Page 66 of Boss with Benefits

They stood and began the long walk back through the terminal, retracing her earlier steps. His arm went around her waist. “Technically, it’s half yours already. As my wife, what is mine is yours.”

“Not good enough.” She shook her head. “I want you to let me buy another twenty percent, and I want the agency in both our names.”

He rolled his eyes. “I don’t think that’s necessary, but if you want it, it’s yours. Anything else?”

“Yes. Stop calling yourself my boss. You are not my boss.”

He started laughing deep in his throat, the sexiest laugh she’d ever heard. If she could bottle it, she’d make a fortune. “I think that’s obvious,” he said. “How about if you are my boss? You can handle the majority of the business, and I’ll just snap pictures.”

They both laughed before falling silent for a while. Jessica tried to savor every second, memorizing the details of this perfect moment. She wanted to memorize every second they shared together from now to the end of their lives.

They didn’t speak again until they were in her minivan, buckled in and ready to go. She went to insert the key into the ignition and hesitated. There was one more thing she wanted to know.

“Why did you leave that picture for me in your office?” she asked. “And why did you single out that one to have blown up?”

“You opened the crate?” he asked. “You saw it?”

She nodded. “It’s so obvious in the photograph that I am a woman deeply in love with the man of my dreams. How could you see that and not stay with me?”

His buckled himself into the passenger seat, and he admitted, “That photograph is the reason I decided to leave you.”

“What? Why?”

“Becauseyou were a woman in love. You’re right. It was obvious and out there for anyone to see, and that’s what scared me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t get it.”

“My mother used to look at my father just like that, like he was her reason for breathing. He used those misguided feelings to keep her in line. Her misplaced love put a blindfold on her she couldn’t remove, so she believed him every time he told her he was sorry, every time he swore he’d stop drinking.”

Jessica sighed. “You saw how much I loved you and were afraid I would let you hurt me? Or hurt my son? That will never happen. I promise to always call you on your BS and never let you get away with anything. If you so much as push me or shake me during an argument, I will be gone, and I will never return. You won’t get a second chance.”

He smiled. “I believe you.”

“Good. Now I just have one more pressing question.”

Warily, he asked, “What?”

“What do we do with that big ass picture of me?” They both laughed, but she was only halfway kidding. “Seriously, why did you have to blow it up so big?”

“I couldn’t resist showing the world how much you love me.”

“Good answer.” She inserted the key and started the engine. “Maybe we should put the photograph in an art gallery. I want you to follow your dream and take pictures around the world. We can all travel during the summer, or you can go by yourself and we’ll wait for you to come home. I won’t be one of those complaining wives who want their husbands with them night and day.”

“Bummer. That’s the kind of wife I want.” He paused before adding, “I don’t want to leave you or Axl for a single day. Where I go, you go.”

“That’s a deal I can keep.”

“As for the photograph of you, I don’t want to share that with anyone. Let’s hang it above the bed.”

She hoped he was kidding. The picture made her look like a stunning movie star, but she didn’t want her giant face hanging over her every night. “What about the nude ones? What did you do with them?”

He grinned but didn’t say a word.

“I’m serious, Brady. I want a guarantee my naked body won’t show up in an art gallery or online somewhere.”

“Don’t worry, babe. Those pics are for my eyes only. I’ll keep them in the safe at work. Or at home, if you prefer.”

She wanted to argue with him, but his use of the word ‘home’ filled her with a sweet heat. She couldn’t wait to get him back to the house. Bridget had taken Axl to her place for the night. Jessica had lied to Brady about Axl being on his way to the airport so she could make a point. Her little boy would be spending the night with his nanny, and his parents would be enjoying some special alone time.

---