“She most likely told Betsy before the agreement. As for Apple, she’s family and was there, so she probably witnessed a lot of what went on.” Braden shoves his hands in his pockets. “Addie’s still a spoiled brat at heart. The stalking never stopped, Skye. In fact, it continues to this day.”
“So that’s how…” My mind churns.
“It’s no doubt how she knew about the nipple clamps. The anal plug. Our breakup. She’s had me watched since then. What she doesn’t know is that I’ve had her watched since I could afford to. If she steps out of line, I’ll know it, and I’ll stop it.”
“You don’t consider her knowing about an anal plug out of line?”
“My place is as secure as it gets. Yours isn’t. At least not yet. I didn’t feel it was right to have security installed in your home without telling you first.”
“Good call,” I say.
“Addie is virtually harmless. I ignore her, for the most part, but sometimes the devil on my shoulder gets the better of me. I can’t be too upset about that, though. It is, after all, how you and I met.”
I smile. “Your comment on her coffee post. Of course.”
“The woman hates coffee. She always has. Sometimes it’s something so small like that that sets me off.”
“I get it. Honestly.”
“I’m sure you do, after working for her.”
“She knows I love coffee, and do you know she never once offered to give me the drink? She always threw it out.”
“Not surprising,” Braden says. “Everything’s disposable to her.”
“Except for you.” I frown.
“Apparently. She never got over me. But it may be because of my money and status now.”
I think for a moment. Sure, Braden has money and status now, but he didn’t then. But he did have one thing.
Himself.
He was always Braden Black. Always a magnificent and amazing man.
“I don’t think so,” I tell him. “I think she’d still be after you no matter what. But we can’t live like this, Braden. I can’t live my life knowing she’s watching every move I make.”
“She might be watching you anyway,” he says. “After all, you’re in her territory now.”
“Meaning I have you?”
He chuckles. “No, Skye. I was never her territory. I’m talking about social media influencing.”
I scoff at myself. Of course, he’s right. “I’ll never be where she is.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You have something she doesn’t.”
“You?” I giggle.
“You’re incorrigible. No. You have you. You have Skye Manning, and Skye Manning is a real person. A person everyone relates to. Your gift is you.”
Your gift is you.
With those words, I float on air.
I see myself in a new light.
Yes, I have Braden, and if Braden loves me, that must mean I’m something special.
But that’s not what truly makes me special.
I’m me. I’m #simplyskye.
And that’s something no one else has, not even Addison Ames.
Wouldn’t the world be wonderful if personal people saw themselves as gifts?
This, right here, is the greatest thing anyone has ever done for me.
“I’ll love you forever for saying that, Braden.” I wrap my arms around his neck.
“I’ll love you forever just because you’re you,” he says back.
Chapter Fifty-Two
“That’s how I know Addie isn’t over you. Because you’re you. You’re Braden. You’re not a construction worker. You’re not a billionaire. You’re just Braden Black, and you’re incredible.”
He smiles. Really smiles. Maybe now I’ll see that real smile more. But it lasts only a moment before he frowns.
“What’s the matter?”
“You know my secret now.”
“About you and Addie. Yeah. I’m sorry she got hurt.”
“So am I, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I always wanted to be rich on my own terms, but I’m not. You know I had help setting up my company.”
“You mean Brock Ames’s money?”
He nods.
I laugh. I seriously laugh almost uncontrollably.
“I don’t see what’s funny about that from where I’m standing.”
“Aren’t you the one who told me that opportunity is opportunity? That I should use all resources available to me as I build my career? My God, I spent weeks thinking I wasn’t good enough. That I was only wanted because I was Braden Black’s girlfriend. Even that the contacts I had were from Addie.”
His lips quirk up slightly.
“And besides, it wasn’t Brock Ames’s money. It was your money. You and he made a deal.”
“Which I just broke.”
“For me. For us. And you have my word that the story won’t leave this room. I swear on my mother’s life. On my father’s life. On my own life. On my love for you.”
His lips quirk up farther.
“Besides,” I go on, “you had an ironclad stalking case against Addison. You dropped it in exchange for half a million dollars and assurance that you wouldn’t be prosecuted for something you didn’t do. Brock Ames probably got off cheap. It would have cost him a lot more to fabricate a case against you and pay off everyone to see things his way.”