“I’ll come help you,” David said. I snickered. Becca looked at him suspiciously but shrugged. I foresaw a future where Becca really did take my place as David’s favorite person to give shit to. They bickered all the way up the stairs.
The second they were out of sight, I put an arm around Tess’s waist. Sitting at the edge of one of our intern’s desks, I pulled her toward me.
“You’re quiet,” I said.
“Just processing everything,” Tess replied. “That there’s no threat hanging over our head anymore. That you’re mine and we’re kicking ass together.”
“This is just the beginning.”
“I like that. Sounds like a promise.”
“It definitely is.” I kissed her forehead, gripping her hips tighter. “And I’m going to make good on it every day.”
“Starting today?” she teased.
“I’d start right now, but Becca and David are in the building.”
“Oh I see. So this plan of yours begins with something dirty.”
“Every plan begins like that. It’s brought us good luck until now.”
She laughed but nodded. “You’re right about that.”
I debated giving her a taste of the dirty plan I had in mind, but I heard David and Becca coming down the stairs. She was holding that bottle of wine like it was her firstborn.
“This is my pride and joy,” she explained. “Got it from a very special someone a very long time ago. But let’s have another round of champagne first.”
“Should w
e open it up or wait for Skye to arrive?” David asked.
“She texted that she’s going to be here in a few minutes,” Tess said. “No clue why she’s late.”
She pouted, turning around to face David and Becca.
I leaned in to kiss the side of her neck, trying to hide my smile from everyone. I had a good poker face in business, but this was definitely unchartered territory. Skye was coming from a certain shop on Fifth Avenue where she looked at the ring I wanted to buy for Tess. I was planning to surprise my woman soon. I couldn’t wait to see her reaction.
Epilogue
Tess
One week later
The official opening day was finally here! We’d chosen a Saturday, because we intended to make an event out of it, and most people shopped on the weekends. We invited all our existing customers, enticing them with gift cards. It was going to be a huge party. It started at noon. We reserved the morning for showing our family around. During the pre-party, half the furniture had been missing, and we wanted to show them the final version.
“You did such a great job with this space,” Isabelle exclaimed.
“Thanks,” I said. We were in the back office. Josie, Laney, and Heather were also here. My brothers, Mom, Mick, and Ellen were in the front with Skye. We were doing tours in groups; otherwise, we’d barely have space to move about.
“I’m so happy for you girls,” Josie said, patting her belly. She wasn’t showing yet. Heather was sitting next to her, and her belly was huge in comparison. They looked very cute, but Heather was a little sad that none of our super-sexy lingerie fit her properly. Ever since Skye’s pregnancy, I toyed with the idea of developing a line for expecting women, something that would accommodate the body’s changes. Now I was more convinced than ever that the project needed to happen.
“I’m so proud of you two. You’re such kickass businesswomen,” Isabelle said.
“You’re doing amazing yourself,” I replied.
“The event with the clients went well, and it gave me all sorts of ideas.”
It was so good to see Isabelle happy. As usual, her hair seemed to reflect her mood. It was bright red and fell into a silky curtain around her shoulders.