GABE (Silicon Valley Billionaires 2)

“You’re welcome.”

And even though I could barely move and my brain was mush, I laughed.

GABE

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay without us?” I asked Hannah as I followed her into the laundry room. She’d accepted our offer to stay and had settled in at the house. She’d been busy visiting Wes for hours every day, and she seemed to be getting back to normal—doing her laundry, catching up on email and texts from her friends and coworkers, stocking the refrigerator with sushi and foul-smelling green drinks from Whole Foods. Packages were being delivered every day from her online shopping efforts; she’d bought Wesley at least ten new pairs of very stylish pajamas.

“Yes, I told you. Go and have fun. Ellis and I will be with Wesley. Everything will be fine,” she insisted. “Dr. Kim said he wants to run some more tests before they try to wake him up, so there’s still nothing new with his condition. It’s just a waiting game. Trust me, I can hold down the fort around here.”

“You aren’t afraid to be alone?”

She unleashed an eye roll on me. “I’m hardly alone—Levi has ten guys watching me.”

“Well, then, good.” I shrugged.

Hannah watched me from where she was standing, neatly folding her clothes. “Why are you still standing there?”

“No reason.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Something’s going on.”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

&n

bsp; “Is Lauren pregnant?” she shrieked.

“Shh—no.”

Hannah jumped up and down. “Then what is it? Tell me.”

“I wanted to ask your permission for something—”

Hannah launched herself at me, enveloping me in a hug. “You have it. And I knew it—I knew it!”

I hugged her back. “Please, don’t say anything.”

“Oh, I won’t.” She released me and started pacing, gleefully rubbing her hands together, a manic gleam in her eye. “We’ll have to book the Ritz—no, that’s too obvious—The Palisades. That’ll be perfect! And I always wanted to see Lauren in a lace gown. I saw the perfect one in Ralph Lauren’s bridal collection last spring…strapless…she’ll have a fit, but tough luck. We’ll have to have vegetarian-friendly catering, of course, but that shouldn’t be a problem…”

“Hannah?”

She didn’t seem to hear me—she just kept pacing and talking to herself. I backed out of the room, wondering if Lauren would ever forgive me for unleashing her sister, the ultimate event planner, on her impending nuptials.

That she didn’t even know about.

And that she hasn’t even said yes to, I reminded myself.

I swallowed over a sudden lump in my throat, then went to collect Lauren and my brothers to head back home to Boston.

Chapter 26

Lauren

I got a text from Li Na as soon as we landed in Boston. I’m not even close to done with you.

Well, I’m sorry to hear that, because I’m certainly done with you, I texted back. I know rejection’s hard to handle, but you really need to stop embarrassing yourself like this. Take a hint and back off. Create some technology of your own, if you think you’re so great.

I smiled, then muted my cell phone.