Chapter 5
MATTHEW
Icould explain it away. Tell her Caroline doesn't matter, that it's ancient history, hand her the version that makes me look fine. Vivian would probably even let me.
I don't.
"Caroline was engaged to my best friend," I say.
"She cheated on him with a colleague and boasted about it in a group chat.
I was the one who told him. I've hated her since, and I let that hate turn me into someone I don't recognize whenever she's near me." I exhale. “And she’s taken to always trying to get near me. I fight against feeling that way about her. ‘Hate’ is probably too strong. But whatever it is, I don’t want you to see that in me. A cold, unforgiving side. It’s in me but I keep it buried. "
Vivian doesn't say anything right away. She just moves closer, until her forehead rests against my chest.
"You don't get to decide that for me," she says quietly. "I get to decide if I'm scared."
I wrap my arms around her, and we stay like that — not talking, not undressing, just breathing each other in — until the tightness in my chest finally loosens.
It's not sex. It's better.
I crack another egg into the bowl and watch Vivian steal a piece of bacon from the plate I just finished arranging. She's wearing my shirt from last night, the sleeves rolled up past her wrists, and her hair falls in waves over one shoulder.
"You're supposed to wait until it's on the table," I say.
"I'm quality control." She takes another piece. "This one's too crispy."
"They're all the same level of crispy."
"Exactly. Too crispy." She bumps my hip with hers as she reaches for the salt. "Your eggs are going to be rubber if you keep whisking them like that."
I look down at the bowl. The eggs are definitely overworked. "I know how to scramble eggs."
"Clearly." She takes the whisk from my hand and adds a splash of cream. "Low heat, gentle folds. You don't beat them into submission."
"I don't beat anything into submission."
"Right. You just stare at it until it complies."
She's not wrong. I watch her pour the eggs into the pan, the way her fingers adjust the flame without looking, how she tilts the pan to distribute everything evenly. There's something deeply satisfying about watching someone who knows what they're doing, even if it's just breakfast.
"Coffee's ready," she says, nodding toward the machine.
I pour two mugs and slide one across the counter to her. She wraps both hands around it, inhaling the steam, and closes her eyes for a second.
"What?" she asks.
"Nothing. You just look comfortable."
"In your brother's kitchen wearing your shirt? I'm the definition of comfortable."
"You know what I mean."
The past week has been the longest stretch of time I've spent with another person without wanting space. We've fallen into routines I didn't know I wanted—coffee before work, takeout on the couch, her falling asleep reading while I answer emails.
It's domestic in a way that should feel strange but doesn't. And the most important part? I don't feel inclined to work overtime anymore.
"Hand me a plate," she says.
I reach over her head to grab two from the cabinet, my chest brushing her back. For a moment, we're just standing there, her leaning back into me while eggs cook in the pan.
It occurs to me that this might be the most relaxed I've ever been in my life.
"Matthew."
"Yeah?"
"The eggs are burning."
I grab the spatula and rescue breakfast while she laughs at me. The eggs are slightly brown on the bottom, but not ruined. She slides them onto plates with the bacon and sets them on the counter.
"See? Gentle folds," she says, taking a bite. "Though I suppose slightly charred adds character."
"Everything I cook has character then."
"Okay, sure. Whatever you say."
I've barely taken a bite when the front door opens.
Vivian freezes, fork halfway to her mouth. We both turn toward the sound of voices in the entryway—familiar voices that shouldn't be here for three more days.
"—told you we should have called first," Angela says.
"It's my apartment," Levi responds. "And Matthew's staying here. He's probably not even awake yet."
Footsteps in the hallway getting closer.
Vivian looks down at herself—my shirt, bare legs, obvious bedhead—and then at me. Her eyes go wide with the kind of horror usually reserved for natural disasters.
"Oh God," she whispers.
The kitchen door swings open, and Levi walks in with Angela right behind him. He's got a tan from the honeymoon and is carrying what looks like a bag of souvenirs. He opens his mouth to say something, sees us, and stops.
His gaze moves between Vivian and me, taking in the scene—two plates of breakfast, two coffee mugs, her outfit, the general domestic tableau we've apparently created in his kitchen.
"Well," he says. "This is unexpected."
Angela appears beside him, surveys the situation, and grins. "Is it, though?"
Levi's expression shifts from surprise to something approaching panic. "Matthew, please tell me you're not sleeping with my executive assistant."
"Good morning to you too, Levi."
"That's not an answer."
"It wasn't really a question."
Vivian sets down her fork with exaggerated care. "I should probably go put on actual clothes."
"No," Levi says, pointing at her. "You stay right there. I need to understand what's happening to my office while I'm gone."
"Your office is fine," she says. "Everything's running smoothly. All your projects are on track. Mika Wells signed the contract yesterday."
"That's not what I'm worried about." He looks at me and points an accusing finger. "If you poach her, Matthew, I swear to God—"
"Poach her?"
"Don't play dumb. You steal my EA, my entire operation falls apart. She's the only reason I don't get fired."
"You can't get fired. We own the company."
"That's not the point!"
Angela steps between us, still smiling. "Maybe everyone should sit down and have some coffee."
"I'm not sitting down," Levi says. "Do you know how long it took me to find someone who could actually do this job? Do you know what my life was like before Vivian started working for me?"
"Marginally less organized?" I suggest.
"Chaos. Pure chaos. And now you're" —he continues jabbing a finger at me— "whatever this is."
"This is breakfast, Levi."
"This is breakfast between my brother and my employee, which means I'm about to lose the most competent person I've ever hired."
Vivian finally speaks up. "I'm not going anywhere unless you fire me."
"I will never fire you, Vivian," Levi says darkly. "But he's probably already planning to transfer you to his company. Better salary, better benefits—"
"I haven't offered her anything," I say.
"Yet. Because you're waiting for the right moment to make it irresistible. Oh, I know you, and I know the games you play."
He's not entirely wrong, but I'm not about to admit that right now.
Angela reaches over and touches Levi's arm. "Honey, maybe we should focus on why we're home early."
Something in her tone makes everyone stop talking.
Levi looks at her, and his expression immediately softens. "Right. We, uh…" He runs a hand through his hair. "We came back early because Angela took a test and—"
"I'm pregnant," Angela says, beaming.
I round the table and pull Angela into a hug. "Jesus. Really?"
"Really." Angela nods and loops her arm around Levi's. "Found out yesterday morning. We couldn't wait to tell everyone."
Levi grins like an idiot. "We're having a baby."
Levi's going to be a father, and he's going to be good at it.
"Congratulations," I say, and mean it completely.
Vivian sets down her coffee mug and walks over to hug Angela. "This is amazing news."
"Thank you." Angela squeezes her back. "And for what it's worth, I think you two make sense together."
Levi sighs. "I suppose I can't complain about my EA situation when I'm about to become a father."
Angela kisses his cheek. "You really can't."
"But I'm still going to worry about it."
"Of course you are," I say. "It's what you do."
He grins at that, the last of his panic finally fading. "So, breakfast?"
Vivian glances at the pan. "I can make more eggs."
"I'll help," Angela offers. "I want to hear everything about how this happened."
As they move toward the stove, Levi drops into one of the counter stools and looks at me.
"You know," he says quietly, "I always wondered what it would take to make you stop working eighteen-hour days."
"Apparently your executive assistant."
"Apparently." He pauses and wipes a hand across his face. "Jesus, I hate you so much."