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“He’s probably not ready.”

“Or he’s just being lazy,” Tera said. “Guys don’t rush to slap a ring on it unless they have a

reason. When’s the due date, Livy?”

I felt Hunter’s arm stiffen. All three girls looked up at him, almost at the same time. They must’ve felt the shift in his presence, or maybe his stature. He’d gone from patient and content to be near to me, to dominating the space. His hard, unwavering gaze was fixed on Tera.

Tera visually gulped. “You are pregnant, right?” she asked in a demure voice I’d never heard

before. “You’ve always been in shape, and that dress just looks like—”

“We’re expecting, yes.” Hunter placed the emphasis on
we.
“I should’ve asked if she wanted to get married before trying to conceive, but in my mind we were already married. I failed her in that.”

“I’ve heard a lot of people having babies without marrying,” Jen hastened to say.

“You were already living together,” Kimberly said.

“No, yeah. Totally. I wasn’t saying…” Tera’s words trailed off as she withered within Hunter’s

continued stare.

“I think it’s great,” Jen said. “When are you going to get married?”

She was looking at Hunter, but instead of answering, he looked down at me and gave a small

squeeze. Apparently it was my show as far as the wedding was concerned.

I thought about it for a second. “Probably after the baby is born. Finding a dress to fit a pregnant lady can’t be easy.”

“I agree. Besides, you don’t want people to think it’s a shotgun wedding.” Jen gave Tera a nasty

look.

“Shall we get a drink?” Hunter asked. I smiled at the girls and let him lead me to the bar. “What

can I get for you? Sparkling water, juice…”

“Just normal water is fine.”

“Hunter!” A graying man who hadn’t done a great job of stuffing his large belly into his suit

wandered over with a glass of brandy and an important swagger. “I heard the news.” He winked and

tapped the side of his nose. “Big change, huh? No one saw
that
coming.”

“The news hasn’t been made public yet.” Hunter didn’t even look at the man. Instead, he ordered

drinks and looked out over the crowd, many of whom were shooting glances back his way.

“Oh come on, you didn’t think news that big would stay quiet, did you?” He laughed in obnoxious

ha-ha-has. “The rumor is that you screwed the pooch with that buyout and are getting out of Dodge

before the shit hits the fan.”

Could the guy have used any more clichés?

“Not at all. Everything is set up perfectly with the buyout. It went smoothly.” Hunter took the

glasses from the bartender and handed me a water. He replaced his hand around my waist and

directed us away from the man without so much as a glance.

“What news?” I asked, ignoring how rude he was being. That man was annoying. Hunter’s cold

shoulder was good enough for him.

I got a guarded glance. “I told you—I’m making changes to be more available to you and the baby.

And I’m following your lead. I’m finding something that I love, instead of worrying about being more successful than my father.”

“The CEO position was to be better than your father?”

Hunter stopped near a few men in suits and ties standing with women of their own age. The men

stood with pushed-back shoulders and too much ego. These guys were probably VPs or CEOs of

other companies.

“In part.”

“So what are you going to do instead?” I asked as Jonathan sauntered over. Speaking of too much

ego. The guy was so impressed with himself it was absurd.

“I’m going to build, Livy.”

“Like…construction?”

“Mr. Carlisle,” Jonathan said as he reached us. Rick and Robby had grins on their faces, watching

Jonathan try to speak to Hunter. “I’m so glad you invited me to this event. You have a great girl.”

Hunter looked away. “I know.”

Jonathan smiled at me in a way that said I could’ve been anybody. As long as I was standing next

to Hunter, I was worth talking to. I’d lost my identity as Olivia, and gained the identity of Hunter’s fiancée. It was half great, because he wouldn’t be bothering me, but half disconcerting. The man was all about himself. He would push over the Pope if it meant he would get ahead.

“I’m not sure if you were aware, but I graduated from Stanford University…” Jonathan gave

Hunter a smug smile.

“I’m aware. Barely a C average, correct?” Hunter asked in his business tone.

Jonathan shifted uncomfortably. He coughed into his fist. “The schedule was pretty rigorous, yes.

But since graduating I’ve made some significant advancements in the industry.”

“You’re still in an entry-level position, isn’t that right?” Hunter gave Jonathan a disinterested

glance.

“Well…for now, yes. But I’ve been guaranteed a promotion as soon as a position becomes

available.”

“Your father arranged that, I believe…”

Jonathan shifted again. Clearly this conversation wasn’t going as he had thought it would. “Well,

that’s just it. I’d love to get out of his shadow. You know something of that. In fact, we share a lot of the same motivations. And, you know, a lot of the same likes…” The glance at me said volumes.

And I thought I’d had a terrible interview with Hunter. Jonathan was looking to get punched.

“I definitely think I could be an asset to you,” Jonathan hastened to say as Hunter turned to stare at him full-on. “I could be your eyes on the inside, as they say.”

“I told you he was looking for a job,” I murmured to Hunter.

If Jonathan heard, he gave no sign, and he certainly didn’t appear bashful, as he should have.

An edge crept into Hunter’s voice. “I am handing over the reins. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it

sometime tonight. I’ve officially resigned and a replacement has already been found.”

“Wait,
what
?”
I blurted. “You’re that far along in your change? How come you didn’t mention it?”

“That is…surprising,” Jonathan said. His back straightened somewhat. “If I might ask, what

comes next?”

Hunter gave me a sideways glance. His body against me tensed. “I’m going into business with

Livy.”

“Wait…
what
?”
I stepped away from him so I could look him full in the face.

“That gaming thing?” Jonathan smirked. Hunter had devalued himself in Jonathan’s eyes, it

seemed. He’d certainly lost his usefulness. “Huh.”

“Excuse us,” Hunter said to Jonathan before steering me away to a quiet corner. “I was going to

tell you differently. I hadn’t realized the news had leaked already.”

“What news?”

“I’m a partner in your business with Bruce. I’ve been planning the various releases, the business

setup, our long-term goals…I’ll be stepping into the CEO role after I get it off the ground. I want to build our own company, Livy. I want to do it with you.”

I’d thought over all the little bits of knowledge Hunter always seemed to have about how the game

was doing. Then the confidence Bruce had. He’d been
positive
the marketing approach would be a success. I’d thought it’d just been ego, but it hadn’t been. He’d known Hunter was planning it, and he thought Hunter’s approach would be a sure bet.

He’d been right. The game was becoming a phenomenon. The next Candy Crush. Money was

pouring in, reviews were great, and avid fans were clamoring for more.

I’d already suspected Hunter had a toe in the waters, but I’d largely thought it was being nosy.

Nope. He was running the show. He was planning our future.

“When did you decide this?” I asked in a slow, deep tone. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this yet.

“I fell into the decision, more than anything. I knew I’d have to change things in order to be the

father I want to be. Then I saw your passion, and Mike made that comment at my mother’s dinner—

I’ve been looking for something where I can build from the ground up. That’s about when Bruce asked

me for advice. He had such faith in his and your design concepts. He knew the business would take

off like his last one did. And he knew he couldn’t handle it when it did. I just helped at first, but then…I fell into it. I found the passion I saw in you. Everything just kind of…unfolded.”

“Why didn’t you mention it?”

Hunter ran his thumb along my chin before kissing my lips softly. “I wanted you to choose that job

over working for me. I wanted you to make the first move. You took much longer than I anticipated,

though, so I got nervous you’d be…less than thrilled I was running the company without telling you.

I’ve been trying to find the words.”

“You were a coward.”

A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “You have the authority to fire me. I didn’t want to push you to it.”

I ran my hand up his chest. I wasn’t mad. Not at all. In fact, I was relieved. “I get to work for you again.”

“You don’t mind?”

“No! That’s why I took so long to leave. It was you.”

He kissed me again. “That’s what I was hoping. I’ve organized the company in such a way that I

shouldn’t have to put in a full week for a while. Not for a couple years, at least. I’ve delegated a lot between the three of us, and various assistants. If the company grows, though, which I’m certain it

will, I can easily step down to a less demanding role while still holding the reins.”

“We have a hit now, but we might not in the future. How can you possibly know it will work out?”

“Because it has to. You are the key to my happiness. For you, I'll do anything. I knew that this

company was your future, so I needed to make it mine as well. This is the life I’ve always wanted,

Livy.” He ran his lips across mine again. “Are you sure you’re not angry?”

I laughed and snuggled into him. “No. When do you officially start?”

“The board has decided on my replacement, so I’ll be making the transition over the next couple

months, and then I’m all yours.”

“I’m not going to be your admin, though…”

He laughed and took my hand. “Brenda is coming with me. She’ll continue to be my assistant. I

have no need for a second.”

“That little—” I made a fist and shook it. “She knew about all this and didn’t mention it.”

“I asked her not to.”

“I don’t care. She’s going to get a knuckle sandwich for keeping this big a secret from me. Chicks

before dicks!”

Hunter led me back to the others. I said, “Just so you know, I don’t require the wearing of pants in my office.”

“Will you enforce a personal contract?”

“Maybe.” I smiled as my chest warmed. Then my smile wilted as we fell into the company of the

businessmen.

Thank God we could leave guys like that behind!

The rest of the night was fabulous because I sat at the table for dinner with Kimberly, Jen, and the guys. We laughed and talked. Even Tera and Jonathan didn’t ruin the mood. Hunter was by my side

every second, often touching me, and occasionally rubbing my belly and kissing me. If anyone

doubted that he loved me going in, they didn’t by the time the night was over. He doted on me

constantly, making the girls at the table sigh in envy.

A thought struck me toward the end of the night. I remembered how much I owed Kimberly for

getting me the interview with Hunter, but also for always helping me when I needed it. I saw the

opportunity to reciprocate.

“Hey, Hunter,” I said quietly as we waited for our coats. “I wondered if you could lean on Robby

to propose to Kimberly. I know it’s totally not a guy thing to do, but those guys are all afraid of you. If you mentioned it, maybe he’d finally pop the question.”

Hunter stared at me for a moment, probably processing that crazy request. His soft snort ruffled

my hair. He looked around before a tiny smile wrestled his lips. “Only you would ask for something

as awkward as that for me to accomplish. Why couldn’t you be the type to be happy with money?”

I laughed and leaned into him. “You owe her, too. Without her, we never would’ve met.”

Seriousness stole his expression. His gaze traveled my face. “You’re right. Consider it done.”

“I mean…but don’t be obvious about it. Don’t make him think she wanted you to ask.”

His grin was back. “Anything else?”

“Well, you know, be cool. Don’t go in hot. Just…like…ease it into the conversation. Somehow.”

He squeezed me. “I’ll take care of it.”

I let him put my coat on and steer me toward the exit. The day had been one of bliss. Except for

the small hurdle with my mother, everything had been perfect. I was engaged to the best man in the

world, in a job I loved, and the life of my dreams. There was just one thing left to do. Hunter had to face his greatest fears and tell his mother.

Chapter Twelve

Iclosed my computer with a click and stretched, working out my tense shoulders. I had another day,

at most, before this latest batch of levels would be done. I was working at breakneck speed.

I regretted telling Hunter that it was fine that he was my boss again. He was way more demanding

than Bruce, and now that he could, he was calling the shots. He’d tell me what needed to be done, by when, and then that I shouldn’t stress.

What?

“I’m going to grab a sandwich, want anything?” I asked Hunter. He didn’t bother looking away

from his computer. After a moment of silence, I said, “Hello?”

He still didn’t look up.

Shaking my head, and deciding just to get him something anyway, I made my way out of his office.

To Brenda I said, “I’m still not talking to you, but do you want a sandwich?”

She leaned back in her chair. Her face was lined with fatigue. She was trying to get everything

done and ready for Hunter to leave this job, and her with him. She was just as stressed out as he was.