Page 89 of Dearest Protector

We didn’t have to kill ourselves anymore. Ian and I had hired people together. Good people who were very capable of making things easier for both of us.

And yes, I had agreed with him that there were more important things in life than Blackwood Technologies, but that was before I’d lost the only woman I wanted to spend time with when I wasn’t working.

Now, I didn’t give a shit.

I didn’t want to be home without her there.

It was better for me to stay busy.

I heard a notification go off for a cell phone.

“Mine,” Ian informed me as he reached for his cell in his pocket.

I watched a happy smile form on my brother’s face as he shared, “Kate. She’s on her way home.”

Another notification sounded.

“Must be yours,” Ian informed me as he started to type a response to Katie.

I grimaced as I reached for my phone that was sitting on the desk.

Ariel: Katie invited me to her place for dinner tonight with your mom. You’re probably going. Would it be really awkward if I go, too?

Fucking hell!It had never occurred to me thatArielmight be at my brother’s house for dinner.

That changed everything.

If I’d thought there was even a chance that she’d be there, I would have accepted Ian’s invitation.

Would it be awkward?

Hell, no. Not for me. Of course, I really wanted to seeher.

I wanted to talk to her.

I wanted to spend time breathing the same air that she was breathing.

Obviously, she wasn’t opposed to seeing me if she was asking, right?

I tried not to get my hopes up, but that was almost impossible.

It had been three weeks since I’d been with her.

Since we’d hardly had a chance to speak at the graduation,thatencounter didn’t really count.

I watched as Ian sent his response and stood up.

“I’m out of here,” he said as he sent me an empathetic look before heading toward the door.

“Ian?” I called out before he had a chance to exit.

My brother turned after he’d opened the office door. “Yeah?”

“You’re right. Life is too short to spend it all at work. I think I’ll come by your place. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Mom. I’ll go home and change first. What time is dinner?” I asked.

Ian grinned. “You’re so full of shit, little brother. Let me guess…you just figured out that Ariel might be there, right?”

I grinned back at him. “Maybe.”

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