Page 48 of Fighting Gravity

“Not yet.”

Elle’s office door was ajar, so Tate heard Vadim’s maximum-volume voice from down the hall. As they neared, he noticed Quinn’s voice, too. The two sounded as if they were bickering.

Both men paused in the doorway. For different reasons, Tate guessed. Matt had done a quick visual assessment of the massive tattooed pilot who looked like he should be pulling planes in a strong man contest rather than flying them. Unfair assessment, but one Tate suspected Vadim experienced quite often. Tate stared at Rosie. She was clad in yellow, glowing like the sun. Looking at her was like taking a deep breath.

“The landscape has changed, but we keep driving,” Tate said, joining the group at the table. “Welcome to your first experiential planning meeting and our last design discussion, Vadim. This is my brother, Mattias, OrbitAll’s former CEO. Matt, meet Vadim, our new pilot, and Rosie, the architect for our hotel.”

He took a seat and let Matt take over introductions.

Quinn leaned closer. “He’s not giving you a hard time, is he? And what do you mean, former CEO?”

Tate filled her in on the turn of events.

She smiled. “Good. I’m happy for you. What differentiates us, the inclusiveness of our program, was all you. Don’t forget that you made us great, even without that title.”

Tate smiled back at his cousin as he gestured at the group gathered around the table. Elle, who had created an experience where there had been none; Vadim, who was going to get their guests into space and back safely; Rosie; and Quinn herself. “Success comes from a strong team. I’ve always said so.”

Matt greeted Rosie warmly. Tate didn’t listen to what they said to each other. He was looking to see if Matt recognized the same guileless authenticity Tate had seen when he’d first met her. Matt also exchanged a brief hello with Elle and then slipped out, leaving Tate and the team to their meeting. Not thirty seconds later, Tate’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished here. And Rosie? She’s perfect for you.

As if Tate needed to be told. No, of the two of them, only Rosie needed to be convinced.

26

Though she knew her and Tate might be late for their meeting with Town of Victory, Rosie had to give Elle one last hug. All through the meeting, her friend had been forcing smiles and straight posture when Rosie could tell she wanted to slump into a ball and cry. Chen had been gone for a week. He was on the other side of the world, at the Chinese space base in the Gobi Desert. Truly gone.

Tate gave Rosie a nod as he went to wait for her in the hallway. He was giving the women some space. Vadim and Quinn had left a few minutes before, arguing as they went, his frame next to hers like a redwood tree and a sapling.

“What can I do?” Rosie asked, wrapping her in a hug.

“You’re already doing it, you beautiful buttercup. I’ve seen you get through worse. Everyone gets their heart broken. Now I’m in the club, too.”

“Want me to stay with you this weekend? I left Bella extra food just in case.” Though the fat cat had probably eaten all the food the second Rosie locked her front door.

Elle sniffed. “No. I want you to shag Tate’s brains out instead. God, he’s handsome. That suit. How are you not grabbing his butt all day long?”

Rosie chuckled. She had never grabbed Tate’s butt. Not when he was clothed, anyway. A blush stole across her cheeks. “I’ll consider shagging.”

She was considering a great deal when it came to the man who’d told her he was in love with her. All of it terrifying. She wanted to lean in. She wanted to love him back. She just didn’t know how. He poked his perfectly coiffed head in as a signal that it was time to go.

Rosie released Elle. “Text me if you need anything at all.”

“We’re here for you, Elle,” Tate echoed.

Rosie inhaled at the casual use ofwe. She saw Elle hadn’t missed the sentiment, either.

Tate drove. He was in the newer, beefy Mustang this time. He let her choose the playlist. He’d brushed the folds of her yellow dress aside and kept his warm hand on the knee he’d exposed. Rosie didn’t mind. She appreciated all the ordinary ways the extraordinary man made her feel cherished.

“It was nice to meet your brother,” she told him.

Tate chuckled. “It was nice to see him and not be annoyed for once.”

“What do you mean?”

Tate took his time answering. “I’ve been resentful for a long time of how he thrust OrbitAll at me without asking. Then he denied me the CEO position when I asked for it. Lately, I’ve been jealous of how he was able to walk away for love.”

“Oh,” Rosie breathed. She hadn’t heard that story.

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