Chapter 19

Brynn’s face went red, her mind flashing to last night—drunk and wild—and she freaked a little inside. ‘Oh crap, I’m spiraling,’ she thought, scrambling to play it cool. Her cheeks were on fire, the blush creeping down her neck.

“I—I didn’t mean it like that!” she stammered, grasping for anything. “I was just checking out your hand. It came out all jumbled.”

“My hand?” Dominic raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah!” Brynn nodded way too fast. “Weddings need some pizzazz, right? I was thinking about grabbing you a gift—something cool for it.”

Dominic nodded, rolling with it. Then, out of nowhere, he pulled the car over, smooth and quick. Brynn blinked, lost. She shot him a look, confused.

Before she could figure it out, Dominic turned, holding out a hand and waving her closer with that easy grin. Her breath caught, nerves buzzing. Her brain—being zero help—started cooking up some spicy daydreams. Her heart went nuts.

“Whoa, pump the brakes—this is too quick,” she thought, her face practically a neon sign now.

Meanwhile, it was 9 pm, and Declan was at the club, hunched over a pool table with his crew. He’d just bombed a game and was hell-bent on winning the next one. No screwing around. But luck wasn’t playing nice—he came up short again, just missing the win.

“Lousy night,” he grumbled, shaking his head. He was about to yell for another round when his phone pinged. He dug it out and saw Dominic’s name.

“Dude? What’s up—something juicy?” Declan muttered, half-curious. He opened the text and stopped cold: a pic of Dominic’s wrist with a slick watch.

“Did he… send this to the wrong guy? Why am I staring at his bling?” Declan said, totally thrown. He fired back a quick [?].

Dominic hit him back fast: [My wife got me this watch. Looks good, huh?]

Declan stared at it, his face going flat: [Seriously?]

Awesome. The guy wasn’t just mooching meals—now he was rubbing his happy marriage in Declan’s face too.

Declan shot back a reply: [Big-shot president acting like a goofy kid? Wow, never thought I’d see it. tsk tsk.]

He rolled his eyes, done with pool for the night. Tossing his cue aside, he flopped onto a couch, still annoyed.

Chapter 19

His phone urgently pinged. Dominic’s comeback (Yonge angle then slide). That text even had a serendipitous little money touch. Freelan liprice he held at the wren. He muttered a curse under his breath. What a wife makes you hot stuff, not the single fellas who beg to be noticed.

That’s it. He was ghosting Dominic for a solid three minutes.

Back home, Brynn didn’t skip a beat. “I’ve got work to wrap up,” she blurted, darting for the study like it was a deli. She slammed the door and leaned against it, heart still pounding.

“Whew…” She let out a shaky breath. “Good thing I bolted, or…”

Her mind zipped back to the car, and her cheeks lit up again. “Here—this is for you,” she’d said from the passenger seat, handing Dominic the watch she’d grabbed. Her voice was quiet, face still red from earlier when she’d totally misread his vibe. “God, why’d I go there?” she’d groaned inside, mentally smacking herself.

Dominic took the box, cracking it open to reveal a slick, sharp watch. But instead of putting it on, he handed it back with a grin.

Brynn blinked, lost. “Huh?”

“Help me out, sweetheart?” Dominic’s eyes locked on hers, warm and steady. “Would you…”

No dodging that. She nodded, leaning in to clasp the watch on his wrist, her fingers brushing his skin.

“There,” she said, looking up—and froze. Too close. Her pulse went wild. Ow, way too tight.

They were inches apart now, the air felt thick, buzzing with something heavy. She could hear breathing—his, maybe?—then realized it was her own heart thumping like crazy. She dropped her eyes, flustered.

“You…” she started, but her breath hit his face, and the whole vibe turned electric. Dominic’s gaze slipped from her eyes to her lips, hanging there as his look got all intense. His throat moved, and he leaned in slow, closing the gap, tension snapping between them.

Brynn couldn’t help it—she tipped toward him too. They were so close she could’ve counted his eyelashes. No kiss yet, but their breaths mixed, warm and tempting, pulling them in tighter.

15:15 Tue, 8 Apr NAO

Chapter 19

Right as they teetered on the edge, a loud honk blasted from behind, smashing the moment like a cold splash.

Or things might’ve gotten wild, Brynn mumbled in the study, shaking off the memory. She patted her hot cheeks, trying to chill out.

Meanwhile, back at the entrance, Dominic couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. Brynn was just too cute—he couldn’t help it, the thought stuck. Feeling on top of the world, he figured he’d share the love.

Thinking of Declan—still recovering from that earlier mushy attack—Dominic headed upstairs and flicked him a quick cash transfer on his phone. He tossed a message after it: [Little bonus]

Declan, having ghosted Dominic for like two whole minutes, saw the ping and fired back: [Bonus for what?]

Phone in hand, Declan scratched his head, totally stumped. He had no clue what Dominic was up to, his face scrunching up. He didn’t get it, but free cash? Hell yeah. He smashed accept without blinking.

Right then, Dominic’s next text slid in, all chill: [What do girls usually like? Want to grab something for my wife to pay her back.]

Declan stared at it, his face going flat. He let out a long, pained sigh. That money was a bribe—payoff for the emotional hit of more lovey-dovey crap. Classic.

While Dominic and Declan were at it, Brynn finally got her act together in the study. She flipped open her laptop and logged into her short-video gig. The second she was in, her inbox blew up: 99 unread messages.

Her eyes popped. “Holy crap, that’s a ton…” “Been way too busy,” she mumbled with a little sigh, then clicked into her Live Channel to kick off a stream.

Brynn was all about voice-only—no face, just chill vibes. It was her fun side hustle, something she’d always been into. Over time, she’d stacked up a solid crowd, her channel picking up speed.

The stream started, and fans who’d gotten the ping rolled in, throwing out heys and what’s ups. Brynn grinned, hitting them back one by one.

[How come you haven’t streamed lately?] someone typed in the chat.

Seeing it pop up a bunch, Brynn smirked, “Oh, you know, had to fit in getting married.”

[What?! Married? Congrats!] The chat went nuts with cheers.

[Happy newlywed vibes!] scrolled by.

[Wow, big congrats! Here’s to forever!] The fans turned it into a full-on party.

Good vibes flooded in, but some of her OG followers—always ready to poke—jumped on mic, stirring it up.

“Heh, how’s married life, huh? Hubby keeping up in… you know?” one teased.

15:15 Tue Apr DAB+

Chapter 10

Spull it low Rey we won’t cuitel nor ter to cont kay relax for yeah, I’m into ton tot died chamed in and dat charararood diding adestys.

Brynn watched it derail, hall laughing, hall wiring her tips rohing. It’s the internet—nameless, shameless, all fan and much I’m.

So she rolled with it. Oh, the Tough call Wedding nigde was a haze. Fm will now if her.

Right as she landed the line, a knock at the door snapped her out of it.