“What about your—”
“I’m getting to that.” I smile. “I’m not going to stand up here and tell you there’s no other engineer or developer who could’ve done a better job than I have—because there are. But I’m done hiding because I sometimes feel like an imposter. I’m like many others out there. I wanted a change, and I went for it. I created my own destiny. I taught myself what I needed to know to help build the algorithm for Jock Stock because it made sense to me. It’s part of me. But you don’t have to take Tank’s or our word for it. In an hour, the product will speak for itself.”
I wave before anyone can ask anything else.
I meet Westin at the side, where he stands clapping for me. “Proud of you, man.”
I shake his hand, then hug him, feeling a heavy weight lifted.
Chapter Forty-Two
SAGE
The music in the background picks back up. People shuffle to try to ask Tank and the guys more questions. But all I can focus on is Aiden. He stands tall, stepping off the stage a new man.
My man.
Watching him, I stand taller too, my heart full of pride and happiness for him.
I only tear my gaze from him when a quiet commotion sounds from behind me. When I turn around, I find Taylor nudging a dark-haired woman outside. She looks like…
Piper.
I rush to Taylor’s side. What the hell is she doing here?
“I’m not going to let you come here, drunk, and make a scene.” Taylor grabs Piper by the arm, but she jerks away.
“What’re you—” Piper sneers when she lays eyes on me. “Oh, look who it is. Wonder Woman here to save the day.”
“What’re you doing here, Piper?” I steel myself, very aware there are reporters crawling out of the walls of this place right now. We can’t afford another PR nightmare.
“You.” Piper jabs her finger into my shoulder. “You come in here from Nowhere, North Carolina, with your stupid flats and try to steal my job? By sleeping with clients, at that? I don’t think so.”
I hold my hands up. “I was never after your job.”
“Oh, please. You’re the one who got me fired. Or should I say, your little boy toy did, didn’t he?” Piper presses as Taylor finally is able to pull her down the hall and outside, away from prying eyes and ears. “Let go of me.” Piper shrugs out of Taylor’s grasp.
I try to reason with her. “Piper, I know it’s hard to lose your job, but you can’t crash this launch. You’re only making it worse.”
She snickers, swaying to the side. “You slut, you got me fired!”
I hold my hands out to steady her. “I’ve always just done my job. You’re the one who leaked information.”
“I was going to pin it on you, you know?” She tilts her head back and laughs, the sound high-pitched and evil, and then she sneers at Taylor. “But you had to go and figure out what I was up to. You’ve always been a thorn in my side, and I refuse—”
Tank emerges from the hotel with a woman by his side. “What the hell are you doing, Piper?”
“Keep your voice down, babe.” A woman tugs on his sleeve, glancing around to make sure no one recognizes him, I assume.
Tank peers down at her, his jaw clenched, then points to Piper. “You said she was only here to apologize for what went down. It’s the only reason I agreed to let you bring her.”
The woman buries her face in her hands.
“I am sorry… that my plan didn’t work out as expected.” Piper tries to walk but rolls her ankle.
“Are you drunk?” Tank puts his hands on his hips, shaking his head, muttering, “Unbelievable.”
“You should go before anyone sees us.” Taylor brushes past Piper and hails a cab. “Go.” She nods toward it.
“I can’t believe you’re kicking me out. Why are you taking her side?” Piper crosses her arms, facing me, and grimaces like it’s painful for her to talk about me.
“It was never about taking sides, Piper.” Taylor shakes her head. “Sage is good at what she does and has earned her place at CJJ. You’re the one who stooped low enough to get yourself fired.”
“I wouldn’t have had to if your assistant hadn’t been sleeping with your client, spreading rumors about me and trying to outdo me.”
“Are you insane? I never spread anything about you.” I blink, shocked that she’s accusing me of such juvenile games.
Maybe it’s the booze talking, but she’s delusional.
“I thought the ladies asked you to leave.” Tank steps forward. “You need to go before you embarrass yourself further.”
He leads her toward the cab and helps her inside as if he’s a cop, ducking her head into the back of the car. She mumbles the entire time, slurring her final attempts at more jabs against us all.
As the cab drives away, Aiden joins us, along with Westin and Jared. “What did we miss?”
“Just Cruella de Vil getting what she deserved.” Taylor shrugs.
Aiden wraps his arm around my shoulder, looking down at me questioningly.
“Piper was here, wasted and…” I shake my head. “I’ll explain the rest later.”
Tank turns his large frame toward us, his eyebrows furrowed. “I’m so sorry. I swear, I did not bring her here to cause drama. I truly thought she only wanted to make amends.” He looks past us at his girlfriend, his expression disappointed.
“I didn’t know, either. I thought the same as you.”
“Why are you even friends with someone like her? Do you realize how stupid she made me look when I accused these guys of not knowing what they’re doing? Jesus.”
“I’m sorry, okay? I’m just as embarrassed,” his girlfriend says, pleading with him. “She’s gone now. Can we talk about this later? And enjoy the party in the meantime, please?”
Tank sighs, turning to us as if he’s asking permission.
Taylor and I both smile as she says, “We’ve had plenty of run-ins with Piper. What was one more?” We laugh, and the tension slowly fades.
The thick air clears the rest of the way when another car pulls to a stop in front of us.
“The boys are here.” Tank steps around us to meet the giants who jump from the vehicle. They all fist-bump and joke as Taylor and I fade to the background.
Aiden glances at me, his eyes wide.
From what I can tell, the guys are football players and maybe other athletes too, since they’re Tank’s friends.
I nod that way. “Go. Be awesome.”
He kisses me, squeezing me tightly, then waves to everyone to go inside and enjoy the rest of the party.
Taylor and I hang back as they lead the way. She pulls me close as we follow them inside. “I can’t believe Catherine was ever friends with Piper.”
“They were friends?”
“Yeah, in college, but she’s always been so hateful when others succeed. Jealousy, man, it makes people do crazy things.”
“You can say that again.”
“She’s wrong, you know?”
“What do you mean?” I stop and face her.
She squeezes my arms. “You’re not getting promoted because of your relationship with Aiden or anything other than your talent.”
I gulp. “Did you say…”
“You’re getting promoted. I confirmed it with Mr. Cartwright a few days ago.”
I cover my mouth with a shaking hand.
“I was going to wait until Monday to let you know, but I can’t keep it in any longer.”
“Oh my… Taylor… this is amazing,” I sputter as I pull her in for a hug.
“We’ll work out the details on Monday, but for now… we party.”
“There’s a lot to celebrate.” I smile.
Taylor and I continue down the hall until we reach the rest of the crowd.
I meet Aiden’s gaze across the room.
He grins.
He and I had ups and downs and learned from each one. We came out the other side as better people.
A better couple.
And I’m confident we’ll be better parents someday too.
There was a time when I would’ve given anything to turn back time and alter what happened between us.
But things are finally falling into place.
We’re together now. We’re stronger because of our messy past, and looking back, knowing how things are turning out for us, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Chapter Forty-Three
AIDEN
I’m standing in the middle of a huddle of football and basketball players. Around Tank McAllister and his friends. They crowd us like we’re the celebrities here. As if they’re eager to meet us, when it’s the other way around.
I don’t freak out over celebrities. I don’t squeal like a teenager when someone famous is close by.
But when these athletes shake our hands and congratulate us, I damn near faint.
“I’d love to stay and chat about that touchdown last season”—I point to one of the quarterbacks—“but I need to be at the office in less than thirty minutes. Great to meet you all, and we’ll talk soon.”
“We’ll hold you to it.” They point between the three of us. “All of you.”
Westin and Jared walk next to me as we head outside. We remain cool until the door closes behind us.
“Is this our life now, dude? Being friends with pro-athletes?” Jared’s jaw drops.
“I mean, one of them invited me to dinner at their place next month. What the hell?” Westin’s eyes are wide.
“This is it, man.” I run my hands through my hair, squeezing my eyes closed, soaking it all in. I open them and find them staring at me. Clapping both their shoulders, I repeat, “This is it.”
The doors burst open, and Sage and Naomi come out. They’re both grinning, and Sage jumps into my arms. “That was amazing,” she whispers against my lips before she crushes hers to mine. She keeps her gaze on me as she pulls back. “You all killed it. Like fucking rock stars.”
“Seriously.” Naomi crosses her arms and cracks a small smile.
I want to stay and celebrate some more.
But there’s work to be done.
And a proposal to give afterward.
“Go.” Sage nudges me. “Taylor and I will handle the rest of the party. Then, I’ll meet you at your place later, okay?”
I nod and capture her lips one more time, then head off with Jared and Westin in the direction of our building.
More champagne awaits us at the office.
“Soon, we’ll be able to afford crystal, but until then, plastic will do.” Nikki laughs, pouring a round for everyone. “A toast to Jock Stock.”
We raise our glasses, and Westin holds his hand out. “I’ll keep this brief. Many people don’t understand what it means to dedicate your time and energy to a dream. To have faith that it’ll work out. It takes a special kind of person to keep going when you hit one roadblock after another like we have.” He looks around the room at us. “I’m proud of each of us. We’ve had long nights. Very long days. We’ve poured our souls into this, and I want to thank each of you for your dedication, resilience, and excellent work. This company is here because of you. And it’s only the beginning.”
“Cheers.” I hold up my cup to meet everyone else’s as we whoop and holler.
We disperse to our desks, clicking on our keyboards and mouses. I dim the light in my office. Nikki plays music from her phone, but it’s muffled by the blood rushing to my ears. I can’t hear anyone as I zone in on my computer, waiting for the clock to run out.
“We’re live,” Westin announces, and the real party begins.
“Come to my office.” Westin sneaks a bottle of champagne and cups on his way.
“Are we in trouble? Being called to the principal’s office?” Jared snorts.
I roll my eyes, then clap him on the back as we follow Westin.
The launch is a success. The app crashed from the number of users logging on, but between Jared, Lila, and me, we got it back up in record time. Our research, tests, and team proved to be effective. The board is happy. The investors too.
Users have shared and tagged us across many social media sites—they’re even more excited about football season than before. They can’t wait to see how their stocks in the players do.
I had to sit back several times to take in the positive comments and feedback. How is this our life now? I’ve asked myself this many times during the night. I don’t know that it’s something I’ll ever get used to.
It’s humbling and surreal.
“A special toast.” Westin hands Jared and me a small cup, then holds his in the air. “It’s been years of stress and lack of sleep. Jared, you might not have been there from the beginning, but you’ve become a partner. An integral part of this company.”
I nod, tapping my cup to Jared’s in agreement.
“We’ve come a long way.” Westin peers at us like we’re his sons, and it gives me a new sense of pride that we’ve come together—three guys with different backgrounds, families, and personalities—to create something this unique on such a grand scale.
After we clink, we stick around in Westin’s office. Jared takes a seat in the corner, and I sit on the edge of Westin’s desk.
“I’m just glad Aiden lasted this long with one laptop. How many times did you unplug it, hold it over your head, and threaten to toss it out a window?” Jared jokes.
“Oh yeah?” I point to him. “How about the time you showed up to the new office in a beanie, hood over your head, and dark circles under your eyes like a raccoon? Scared the shit out of Nikki, who almost called security.”
Westin chuckles into his champagne.
I turn to him, swallowing my sip of the bubbly liquid. “Don’t think you’ll get away so easily.”
“What?” Westin holds his hand out.
“When you showed up to our first meeting with our first investor? You wore suspenders like you were going to a fifties costume party.”
Jared spits champagne onto the floor, his face red from laughing.
“Dude, the mess!” Westin stands from his chair.
“I’m… not even… sorry,” Jared manages through his chuckles. Clearing his throat, he shakes his head. “I’ll clean that up, but so worth it. I forgot all about that story.”
“As IT supply salesmen, we didn’t exactly need to dress up. How was I supposed to know what to wear?” Westin shrugs, cracking a smile.
“You sure showed us.” I wave my hand over him, by far the best dressed of us three.
After half an hour of us reminiscing, I get up and toss my cup in the trash. “That’s it for me. I have one more accomplishment for the night.”
“Go get her,” Westin says at the same time that Jared says, “Lucky bastard.”
I take one last look at them, finding comfort in our friendship and working relationship. We’ll get married, have children, grow up, but at our roots, we’ll stay the same—three average guys who bonded over sports. We may be millionaires one day, but the money will never replace our core foundation. One of understanding, sympathy, and brotherhood.
I congratulate the team once more and grab the bouquet of roses from my office on my way out. My fingers tremble during the cab ride to make Sage mine. To make her my Jersey, once and for all.
When I told Jared and Westin I was proposing, I wanted to tell them about the baby on the way. To tell them I’m going to be a father and celebrate with them.
But she said we should wait. I know she’s scared, and I am too, so for now, I’ll bite my tongue.
I feel it in my bones, though—we’ll be parents. It’ll work this time.
I walk through the door to my loft, clutching the bouquet of roses to my chest as I lay eyes on her.
The ring’s in my pocket. The words and emotions are caught in my throat as I take her in.
Sage stands from the bed—she’s in one of my plaid shirts. The top few buttons are open, and it falls just below her ass.
My heart thunders as I
admire her—she’s magnificent and sexy, and soon, she’ll be showing much more. Which will make her that much more beautiful, carrying our baby.
This is it.
“Hi,” I breathe.
Her smile spreads slowly.
I hold the flowers out for her.
“What’re these for?” Her lips curl, spreading into a smile around the petals as she breathes them in.
Emotions further clog my throat as I kneel in front of her, taking the small box out of my breast pocket.
Her hand flies to her mouth as she drops the roses to her side.
“Sage…” I start. “I’ve been in love with you since college. Since we had lunch, and you joked with me about football. You didn’t know anything about first downs or field goals, but I fell for you. I fell for you then, and I fell for you again when you showed up to our first meeting all those months ago.” My voice is a soft whisper when I say, “I fall for you every day.”
“Oh my God,” she says.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. Many accomplishments too, tonight included. But you… being with you has been my greatest joy. Now, you and I are having a baby, and I already love him or her with every bone in my body. There’s just one more thing I’d like.”
She dips her head.
“Will you marry me?”
She nods, her tears streaming. “Aiden… you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. Happier than I thought I deserved. Every day with you is… an adventure, to say the least.”
I laugh. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” she whispers, then says more loudly, “Yes!”
I scoot closer to her and wrap my arms around her waist, pressing my ear to her stomach as she cradles my head.
Unbreakable: A Salvation Society Novel Page 27