had a really hard time with online bullies. I never should have let him have social media at 11 years old but hebeggedme, so I caved. We had some issues with some kids from his middle school sending hate messages. Thankfully, Grant came to me about it and we took him out of school and deleted all of his social media accounts. But I really am passionate about letting kids connect online in a safe space. I'm working on a social media platform that gives parents access to every conversation in real-time, and they'll have the ability to terminate the chat or remove the person from their child's friend list with the click of a button."
"Sounds like you've put a ton of work into it," I tell her.
"I've had it beta-tested, and pre-teens and their parents loved it. There are also game rooms where they can play video games, online board games, or create their own ideas. It's been a labor of love."
"What's your company called?" I ask.
"The Grant Space," Harlow grins.
"I love it."
"Brady's been a little hesitant to help me," she admits. "I don't know why."
"He has a lot on his plate," I defend him. "But I'll see if I can convince him to hear you out?"
"That'd be so great," she claps her hands together. "I live about 30 minutes from here. I'm always up for a trip to the mountains."
She hands me her business card and I tuck it safely in my purse.
"Looks like yourfriendis heading this way," she raises an eyebrow at me.
Brady's fingers trail through my hair. "You up for a dance?"
