Chapter 32
I f Kaplan Fritz thought I was going to be waiting at home for him to sort out his crazy love life, he had another thing coming.
I’m far too itchy and jumpy to sit still, so I came out here to my studio so I could work.
I need to work. I need to occupy my mind with something other than what’s going on.
When we got off the plane, and I turned my phone back on, it was loaded with texts from Charlie and Greta. It was a lot of, oh, we knew it when we saw them together on the street, and wow, they make such a beautiful couple.
Barf.
I didn’t contribute much.
I’m feeling a bit sour and it’s not Kaplan’s fault necessarily. It’s that he can go and say whatever he wants, but the world—and his parents—want him with someone like Millie. Not someone like me. And I have a feeling it’s going to get ugly before it gets better.
He says he’s in this with me, and I have to have faith in that.
I have no reason to doubt him and that’s what I’m clinging to.
So until then, it’s fire and metal and water.
It’s listening to some loud kick-ass, girl-empowering music.
It’s shaking my ass while I pour the melted liquid gold into the ring cast I made.
I’m so excited about this piece. I have to find the right stone for it, but I wanted to recreate the Horcrux ring from Harry Potter.
The one with that cool stone and antique-looking gold, but I’m going to add my own flair and style to it.
Just as I’m done pouring the gold, my phone chimes with a text.
Kaplan: I’ve got a surprise for you .
That’s all it says, only for another text to come in, but this one is a link to a news network.
Setting everything down and taking off my gloves and goggles, I find a stool and sit down.
With a tremulous hand and a nervous heart, I tap my screen that had gone dark, unlock it, and click on the link in the text.
Immediately it takes me to the website of the news network, but it feeds directly to a recording. I hit play and watch the screen and it brings up the evening news broadcast with two broadcasters talking.
“Reports of the engagement between Dr. Kaplan Abbot-Fritz and Millie Van Der Heusen broke early this morning and quickly took social media by storm.”
“That’s right, Bill, but in a shocking new development, news networks across the Boston area as well as several national entertainment agencies received a prerecorded interview between Kaplan Fritz and a local anchor from our station. We have the entire video for you tonight. Take a look.”
The screen changes to what appears like a formal living room of sorts where Kaplan is sitting in a chair with a man sitting across from him. The anchor starts first.
“Good evening, I’m Peter White. For years now, Boston has been obsessed with their favorite Abbot-Fritz family.
They’re followed like the British Royal family.
Their love lives the stuff of front-page news and viral Twitter posts.
This past year especially has given Bostonians and the world enough Fritz love-life gossip to write a romance book series.
But I’m here tonight with Dr. Kaplan Abbot-Fritz, whose engagement to Millie Van Der Heusen was just announced this morning.
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Dr. Fritz. ”
The camera changes over to Kaplan. “It’s my pleasure. I’m delighted to be here speaking with you about this.”
“Excellent. So let’s get down to it. You had said you wanted to make a public statement. Not exactly something you’re known for in your family.”
Kaplan chuckles, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. “No. Discussing my personal life in public is not something I’ve ever been comfortable with, but given what happened this morning, my family and I felt it was essential to set the record straight.”
“Then, by all means, the floor is yours.”
“Thank you. While away on a brief weekend trip, it came to my attention that there were reports of an engagement between me and Millie Van Der Heusen. I’m here tonight to tell you those reports are completely false.”
“False?” the anchor repeats, his voice bathed in amazement as he jerks forward on his chair.
“That’s correct. Millie Van Der Heusen and I are not engaged. We’re not involved in any way. I’ve been acquainted with Millie for most of my life as our mothers were friends, but that is the extent of things. There is no relationship between us. There is no engagement. And there never will be.”
“But what about the pictures of the two of you that were taken?”
“They were nothing. Harmless and completely innocent. I met Millie in the restaurant, where we briefly caught up before I had to return to the hospital. Those photographs were taken as I was walking her to her car in the rain since she didn’t have an umbrella.
Millie is a terrific person, and I wish her the best, but she and I are acquaintances and nothing more. ”
The reporter leans back in his chair, eyes wide, utterly flabbergasted. “I have to admit, I’m stunned by this as I’m sure the rest of our viewers and the world will be. The reports of the engagement came directly from her family this very morning. They claimed the two of you were madly in love.”
Kaplan shrugs but appears as cool and unruffled as one can be.
“I’m not sure what to say about that other than all of that is completely false.
I am not in love with Millie Van Der Heusen, and we are not engaged.
Myself, I learned of the claims the way everyone else did.
By watching it on television this morning.
The truth is, I have been dating an incredible woman for a while now and out of love and respect for her, I could not allow false claims about me and Millie to perpetuate. ”
The reporter picks up on this juicy bit, shifting so he’s closer to Kaplan once more, ready to pounce. My heart starts to pound. “So you’re telling us you’re romantically involved with someone else? Someone who is not Millie Van Der Heusen.”
Kaplan smirks into the camera. “That is correct. This woman and I briefly knew each other years ago and have recently reconnected. In fact, we were together this morning when we heard the news of the engagement.”
“That must have come as quite a shock to you both.”
He chuckles humorlessly, running a hand through his hair. “It did indeed.”
“And is this relationship serious?”
“Yes. Bianca and I are extremely happy together and very much in love.”
The phone slips from my hand, landing hard on the concrete and shutting off the rest of the interview. Holy crapballs. He said my name. On the news. On national freaking news, Kaplan Fritz announced that he and I are in a relationship and that we’re in love.
My phone starts vibrating on the ground, the screen lighting up with notification after notification.
I can only imagine what all of that is. What was a secret relationship with a famous billionaire just went prime time.
Yikes. The press will be all over us. All over me.
And while the idea of that makes me want to throw myself into the forge, Kaplan is worth it.
Eventually they’ll grow bored and move on to the next thing.
Bending down to retrieve my phone, someone is already there, beating me to it.
“Hey,” he says, his green eyes all over me.
I stagger off the stool. “Have you been here the whole time?”
“Does it make me weird or a creeper if I say yes?”
“Did you watch me watch you?”
A slow nod and now my face is flaming hotter than the fire two feet from me. “Did I freak out? Gasp? What?” I don’t even remember how I reacted.
“You stared at your phone like it was about to give you a juicy piece of celebrity gossip and you didn’t like what was said.”
Is he crazy? How could I not like what was said?
Without hesitation, I throw my arms around his neck and jump up onto him so he has to catch me. “I love what was said.” My lips land on his in a bruising kiss. “I love everything you said. I can’t believe you did that. Told them about me like that.”
“B, you’re mine. And I want the world to know it so that there’s no more confusion.”
God, this man. This man who is just so absolutely perfect for me.
“Tomorrow is going to be one nutty day,” I murmur against his lips.
“I know. We’ll go into the hospital together along with Axl and Slash and then on Tuesday, I’ll bring you into the foundation because I’m your boss, and well, that’s probably a problem.”
“Gee, why didn’t I think of that sooner?”
He pinches my butt and sets me down. “I’m not worried about it. I’ll speak with HR and get it sorted out, but we’re not breaking any laws and I haven’t shown you a lot of favoritism.”
“You did fire Jenny.”
“Kelly had it coming from the second I stepped foot in that office.”
I snicker at how he refuses to call her Jenny.
“Are you done here? Can we go home?”
“I don’t have any of my stuff.”
A kiss to my lips. Hands in my hair. “We’ll get it in the morning. But I’m thinking you should start keeping some things at my place. A toothbrush. A hairbrush for your long, long hair. Clothes. Shoes.”
“You want me to keep a bag of stuff at your house?”
He smiles against my lips. “Or all of your stuff. I’m sure I could manage to make room in my closet for your shoe collection.”
“Doubtful, but I’m not moving in with you. I just moved into my place.”
“Which I already know is a six-month rental.”
I gasp into him only for his mouth to start working its way down my neck in a very distracting way that makes it nearly impossible for me to hold on to my ire. “You looked into my rental?”
“Absolutely,” he says unrepentantly, licking along my pulse point. “So for now, we’ll start with that bag and we can keep adding to it.”
“Kaplan, we haven’t been doing this very long. Not even a month since we started sleeping together.”
He pulls back, his forehead dropping to mine. “Worried we won’t last? That we’ll burn out?”
“Maybe a little?” I laugh. “I haven’t had the best luck with love or relationships.”
“That’s because it wasn’t right. As a man who is much older than you, I can tell you with assurance, you’re stuck with me. Quite possibly for life.” He presses me against him. “Bianca, I’ve waited my whole life for you. No way am I letting you go now. Come on. I have a surprise for you at home.”
“Another surprise?”
“Yep. Only I’m not sure how much you’ll love this one.”
A half an hour later, we walk through the back door of his place, and I feel ambushed. Again. Only this is in a really great way. Kaplan stands behind me, his mouth by my ear, before anyone realizes we’re standing here.
“They didn’t want to wait to meet you, though I held my parents off until dinner some night this week.”
“They wanted to meet me?” I don’t know why I’m so affected by this, but I am. I’m practically choked up.
“They’re here on a Sunday night, aren’t they?” Kaplan takes my hand and leads me into the kitchen and great room area of his house. “Remember what I said,” he yells just as a stunning woman with black hair and blue-green eyes squeals in excitement.
She rolls her eyes at him before cutting her gaze to me. “Are you a hugger?”
“I’m a huge hugger.”
“See. Release Bianca, Kaplan Fritz. She is safe with us,” she says in a booming, theatrical voice. “I’m Raven, Luca’s much better half. You’ve met him already, so I’m sure you’ll agree.” She points to a guy wearing a blue sweater and jeans with dark hair and green eyes like Kaplan’s.
“We’ve all been rooting for you since day one he mentioned you,” a man who I already know to be Oliver Fritz tells me. “And for Kaplan to mention a woman at all…” he trails off, doing a mind-blown gesture with his hands.
“Straight talk,” a pretty blonde who I know is their sister Rina agrees. “Counting. The. Seconds here.”
“You’ll never get rid of them now,” a beautiful redhead tells me. I think she’s engaged to Oliver.
“But you won’t want to either,” another blonde informs me. This is obviously Grace and the man beside her with the dark eyes and dark hair holding the tiny baby has to be Carter.
“It’s true,” a woman with slightly darker blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a Southern twang informs me.
“I’m the newest to this crew and you can’t help but love them.
Even when they’re broody and intolerable.
” She winks at me and the guy who is obviously Landon, Luca’s identical twin, just stands there, half shrugging as if to say, yeah.
Not much of a talker, from what Kaplan has told me about him.
“Well, now that I know you’re a hugger, I get first dibs,” Luca announces and launches himself across the room, racing Raven, who gets in on it a second too late.
A laugh bursts from my chest as he reaches me first and steals me from Kaplan’s grip.
He lifts me in the air, giving me a squeeze.
“Glad to see you managed to thaw old baby face’s ugly, untouchable heart.
Incidentally, I won the pool because of it, so thanks for that. ”
“What was the pool?” I ask when he sets me down.
“That Kap would drop the L-word in under a month after you two started doing the deed. Ten grand, pretty lady. High-fives to that.”
“Ten grand?” I choke on my saliva. And tongue. It’s a wonder I’m able to breathe.
Luca gives me a devilish grin and wow. Who the hell bets ten grand on something like that other than billionaires?
“My turn.” Raven hip checks Luca out of the way and then she’s all over me, hugging me fiercely like we’ve known each other forever.
“Kaplan’s like my best friend and older brother rolled into one so I’m going to love you just as hard as I love him, but if you fuck with him, I’ll break all your bones the same way. ”
I laugh because how can you not? “Noted. Promise you won’t have to break anything.”
“Good stuff.”
Then the rest of them descend. I meet everyone.
Including Stella and Layla and Baby Owen.
All are absolutely adorable. Everyone is hugging me and smiling and telling me they’re so happy I’m with him.
I can’t help but be overwhelmed. In the best possible way.
Having Kaplan’s family like and accept me without question or judgment is everything my heart needed.
They don’t linger, the hour already late and after the last hug and promise of dinners and drinks and girl shopping trips—I can already tell Rina and I will be besties with that—Kaplan locks everything up, sets the alarm, and then it’s just us.
Showering together. Falling into bed. Making love.
Kissing. Talking. Holding. Laughing. Touching.
Swearing a love to each other that will never end.
A love that knows no bounds or limits.
A perfect love that can only exist between two imperfect souls.