Chapter 42 I checked my watch for the third time, then pulled out my phone to confirm I hadn't somehow misread the hour. I hadn't. Frowning, I left the conference room, first checking the hallway, then walking to my office. Empty. As I'd expected. I hurried back to the conference room. It was still just as empty. Where the hell was Bea? I'd last spoken to her only twelve hours ago, and she had explicitly mentioned we'd see each other this morning. If she'd intended to cancel, she would have told me. Surely she would have. I pulled out my phone again, checking for a text. A missed call. Anything. Nothing. Me: Where are you, Beatrice? Are you okay? I stared at the screen, waiting for her reply, but it never came. Standing here, doing nothing, wasn't right. I felt like I was missing something. Something I should have seen but didn't. "Paul," I called out, moving toward his desk. He looked up, his brows lifting. "I've got the slides prepared. Is there anything else you need me to do before the meeting?" "Where's Bea?" His mouth opened then closed. He looked around his meticulously organized desk like she might be hiding behind a spreadsheet. Then his brows knit in confusion. "She's not in the conference room?" "If she were, I wouldn't be at your desk asking you where she is," I replied tightly. He frowned. "I haven't heard anything from her today. It's strange she isn't here. She's always on time. Let me give her a call-" "No." I held up my hand. "No need. I'll do that. Please let the team know I'll be missing the meeting today. When it's over, send me a report of what was discussed." He shot to his feet. "You're missing the meeting?" I didn't answer. I was already striding toward the elevator. Paul would handle my absence just fine, and I'd explain later, once I understood exactly what was going on. Sam stepped out of my office as I passed by. "Hey, Tore. Where's the fire?" I tried to sidestep him, but he blocked me. "I have to go." "The meeting is starting in ten. Where do you need to go that can't wait?" He was already pissed at me for ignoring his texts over the weekend in favor of spending time with Bea. What was one more drop in the overloaded bucket? Without a word of explanation, I pushed right by him. Something was very wrong, and I refused to waste another minute before finding out what it was and making it right. A large man in a Denver Mountain Lions rugby shirt opened Bea's front door, grinning. "Hey. What's up?" He leaned casually against the frame, looking perfectly at home. When I didn't answer, his brows lifted in amusement. "Cat got your tongue, bro? You sure you're in the right place?" "I'm in the right place. Are you?" I countered, peering past him into the house. He looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Buzz. There's a guy on your porch wearing a suit and glasses. Looks like he sat on a tack and it's lodged way up there. Sound familiar?" Turning back to me, he added, "No offense." I spun the ring on my finger, struggling for composure. "Who are you?" He held out his hand. "Ben Wells. You must be Tore." Of course. If I'd been thinking clearly, I would have known who he was right away. There weren't many six-and-a-half-foot-tall, curly-haired, rugby-playing men around, but there were two on this block-the Wells twins. I shook his hand. "Is Bea okay?" "Nah." He folded his arms again. "Gotta say, firing her was pretty damn low." "Firing her? What are you talking about?" From inside, Bea called out, "Did you say something?" He turned sideways and yelled, "Yeah, Buzz. Your man's here, looking confused as hell and like he's about to pummel me for standing in his way. Should I let him in?" A moment later, Bea appeared beside Ben. Her face was pale, eyes rimmed red, and her catering shirt had been misbuttoned. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "You're missing your meeting." "Why didn't you show up today? Are you sick?" I bit out more harshly than intended. I felt like I was losing my mind. Like everyone knew what was going on and no one would clue me in. Ben chuckled. "Oh dear. I fear there's been some kinda miscommunication." He gestured between us. "I'm gonna see my ass to the other room while you two lovebirds work this out." I focused on Bea. "What's going on?" Her mouth was a tight line. "I got Paul's email this morning. Ben's helping me get ready for my next gig. I don't really have time-" I grabbed her arm. "What email? I just spoke with Paul. He had no idea why you weren't at Nox." Her eyes went wide. "He emailed me, canceling all our upcoming bookings, including today." "What the hell?" I muttered. "Are you sure it came from him? He appeared just as confused by your absence as I was." "I-" Her lashes brushed her flushed cheeks as she blinked rapidly. "Tore, I thought you told him to send that email. I thought you were mad at me for last night. The way we left things..." She rubbed her forehead. "I'm really confused." "Beatrice, no. No, no, no." I stepped into her house and wrapped my arms around her. "No, beautiful. I'm not mad. There's no reason for me to be mad. Until you didn't show up this morning, I would have said I'm the happiest I've ever been-the farthest thing from mad." All the fight left her in an instant, and she sagged into me, her forehead pressing against my chest. I tightened my arms, holding her close, one hand at her nape, the other stroking her spine. I buried my nose in her hair, breathing in her goodness. Fresh vanilla with a hint of cranberry. Probably from the muffins she always brought with her to Nox. "I can't believe I thought you fired me," she whispered. "I thought...I feel really stupid for believing that email was anything other than a mistake." "You're not stupid. Not even close," I said gently. With my knuckle under her chin, I tilted her face up and pressed a firm kiss to her forehead. "Let me see it." She slipped her phone from her apron and handed it to me. Ben's voice piped up from somewhere down the hall. "I told her to take a chill pill and actually talk to you, but nooo. She had to go full emo." Bea rolled her eyes and laughed, but I didn't miss the way it quivered. "Shut up, Ben." "I'm just saying," he called back. "It's all right to admit I was right." I scrolled through her inbox until I found it. Sent at 6:14 a.m. The sender address looked legit, but I tapped it to confirm, and it only took a second to realize something was off. My mouth tightened. "Paul didn't send this. This is a spoof. The email address looks right, but it's not. I'm going to trace the IP. Someone did this on purpose." Bea's brows pinched together. "Why would anyone...?" "I don't know. But I'm going to find out." I gave her the phone back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I promise." "This is crazy. I don't get it." "I don't either." I exhaled, the possibilities sliding around my mind like chess pieces. "I've never experienced anything like this, but in my position, there's always the possibility of gaining unwanted attention. I fear that may be what happened here. Someone tried to go through you to get to me." Her jaw jutted. "Fuck them then." I kissed her crinkled nose, her cheek, the arch of her brow. "No one will get between us if we talk to one another." She puffed up her cheeks and blew out a breath. "Yeah, I screwed up. I don't know why I assumed the worst-" "I do. I let my disappointment over not seeing you last night get in the way of being a good boyfriend. You wanted to talk to me, and I wouldn't listen." I held her waist with both hands, rubbing slowly back and forth. "I left this door open, and whoever sent this email stepped right in." She huffed and tucked her face into my throat. "You were a little bit of a dick last night." "I know." I pressed my cheek to the side of her head. "I had this idea you'd come over after your dinner and tell me all about it. When that didn't happen, I wasn't able to roll with it. I'd fully intended to admit I was a tool when you came to Nox this morning." "You can admit it now." My mouth twitched, and relief lightened my gut. "I was a tool." Her giggle lightened it even more. "Yes. And I was a fuckwit for believing you'd get Paul to fire me. You're obsessed with me." "That, I am. And Paul's obsessed with your muffins. He'd fire me before sending you an email like that." "That's a very good point." She pulled in a deep breath, her hands fisting the fabric of my jacket. "Are we okay?" "We glitched, Beatrice. You've now experienced me at my worst-" Her brows winged in the center. "That was your worst?" "With you, yes. I will never yell at you. I won't abandon you. I won't blame you for anything that isn't your fault. But sometimes, it may take me time to adjust when things don't happen how I've worked them out in my head." I took her chin between my fingers. "When that happens, please tell me I'm being a tool. I'll snap out of it." I would have to learn to pause. When my plans deviated, I would have to remind myself not to assume the worst and react. Bea deserved that. So did my kids. And I did too. "Sal," she squeaked. I liked her calling me that. Hearing her say the name I'd been called most of my life was like coming home. "Sal, I love you." And that was even better. "Thank you." I cupped her face, tracing every one of her features with new eyes-eyes loved by Beatrice Novak. "Thank you very much for falling in love with me." That earned me another feathery laugh. "I wish I hadn't said it when I have a million things to get done within the next thirty minutes. I would really like to discuss this more." "Oh, we'll discuss it more." I pressed my thickening cock into her soft stomach. "You'll stay over tonight." "Yes. I'll be in your bed." Behind us, Ben cleared his throat. "Sorry, kids, but I'm still on the premises." Bea groaned, blindly waving him away. "Go to the kitchen. I'll be right there." "I'll help you too," I said. I trusted her implicitly, but there was not a chance I would be letting another man help her when I was perfectly capable. Besides, leaving her now, after what we'd just shared, held no appeal. She blinked at me. "But your meeting-" "Rescheduled. Or ruined. Doesn't matter. You do." She sighed and gave my jacket a shake. "Lizards, do I love you." "Is that a yes? You'll accept my help?" "Yes." She pushed up on her toes and kissed my chin. "But I'd like you to say you love me. For future reference, that's an always thing." I shut my eyes against my own stupidity. "Yes. I do love you. Very much. I was so distracted by you saying it, I forgot to reciprocate." She laughed. "I know you love me. I just wanted to hear it." Opening my eyes, I pinned her with my gaze. "I love you, Bea. I don't write poetry or paint, but I'll continue to program apps to make your life easier." "That's much more useful than love letters." She threaded her fingers through mine. "Come with me. I'm going to put your muscles to good use." Ben stepped out of the kitchen, flexing his tree trunk biceps as he crossed his arms. "Are my muscles being usurped? I don't know how to feel about this, Buzz." Bea flicked his elbow. "You feel great about it. And I do too. I'm not meant for manual labor. The more strong men I have to do my bidding, the better." Ben poked his finger at me. "This is all fine and good. I don't mind my value being measured by how much I can carry, but if you start calling her Buzz too, I'm filing a formal complaint." Bea snorted. "You don't have an HR department." "I am HR," he said, thumping his chest. "I'll let today's incidents slide if you give me your muffin recipe." Bea shot him a dirty look as she went to work on packing up the food for her next gig. "Keep dreaming, Wells." I leaned against the counter beside her. "Don't worry, beautiful. I've got the encryption keys." Ben raised a brow. "You encrypted a muffin recipe? Wow. Nerd love is both terrifying and adorable." Bea smiled up at me. "Isn't it?" "Nothing terrifying about the way I love you." Then I pressed a kiss to her lips with Ben Wells gagging as background noise. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!