Chapter 20
ALEX
Alex felt like the worst person in the world.
Grace stood across from him, tears shining in her green eyes, staring at him like he’d just broken her heart.
And Alex knew he probably had. They’d lived for the last six weeks or so in their own little world, where they could dream about a future together with their children.
He loved living there. He wanted to make that dream real.
But the more logical part of Alex also knew that the dream and reality were very, very different. He’d thought that Grace understood that, too. But from the way her hands were clenched into fists and her eyes were narrowed to keep tears in, he knew that he’d been wrong.
“MatchupNow is about long-term, real relationships,” Alex began.
“I know what the app’s about!” Grace snapped.
“I know you do, but please let me explain.”
“Fine.”
“We prioritize real connections, family, and love. And because of that, there’s a high standard for how I should act.
I mostly don’t date, which is strange enough.
But what if it came out that I’d had a hookup?
Not only that, but a hookup with an employee?
And that the hookup led to a pregnancy? And that, despite the pregnancy, the employee was now suing me?
” Alex shook his head. “I would be ruined. My reputation would be in tatters. I could lose investors… I could even lose my company.”
Grace took a slow step backward as one of the tears that had been gathering in her eyes slipped down her cheek. She was still staring at him.
“I knew it,” she whispered.
“Knew what?” Alex asked.
“I knew that this would happen eventually.” She folded her arms across her chest, and in an instant, her sadness seemed to sharpen into anger. Her eyes narrowed. “Well, good. I’m glad you’re finally showing me how you really feel.”
“What do you mean?” Alex asked.
“You care about your company more than me, more than your babies, more than anything,” Grace replied. “But I knew that already. I just forgot about it for a little while, when we seemed to be in such a good place.”
“I…” Alex shook his head. “You and the babies matter to me, Grace. You matter so much. But I’ve worked to build up this company for more than a decade. I’ve poured almost every waking hour into making it a success. So, I can’t let this… situation… ruin everything I’ve built.”
“Situation?” Grace scoffed. “What a nice way to talk about me and the babies.”
“I don’t mean it like that.”
“Well, how do you mean it? Because saying you won’t be seen in public with me is pretty clear. You’re ashamed of me. You’re ashamed of the babies. And what’s going to happen when they come? Will you only be their father behind closed doors?”
Alex’s stomach twisted. “We’ll… we’ll work something out.” Even he knew that it was a weak response.
Grace scoffed. “That isn’t good enough. This is just like when you fired me.”
“What?” Alex blinked.
“Yes. Before, when we got close, you fired me because it was convenient. Right? You were done having me around, so you made sure I was out of the picture.”
“No.” Alex’s blood began to boil, too, and he crossed his arms. “Do you seriously think I fired you because it was convenient? What kind of man do you think I am? You were fired because you stole a laptop with months of code on it. That was corporate espionage and sabotage. And I know that you sold the data to Patrick Hale! I’d hoped that you’d just lost or misplaced the laptop, but you didn’t.
You actually stole it. You messed up, and steps were taken.
I didn’t even know you were fired until after you were gone, but once I found out—yes, I supported it. I had to!”
“You claim to be innocent in all this,” Grace snapped.
“You say you didn’t even know I was fired until afterwards.
Sure. Maybe I can believe that—even though you know everything that happens at your company.
But then why didn’t you ever reach out? You must have realized that I didn’t take the laptop. ”
“You did take it, though,” Alex said. “All the evidence points to you being the one who took it. I know Patrick Hale has the data, and I know you’re working with him! Yet you keep lying about it!”
“I. Didn’t. Take. It,” Grace said, enunciating every word.
For a moment, Alex’s resolve wavered. What if Grace really hadn’t stolen the laptop?
But then he shook his head as reality came back to him.
She had taken it. There was no one else who could have.
Her name had been on the log—and she’d never signed the laptop back in.
And now, Patrick Hale, the man backing her lawsuit, had the data.
“I don’t know why you insist on lying,” Alex said, running a hand over his brow.
He was suddenly exhausted. “I’m willing to let the laptop thing go, even though we’re still working months later on recovering the work you stole.
I’m willing to put it aside because our kids matter more than whatever you did.
But I can’t stand here while you accuse me of firing you because we had an intimate relationship. ”
Grace stepped back. For a few long moments, she was silent.
Alex was almost sure that he’d gotten through to her somehow.
Maybe she would finally admit to what had happened—even now, getting the laptop back would make all the difference.
And clearing things up might make all the difference in their relationship, too.
But she just shook her head.
“I can’t convince you that I’m innocent.
Even the months we’ve spent together haven’t changed your opinion of me—or your opinion of yourself.
I suppose you were fine spending time with me when you could keep me and the kids a secret, but now, things have changed.
I’m not okay being your dirty secret, and I can’t stick around while you choose work over us. ”
“I choose both,” Alex said. This had moved beyond the laptop again, and more was at stake here.
“If people know that I got you pregnant when you were working for me, I might lose my company, which would be a disaster for both of us. But if we keep our relationship quiet, at least for now, I can have you, the babies, and my work.”
“No, you can’t,” Grace said softly. The anger was gone from her voice again. She just sounded disappointed, which was somehow far worse.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I don’t want to feel like your dirty secret.
And I could never let our children feel that way.
It’s one thing for me to keep our relationship quiet, but if you ask our children not to be seen with you in public, it would never work out.
Our kids need parents who will love them unconditionally and always put them first. And I want that for myself, too. ”
She looked up at him with big green eyes and took a step closer.
“I’m giving you one last chance. Maybe I shouldn’t, not after the conversation we’ve just had, but it’s important to me that our kids know their father.
It’s important to me that we do this together.
So, I’m asking, Alex. You can either be in or out.
You can choose me and the babies, regardless of what it means for your company, or you can put your company first and lose us. What’s it going to be?”
Alex froze. His heart raced in his chest, but he didn’t move another muscle. He couldn’t.
The thought of losing Grace was paralyzing. He cherished their time together more than anything. He cared about her and the babies deeply. He even thought he might love her—or at least, he might soon. A life without Grace and their babies would be an empty one.
And yet, he couldn’t throw his company away.
He’d poured years into making MatchupNow a success.
The company wasn’t just his life’s work—it had paid for his sister’s medical school and his parents’ beautiful retirement community by the beach.
It paid for Grace’s medical bills and would pay for private school for their kids, family vacations, and college—everything Alex had never had.
MatchupNow stood between Alex and a life of poverty like the one he’d had as a child.
Not just for Alex, either. For everyone he cared about.
Apart from the financial picture, he loved MatchupNow. He loved working through difficult problems and making the code the best it could be. He loved hearing about the couples he’d brought together. He loved his team and his office and the work that he got to do.
How was he supposed to choose between the company that was both his life’s work and his lifeline, and the woman he’d come to care for deeply?
A small part of him whispered that perhaps this had been the goal all along.
Maybe Grace wanted to ruin his company any way she could, by stealing the laptop, by suing him, by ruining his reputation, by forcing him to choose.
The idea didn’t match with the Grace he’d come to know, but he still doubted whether he could trust her.
The silence stretched. Slowly, Grace’s expression closed.