CHAPTERTHIRTY-NINE
Bran
Life was perfect. Or nearly. But there wasn’t anything I could do at the moment.
Right now, I was at a pool party with Dane and Ethan. Even Archer and Noel were there. The place was a who’s who of money in the world.
Dane’s father-in-law, Troy along with a group of his friends, like shipping magnet Ryder Williams and his wife and shipping tycoon, Claude Monroe with his wife made up a few of the guests. They all had a gaggle of kids and as I watched Anne talking with a group of women that included Lane and Ethan’s wife Lucy, I wondered how many kids she and I would end up having.
“I had no clue about you and Anne,” Archer said to me.
“Neither did we until we spent some time together.”
Archer laughed. “Love is like that, isn’t it? It makes me believe in Cupid. It’s the only way to explain the instantaneous, overwhelming need for someone the first time you see them.” He patted me on the back. “I’m happy for you.”
I arched a brow. “You’re just glad because I’m not as much of an asshole as I was before.”
He nodded. “That too. It’s amazing what a good woman can do for a man.”
He wasn’t wrong. Wanting to get a dose of my woman, I excused myself and walked over to Anne, putting an arm around her and pressing my hand to her belly. They were my two most precious treasures. “Do you need anything?”
She smiled and it lit me from the inside out. “I’m fine. Have you met everyone? I know you know Lane and Harper.”
I invited Harper along with us to Dane’s party for nefarious reasons. I didn’t have anyone following her or keeping tabs anymore, so I was going to rely on good old-fashioned gossip. To do that, I needed her to spend more time with the same people I hung out with. It was bad, I know, but not as bad as before, right?
“This is Lucy, Ethan’s wife,” Anne introduced me.
“I believe we’ve met,” I said.
“This is Kate, she’s Ethan’s sister.”
I reached out and shook her hand.
“I’m not hooked up with any man here,” Kate said by way of explanation. “But they let me hang with them still.”
“If you wanted a man, you could get one,” Lucy told her.
She shrugged. “No offense, Bran, but most men are not worth the effort.”
Harper snorted. “Sing it sister.”
“I disagree.” Anne slipped her arm through mine.
“Just wait, Kate. Someday Cupid will shoot his arrow at you, and you’ll be eating those words,” Lane said. I guess Lane had the same experience as Archer when they met.
“Hello ladies. Bran,” Noel joined us.
“The recluse is out,” Lane said.
He shrugged. “Don’t want to lose all my social skills.”
Harper’s eyes narrowed. “You. I know you.”
Noel tilted his head, studying her, but it was clear he didn’t recognize her. I wonder if forgetting her would be worse than the fact he owned the company I’d hired to protect her.
But then a smile came to his face. “Ms. Erickson.”
Harper glared at me. “Is that why I was invited? So all your henchmen can follow me.”