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Bryce laughed, which allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief that he wasn't angry that I told Nia. I had to tell someone.
"It will definitely be an adventure. I'm looking forward to you being a part of it." It was Bryce's charming way of telling her that she'd better keep it a secret.
"Anyway, I was just leaving. Gotta get back to my work that unfortunately doesn't involve a trip to a cabin,” Nia said, laughing and walking toward the door. She turned toward me. “Still on for our girls’ night when you get back?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I said a little too brightly, earning a strange look from Nia. “See you then.”
“Have fun, you two.”
“She seems fun. Clearly, you've told her about our arrangement. I'm hoping she can keep it a secret." Bryce raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, of course. She knows what's at stake."
"Great. Well, are you ready?” Bryce looked around to see what he needed to grab to help me out.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” That earned a chuckle from Bryce as I grabbed my weekend bag near the door. We silently rode the elevator down to the parking garage. It was a short drive to the restaurant where we were meeting Bryce’s friend, Adam, for the interview. Adam owned an up-and-coming magazine, and Bryce knew this exposure would give his business a boost.
The interview went by in a blur, and I was thankful that Bryce was able to deftly handle most of the questions, even if they were just softball questions. We gave our fake story of how we met and made up some details about wedding planning and how excited we were to get started. It was way less eventful than I’d built up in my head, which was a good thing. But it felt like a very real, very public step into this plan.
We were all set for a photo shoot at a local park the next week, which I was even more nervous about. It was one thing to fool people in writing, but a picture said a thousand words. I did my best to push those worries to the back of my head. That's for next week, I told myself.
Either way, as we left the restaurant, hand in hand, I was happy, even if I didn’t really have a reason to be happy. We were off to the cabin for a couple of days and I was excited about the alone time we’d have.
And that excitement was terrifying.
Chapter 10
Bryce
“Ihavetoadmit,”Reyna said, turning her gaze from the trees flying past the passenger window back to me. “I’m kinda surprised you have a cabin in theactualwoods.”
I glanced at her from behind my sunglasses and something about her expression made me burst out in laughter.
“It’s just… you just really seem comfortable in the city. I don’t get a real outdoorsy vibe from you,” she continued, smiling at me.
“You’re right, I do like the city. But even I sometimes like to escape the noise and the fumes. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll see that my cabin is not very, um,rustic. And you’re also right that I’m not traipsing through the forest very often, but there’s a lake. It's not big enough for my boat, but big enough for some fun. And besides, I like being able to see the stars sometimes. Really, I built it a while ago as a place to escape with my friends and get out of the way of all the eyes in the city. You can't buy a starlit night, but you can buy some privacy.”
“I guess I can understand that,” she nodded before letting out a jaw-cracking yawn. “How much longer until we’re there? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” she added in a teasing, childlike tone that made me laugh. I loved her playful side.
“About an hour or so. Feel free to take a nap if you want.”
Reyna shook her head as she laid her head back on the seat.
“Not sleepy. Just need to rest my eyes.”
I chuckled as I heard her soft, steady breathing barely a minute later. I turned on my favorite business podcast and settled in for the drive.
My mind was wandering despite the marketing talk I was listening to. I admitted, I liked being in Reyna’s company. For some reason, she gave me a deep sense of calm that I had never experienced before. Whenever I was around her, I was relaxed. The burden of owning a billion-dollar empire or being an heir to another one seemed to disappear. No woman had ever made me feel that way before and I have to say that I was liking it. I chuckled when I realized I was just sitting there smiling.
I glanced at her profile, her facial features soft with sleep. She was beautiful, yet also full of fire. It was so obvious that Reyna was destined for big things. Her drive and enthusiasm were contagious, and it made me consider my own work ethic. I was a hard worker, yes, but my fun-time philosophies had gotten me into the position where I needed a fake relationship. Who needs a contract to have a relationship? Apparently I do.
The introspection was uncomfortable, and I breathed a sigh of relief as we drove through the small town and down the long driveway to my cabin.
“We’re here,” I said softly, gently waking Reyna up. She blinked quickly, her eyes adjusting to the dimmer light as the evening in the trees quickly approached.
“Wow,” she breathed when she looked at the cabin. "Not rustic" may have been an understatement. Truthfully, it was a small mansion with massive windows and impressive landscaping.
“I’ll give you the tour.” I grabbed the couple of bags we brought from the trunk and led Reyna inside. I showed her each of the four bedrooms, the five bathrooms, huge living room, and finally, the fully appointed kitchen.
