Chapter 16
In all the possible versions of a first date with Topher Brodie, this was not the one I imagined.
There was no candlelit rooftop, no private chef, no tasteful jazz trio in the corner.
Instead, there was a giant swan boat, two very uncoordinated adults, and a suspiciously judgmental duck watching from the shore.
Topher gripped the oversized handles of the swan boat, his brow furrowed in concentration. “I did not realize that pedaling a giant swan would be this complicated,” he said, shooting me a helpless look.
I burst out laughing, my legs struggling to reach the pedals. “We’ve been pedaling for what feels like forever, and I swear we’ve barely moved.”
Topher groaned, shaking his head. “We’ve got to be the least coordinated swan boat riders ever.”
I couldn’t stop laughing; the sheer ridiculousness of the situation made it impossible to take anything seriously. “Hey, I think we’ve officially lapped that same tree like three times. This is swan boat purgatory.”
“You’re not wrong,” he said, wiping his brow dramatically. “At this rate, we’ll be out here until next week.”
“You know, I’m kind of impressed with how bad we are at this.” I laughed as I tried to steer us back on course.
“You say ‘we,’ but I think you’re doing just fine.” Topher nudged me lightly. “I’m the one who keeps steering us straight into the shore.”
“I think we’ve redefined what counts as a romantic date,” I teased. “But you know what? I’m having a great time.”
Topher shot me a sideways glance, his smile softening. “Yeah? Even with the whole swan boat disaster?”
I nodded, still grinning. “Especially with the swan boat disaster. It’s the most fun I’ve had in a while.”
He looked at me for a long moment, his expression shifting from playful to something more serious, something I wasn’t quite expecting.
“I’m glad we’re doing this.” He took a deep breath, as if he were choosing his words carefully.
“Obviously, I didn’t think everything through when we got into this whole fake relationship thing.
I wasn’t sure how it would play out. But it’s been different from what I expected. Better, honestly.”
My heart fluttered, and the air between us felt charged, like the whole mood had shifted into something deeper. “Better how?” I asked softly, trying to keep my voice steady, even though my pulse was racing.
Topher paused, his hands resting on the swan boat’s handles, his gaze softening as he looked at me.
“I didn’t expect to… like this. To like you.
” He smiled, a bit more tender now, and my breath hitched.
“I mean, you’re smart and funny, and you challenge me in a way no one else does.
You don’t just let me get away with stuff—you push me to be better. ”
I felt my cheeks heat, and for once, I was glad the ridiculous swan boat was distracting enough to hide how flustered I was.
“And you have this way of making people feel comfortable, like they can be themselves. I’ve seen it with my mom.
You’ve been so good to her, and it’s not just an act.
It’s who you are.” He looked down for a second, as if he were gathering his thoughts, then met my gaze again, more earnest this time.
“You make me feel like I can be myself around you. Like, I don’t have to be ‘Topher Brodie’ the billionaire or whatever. I’m just… me.”
I blinked, his words hitting me right in the chest, and I had to swallow down the lump forming in my throat. I’d always known Topher was more than what people saw on the surface, but hearing him say these things about me, about how I made him feel, was almost overwhelming.
He hesitated, his eyes searching mine. “And you’ve made me realize something else, too.
I don’t have to keep grinding myself into the ground.
You’ve shown me that it’s okay to take a step back.
I’ve been here for weeks now, and I haven’t worked as hard as I used to.
But you know what? Nothing’s fallen apart.
My life hasn’t collapsed.” He let out a small, almost disbelieving laugh.
“I’m happier, less stressed, and feeling better than I ever have in my life. And that’s because of you.”
My heart pounded as his words sank in. Topher Brodie, the workaholic billionaire who never stopped moving, was admitting he didn’t want to work as hard. And he was attributing it to me.
“Topher,” I whispered, my voice trembling slightly. I wanted to say something, but my mind was spinning too fast, trying to keep up with the enormity of what this meant.
He smiled, a little softer now, and reached over and gave my hand a quick, reassuring squeeze—just enough to make my heart trip over itself. “I don’t want to go back to the way things were before. You’ve made me realize there’s more to life than working nonstop. I want more than that.”
I swallowed hard, my heart swelling. “That’s, that’s a big step for you. I mean, you’ve been on this path for so long, and now you’re saying—”
“I’m saying I’m willing to change,” he interrupted, his tone sincere. “For me. And maybe for us.”
I couldn’t help it. The joy that bubbled up inside me was impossible to hide. My lips curved into a wide, uncontrollable smile. “Wow, that’s… that’s huge.”
He grinned, and his eyes never left mine.
“Yeah, well… you’re kind of a big deal.” His voice softened even more.
“You pay attention to the little things. You notice when I’m stressed, even if I try to hide it.
You don’t miss anything. And I didn’t realize how much I needed someone like that in my life. ”
I stared at him, my heart thumping with every word he spoke. He wasn’t just saying nice things—he was seeing me, and it felt like the most genuine thing in the world.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” he said, his voice dropping a little lower. “But when I’m with you, it feels like everything just… fits.”
I felt my heart soar, and the smile that spread across my face was impossible to hide. “Topher—” My voice cracked, and I had to laugh at myself. “I don’t know what to say.”
He grinned, reaching out to brush a strand of hair behind my ear. “I know we started this whole thing for my mom, to make her happy. But it doesn’t feel like we’re pretending anymore. At least not to me.”
I swallowed hard, my mind racing as I tried to process what he was saying. “What are you saying?”
His smile was soft but sincere. “I don’t want to just play along anymore. I want us to give this a try.”
The world seemed to pause for a second. Well, at least it did in my head.
The ridiculous swan boat, the swirling water, all of it faded into the background as his words hung between us.
I couldn’t stop the warmth that spread through me, and before I could even think twice, the words tumbled out. “I like spending time with you, too.”
The second I said it, I realized how true it was. It wasn’t planned, but it felt so right, so easy. And the look on his face—his grin stretching wider, relief lighting up his eyes—it only made me happier.
“Good,” he said, his voice warm and carrying the same quiet happiness that had started to build in me.
And then, thud! Our swan boat jerked violently to the side, slamming into another swan boat with a loud clunk. We lurched forward, gripping the handles for dear life as we tried not to tip over.
“Oh no, I think we hit them!” I gasped, my eyes wide with shock, but the sight of the startled couple in the other boat only made me want to laugh. They stared at us, wide-eyed.
“Oops,” Topher said with a sheepish grin. “Sorry!”
Nobody had been injured, but the bump sent our perfectly packed picnic basket tumbling off the boat’s edge. “No, no, no!” I yelled, watching it fall in slow motion, flipping dramatically into the lagoon with a loud splash.
For a moment, we both just stared at the floating basket, bobbing along in the water. Then, all at once, the absurdity of the situation hit, and I doubled over with laughter. “Oh, no, did we just lose our lunch to the lagoon?”
Topher was laughing, too, his hands still gripping the handles. “My mom and Gladys are going to love this story.”
“We have to rescue it!” I said, still giggling. “We can’t let the sandwiches go down without a fight!”
Topher shook his head, already turning the swan in the general direction of the basket, but it was clear this boat had a mind of its own. Instead of going straight, we veered to the left, circling the basket as if we were predators who couldn’t quite figure out how to catch their prey.
“Pedal faster!” I shouted, trying to get us closer.
“I am!” Topher exclaimed, his face red with effort, though he was laughing too hard to be of any real help.
“Weren’t you, like, some big rowing star at Brown? Shouldn’t you be killing this?” I teased, barely keeping a straight face as the swan boat wobbled hopelessly off course.
Topher groaned, trying to steer with no success. “First of all, real rowing doesn’t involve giant plastic birds, okay? This is completely different!”
“Sure, keep telling yourself that.” We lurched forward, then backward, our coordination as awful as ever, and I could see the basket drifting farther and farther away. “We’re losing it! The sandwiches are floating to their doom!”
“Okay, okay, we’ve got this,” Topher said, but his voice shook with laughter. We finally managed to get close enough to the basket, and I leaned over, stretching out my arm to grab it.
“Careful, careful!” Topher warned, half-serious, half-laughing. “We don’t need to go down with the ship!”
I was just inches from the basket when—plop!
—my hand slipped, and I tipped forward. Topher yanked me back into the boat just as I was about to swan dive into the lagoon, his strong arms wrapping around me as I landed ungracefully in his lap.
For a second, we just stared at each other, my heart racing for reasons that had nothing to do with the near-drowning incident.
And then he kissed me.
Now, that Jeopardy! kiss? The one that had put every kiss from my past to shame?
Well, this kiss put that kiss to shame in a way I didn’t even know was possible.
This kiss was everything I hadn’t let myself think about.
It was warm, slow, and steady, as if he had all the time in the world and no intention of letting me go anytime soon.
My brain short-circuited. Fireworks? Check. Butterflies? More like a tornado. I felt like I was floating, even though we were technically still stuck in the swan boat. If this is what kissing him was like, how had I not realized sooner that I was completely and utterly gone for him?
“Uh, guys? Your picnic basket is sinking!”
I blinked, dazed, pulling back just slightly to register the words coming from the swan boat we had collided with. I glanced over and, sure enough, there was our sad little picnic basket slowly disappearing beneath the water.
Topher glanced at it, too, and his eyes snapped back to me, his grin playful. “Do you care?”
I shook my head, biting back a smile. “Not even a little.”
“Good,” he said, pulling me closer again. “Because I’ve got other things on my mind.”
We watched as the basket bobbed one last time before sinking fully out of sight.
“RIP sandwiches,” I murmured, not bothering to move.
“Yeah, RIP,” Topher echoed, though his focus was back on me.
Honestly? Letting the picnic basket go was the easiest decision I’d ever made. There were more important things happening here.