Chapter 26 Jada
Bryce saw me before his assistant did. His all-consuming gaze landed on me, making me feel utterly transparent.
My logical brain urged me to turn right around and run away to the nursery.
But then his full lips lifted in a hopeful smile that had my stomach dancing in circles despite how nervous I felt.
Or maybe it was the baby moving. I couldn’t tell.
I felt so out of touch with my own body ever since my OB-GYN appointment the day before.
There had been a whole baby in my body without me knowing it, for crying out loud!
I had to keep rubbing my thumb over the ultrasound to remind myself this was real.
I was going to be a mother, and I learned from the best that parents did whatever it took to give their children the best life possible.
Maya approached the door, walking easily in her shiny black heels, and held it open for me. “Jada, welcome. Can I get you a drink? Perhaps so you’ll have something to throw in his face later?”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. It must have been my first time laughing since yesterday, because it sounded strange to my ears. “Maybe one oat milk latte to drink and one to toss?” I suggested with a weak smile. I swore Bryce’s already pale skin went a shade lighter.
“On it,” Maya said, sweeping out of the office.
Bryce and I were alone. I took him in, trying to find a reason to talk myself out of my plan.
His blue eyes were kind. His lips had a gentle tilt to them, giving him a welcoming appearance.
And even in a suit, his athletic frame was easy to see.
On our date, he’d told me he liked children and eventually wanted some of his own.
He was the total package—aside from the marriage of convenience he proposed.
Setting his coffee down on his desk, he said, “I can guess why you’re here.” There was a heaviness to his voice that weighed on my heart. I felt it too for entirely different reasons.
“Should we sit down?” I asked. This might take awhile, and I was already feeling faint from my nerves.
“Of course.” He seemed embarrassed he hadn’t offered me a seat already as he strode to the table and pulled out one of the chairs for me.
Our shoulders brushed as I went to sit down, and my stomach fluttered in response.
Or maybe that was my baby kicking me for this stupid plan.
My heart longed for more of her kicks, of a confirmation that’s what the feeling had been, but… nothing.
Bryce tucked himself into a chair at the opposite end of the table while I reached into my purse with one shaking hand. My fingers closed around my notepad, and I got it out, flipping to the first page of my notes. “I wrote down some questions,” I told him. My cheeks felt hot.
“Prepared, I like it.” There was a spark of a smile in his eyes. Not like he was amused by me, but maybe impressed.
I tried not to be too flattered by the compliment. Especially with the awareness that this had been a business arrangement to him all along. “Can you tell me why you’re needing to get married?” I kept my gaze glued to his face, looking for any hint of a lie when he responded.
He cringed. “I can’t answer that without a signed NDA.”
“Where is the contract?” I asked. I needed to know everything about this situation. Especially now that it would affect my daughter’s life if I went through with it.
He got up from his chair, and I watched as he marched to his desk, getting a packet from his top drawer. When he returned to the table, he set it in front of me. Across the top in bold letters, I read, NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT.
“Wow,” I breathed. For some reason, seeing those words made me less guilty about what I was about to do. If he could use me as a pawn in his business game, I could benefit too.
At least Bryce had the sense to seem embarrassed. “We had them drawn up as soon as we found out about the marriage clause.”
“So that’s what we’re calling it...” I muttered as I scanned through the pages, and when I got to the last page, I signed my name by the yellow tab.
I didn’t worry too much about the legalese binding me because I’d never admit any part of this to someone I knew.
Getting married for any reason other than love was humiliating.
As the ink began to dry on my signature, Bryce opened up, telling me about Simon, his dying wish, and the consequences of remaining unmarried.
He seemed tortured about it, and that’s when I noticed the circles beneath his eyes and the slight slump to his shoulders.
The signs were subtle, but I could tell this decision really was weighing on him.
But it didn’t totally make sense to me. “If I marry you, you save your company from Simon’s children and have a chance to go public.”
He nodded his confirmation.
“Is it really that bad? If you go public, you’ll be inviting other investors in anyway.”
“But they won’t have a majority share, and they won’t dilute the founders’ control either,” he said. “They also won’t be privy to proprietary information.”
I arched my eyebrows. “Why would Simon’s kids share info that would stop their gravy train?”
“For money—what else?”
I shook my head slowly. “That’s what this is all about then. Money.”
“It’s money, but it’s more than that. I don’t want people like Simon’s kids having more money, more power. I want the money going to people who will do good with it,” he said with so much feeling, I wanted to believe him.
“You and your cofounders do good in the world?” I asked.
“The five of us have donated over a billion dollars to different charities,” he said.
I arched my eyebrows in disbelief. “Like what?”
He held up his fingers, counting off different endeavors, starting with his brother’s charity giving bereaved children free counseling. There were other causes as well–beds for foster children, rent assistance for low-income parents, sport complexes built for schools, and more.
“And we employ people here,” he continued.
“We offer good wages, solid benefit packages. We contract with small businesses to help them grow… The only thing Simon’s kids have done with their money is preyed on vulnerable people to join a cult or sent it up their noses.
To be fair, Aleyna’s spending hasn’t really hurt anyone. But it certainly hasn’t helped.
“Not to mention, MyHome helps people. Shelter is the most basic need, and people find our app to find the best fit for them.”
I blinked, amazed by the passion he felt, comforted by how much thought he’d put into this. But there was so much more to wrap my mind around. “Okay, I get that, but what happens if the other guys don’t get married?”
“Then the shares go to Simon’s children,” he said gravely.
I narrowed my gaze at him. “You’re putting a lot of trust in these guys.”
“The business is as much mine as it is theirs,” he said simply, ignoring the fact that it was his software that launched the company. His humility was endearing, and I didn’t want to be so endeared to him. This was purely a business deal. It had to be for me to be okay with my choice.
“So if I agree and we get married... you could still lose control of your company—along with half of everything you own.”
His response was a tight nod.
Despite my initial disgust at his proposal, I realized just how much Bryce was putting on the line here. Choosing me said he trusted me.
He shouldn’t.
Still, I had to ask, “Why me?”
“It’s a gut feeling,” he admitted without hesitation. “Why did you come back?”
“Also a gut feeling.” Literally.
A corner of his lips lifted. “So you’re considering it?”
I hesitated for a moment before I gave a begrudging nod. The smile on his face was like the sunrise—bright, casting everything in the room in a better light. I had to remind myself marrying him wasn’t about a crush or my feelings for him at all.
So I held up my hand. “Hold on. I have some conditions of my own.”