Chapter 37
ELI
“Oh, showtime. Gotta go.” Sapphire runs off in the direction of the stage at the front of the ballroom.
Today is the day of the staff conference, and while I know Sapphire has everything under control, if today goes to shit, then it will be on my head, and my brothers will never let me live it down.
“Have fun,” I shout after her, her rose-gold locks streaming behind her like shimmering, silky ribbons.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve not just bonded; we’ve spent every possible hour together, in between her schedule and mine.
The more time I spend with her, the more she’s showing me how to stop sweating the small stuff, to accept things as they are, let go and enjoy the simple things in life like butterflies and bees and the revelation that the 7-Eleven near my penthouse stocks her favorite organic hair dye.
But that’s Sapphire. She’s endlessly in love with life.
My brothers’ voices cut through my dreamy thoughts of her.
Cole first, mimicking a girl’s voice. “All I do all day is think about my girlfriend.”
“Shut up,” I bite back.
Then Max, because he’s back at work. “She’s so beautiful.” His tone goes all high and squeaky.
“I want her to have my babies,” Nathan adds, copying Max’s tone.
“Shut up, jerkoffs,” I say under my breath, secretly loving their teasing and not confessing that all of what they said is what I’ve been thinking.
She’s like a shot of adrenaline. She’s made me see what I hadn’t before, and she’s even reenergized me to the point that I’ve finally finished the merger case and document I’ve been working on for much longer than I should have.
I feel good. About everything. I survey the room, the buzz of excitement filling it because marketing has done an incredible job of pumping everyone up for the day ahead.
From the breakout sessions to the lunch menu, it’s all perfect, and it was wrong of me ever to doubt Sapphire.
I know she’s already nailed the day, and we haven’t even begun.
I even enjoyed the upbeat music that was played at registration.
“Who’s that?” I jut my chin at the woman with jet-black hair standing at the back of the room.
Cole replies, “That’s Yasmine Montgomery. The woman who will be developing our new app, hopefully.”
“What’s she doing here?” I ask, curiously.
“She wants to conduct some research and ask the staff questions about their process in a more relaxed environment to help form the basis of the app before our demonstration,” Cole replies, unable to drag his eyes away from her.
I think he likes her. But who knows? If Sapphire thinks I’m deep, then Cole can sometimes be even deeper, barely sharing what he’s thinking with any of us.
Since the Rooted in Trust retreat, my brothers have noticed a big change in me. I almost feel like my old self again. Almost, because there’s still some work to do. I’m still aligning, just not as often; sometimes I go days without doing it.
Neither Cole, Max, nor Nathan has said anything, but I know they are happy for me and Sapphire; they even asked when I was going to ask her to move in with me.
Soon.
Very, very soon.
Music begins playing through the speakers, causing everyone to settle and straighten in their seats as my brothers and I take the seats behind us, lined up against the wall.
As if by magic, Sapphire walks onto the stage to a round of applause, looking like a vision in a powder-pink and lemon-yellow dress today, and wearing a new pair of pink cowboy boots. The ones I bought her.
“Louder,” Sapphire shouts down the microphone headset she’s wearing, encouraging everyone to clap more enthusiastically as she waves her hands out in front of her, palms up, and lifts them to the ceiling, causing everyone to follow her instruction, people adding wolf whistles into the mix.
The day is already worlds apart from our previous staff events. Our employees are ready and willing, it would appear.
“That’s much better.” Sapphire moves into the middle of the stage, the spotlight shining on her, making her look surreal.
Fuck, I’m so head over heels in love with her it’s making me stupid.
My brain has almost turned into goo, I’m sure of it. Yesterday, I couldn’t concentrate all day and spent most of the morning replaying how I fucked her on my balcony, wearing those sexy boots she’s currently wearing. I was right about her becoming my obsession, in a good way, though, not a bad one.
“Good morning, everyone.” Sapphire greets everyone cheerfully as the music drifts away and the applause dies down.
“I am Sapphire Feelgood and today I will be your host. First of all, I have a secret to share with you. My name is not, in fact, Sapphire Feelgood; nope, it’s Sapphire Smith. Boring, huh?” she asks with a smile.
“Did you know that?” Max asks through the side of his mouth.
“Yeah.” She told me last night. She tells me everything, even what size tampons she needs, depending on her flow. She’s a book that’s fully open, pages folded back, spine cracked and all.
“Now, you might be wondering why I call myself Feelgood. Well, it’s for one main reason.
When I first started Safire she’s a kind of medication everyone should take.
Sapphire raises her voice enthusiastically.
“So, prepare yourself for a fantastic, fun-filled, packed-to-the-rafters day because we’re about to get this party started, and if I see a single one of you in your seat for the first session of the day, I will personally make you get up on stage and dance for us all. ”
Then she introduces the Boomwhackers, the room electric, buzzing almost as everyone runs out of their seats to grab a multicolored tube from the other side of the room.
In sync, Max, Cole, and Nathan all turn to face me with giant grins.
“How the fuck did you talk that firecracker into dating you? You dull son of a bitch,” Nathan asks, part baffled and part amused.
I lift my shoulders to my ears in a shrug. “I have no idea.” I really don’t.
“It’s his big dick, there’s no other reason,” Max mutters.
Nathan reaches past Max and punches my bicep. “Fucking great job, Elijah.”
Emotion builds in my chest. “We’ve not started yet.” I watch as our employees with smiles on their faces make their way back to their tables already whacking their tubes and laughing.
“Maybe not, but it’s already the best opening to a staff conference we’ve ever had. You’re doing this again next year.” Max points to Sapphire. “And she’s getting a ten-year contract from us.”
It’s exactly what she deserves.
“She actually quit halfway through the project because I was an awkward bastard,” I confess, inwardly cringing. “I had to beg her to stay.”
My brothers burst out laughing before jumping to their feet, snatching up Boomwhackers of their own, and diving into the chaos, lightly bopping our staff on the head as they do it right back, the room alive with laughter and rhythm.
I exhale, a slow, full breath.
Sapphire catches my eye from the stage and waves, her smile bright even through the lights.
I lift a hand in return, heart pounding with certainty.
I’m going to marry that woman.