Daddy’s Billionaire Boss

“Let’s not bother Mason with that now,” I said quickly. “Let me say goodbye, then I’ll come inside and help you with dinner.”

“Of course, honey. Nice to meet you, Mason.” She picked up her gardening tools and went back inside, as Mason turned to me.

“Sorry about that. My mom’s always been a little–”

“List? What list?” His tone was that cold, heavy businesslike boom that made people rush away from him down the halls.

Pulling my phone out of my purse, I called up the photo. “I don’t really believe in this stuff,” I said quickly, “But when I was sixteen, my mom’s sister Betsy gave me a crystal reading to tell me about the man I’d fall in love with.”

He wasn’t smiling anymore as he skimmed the list. “I wondered how an incredible girl like you could be infatuated with me so quickly,” he said, eerily calm. “I knew it wasn’t right.”

He was impossible to read. Was he sad? Annoyed?

“You saw my eyes and thought that you had to be with me?”

Shaking my head quickly, I tried to smile. “Actually, you were pacing in the boardroom, and I noticed your finger. That didn’t make me fall for you. It just made me look at my dad’s boss like a man, instead of…”

“A wealthy ice cold robot,” he said flatly.

“Not at all! I don’t think you’re really like that. We just–”

“Have a good dinner, Emily.” He got into his car and quickly drove away, leaving me standing in front of my tiny house with my head spinning.

Mason couldn’t possibly throw away what we had just because of something so silly. Unless he hadn’t been that sure about us to start with.

From the very beginning he had acted like we were meant to be. Like we belonged together.

How fragile was his belief in us if a crazy list from four years ago could shake everything apart?

16

_____

Mason

The two nights I slept with Emily’s soft breath across my chest were the best nights of my life. Last night I tossed and turned until every muscle was clenched into knots.

At four-thirty, I didn’t wake up as much as I gave up trying to sleep.

Instead of going down to my workout setup in the basement, I drove to the 24-hour gym and had a personal trainer kick my ass for an hour. Even after an ice cold shower, I felt like I was burning up inside.

Shuffling into the office in a daze, I didn’t know what to think. Was Emily a flighty, flaky girl, who was way too young, and I fell for her simply because of her beauty? I knew that wasn’t true. She was incredibly thoughtful and clever.

Was I just fulfilling some stupid template that her crazy aunt dreamed up? What would be the point of pulling such a deranged prediction out of thin air for a young lady of just sixteen? Who tells someone such things?

Stomping into the empty office, I slumped at my desk, staring out the window at the city. Thick clouds were gathering, leaching all the color from the sky and buildings.

I loved that Emily was the bright spot of color everywhere she went. I loved every quirky thing about her, from the animal jewelry to the way she was so quick to laugh at me.

So why didn’t she tell me about her aunt’s prediction right away?

My fingers drummed loudly on the desk. Could s

he be afraid of me? Could there be any reason why she was nervous about sharing such a thing with me?

If she had told me right away, we would’ve laughed about it, then moved on. It just made no sense.

Finally opening my laptop, I went through the day’s tasks. An email from one of my managers caused my jaw to fall open, and my breathing to stop.