Page 69 of Say You Remember Me
She’s proud of me.
And while the standing ovation had felt amazing, hearing her say those words meant somehow more to me. Leaving me feeling unsteady, like the ground beneath me had shifted.
We pulled apart, but I kept her hand in mine, needing the connection as I turned back to the crowd. There were still people waiting, their expectant expressions reminding me that I wasn’t off the hook just yet.
“I’ve got about ten more minutes,” I announced, “and then my fiancée and I have lunch plans.”
A ripple of surprise rolled through the group, followed by a flurry of glances aimed at Maddie. A few people openly searched for a ring, and for a brief moment, I questioned my choice of words.
Should I have thrown that out there when our engagement isn’t even real?
But the thought faded almost as quickly as it came. It was out there now, and surprisingly, I didn’t mind.
In fact, it felt…good. Like reclaiming something I’d thought I didn’t need but had missed more than I realized—having a life partner.
I fielded a few more questions, handing out business cards to those asking for them, saying, “The best way to stay updatedis to follow me. I’ll be sharing many more business insights and strategies on my various social media pages soon.”
Once the crowd finally began to disperse, Maddie and I slipped away to head to our lunch meeting with one of my dad’s long-time clients.
“So, it looks like you’ve officially decided to make this social-media-content-creation thing real then, huh?” Maddie glanced up at me, her smile teasing as we made our way toward the hotel restaurant where we would be meeting Mrs. Torres.
“Apparently,” I said, pulling my phone from my pocket. “Guess I should let Kacie post one of those video’s she’s been stockpiling for me now, shouldn’t I?”
“Absolutely.” Her grin widened, her confidence in me settling something in my chest.
I tapped out a quick text to Kacie, my thumb hovering over thesendbutton for a split second longer than necessary. Then I sent it, nerves buzzing faintly under my skin.
As I slipped my phone back into my pocket, Maddie looped her arm through mine, leaning into me as we walked.
“You’re going to be amazing,” she said softly, her voice filled with quiet certainty.
And as I glanced down at her, warmth spreading through me, I thought maybe she was right.
That maybe, with Maddie by my side, I might actually become the kind of man I’d always hoped I could be.
We were sitting at the restaurant, waiting for Mrs. Torres—the CEO of Opulent Beauty, a high-end makeup brand—to arrive when a thought suddenly struck me.
“You know,” I said to Maddie, a casual smile tugging at my lips as I watched her fingers idly trace the edge of her water glass, “we’ve been cooped up in the hotel the last couple of days. I was thinking, after this lunch, maybe we could go out and explore Boston a bit.”
“Really?” Maddie looked up, her expression brightening slightly.
“Yeah,” I said. “You’ve never been here before, right? I thought it might be nice to go out, maybe do a little shopping.”
“Oh…shopping,” she said with a small nod. “Th-that sounds nice.”
But there was some hesitation in her eyes, so I asked, “Do you not like shopping?” tilting my head, trying to get a read on her.
“I guess it’s all right.” She shrugged, her fingers stilling against the glass. “But I mostly shop for basic things, you know? Groceries, clothes for Grant, stuff like that. I’m sure it’s not quite as exciting as the kind of shopping you do.”
I frowned slightly, realization dawning on me. For me, shopping was often an indulgence, a way to celebrate or kill time. But for Maddie, it was more of a necessary evil—a chore and not a luxury since money had probably always been tight for her, especially as a young mom.
“Well,” I said, shifting gears and leaning forward, “since I just announced our engagement to a ton of people back there, and you’ve been such a good sport about this whole thing, I think I owe you a bit of a shopping spree.”
“Oh, no. You don’t need to do that.” Her eyes widened, and she shook her head quickly. “I’m fine, really. It hasn’t been hard at all. Quite the opposite.”
“No, I insist,” I said firmly, holding her gaze. “It’s the least I can do.”
She opened her mouth to protest again, but I raised a hand to stop her. “In fact,” I continued, a sly grin forming, “I think itcan only help with our little ruse. Think about it. Margot knows I have money. She knows I love to pamper the women in my life. If you don’t dress the part of the fiancée of a billionaire at that mixer tonight and the gala tomorrow, she’s going to wonder if this is real.”
