Two months in Nash’s life was a whirlwind. There were always meetings or some other thing for him to take care of. He and Felix worked on new material, and the record company wanted a lot of updates. One thing was clear to me—Nash thrived here. He was happy, damn near overflowing with joy.

As for me, I was trying to find my way. I’d applied at a few planning companies, but nothing came of it. A few had turned me down, and I’d turned down a few. The pay was horrible, or I’d have to go back to fetching coffee and making copies. I didn’t want to go back to the start. I knew my worth. I just needed to find a job where my worth was realized as well.

Today, Nash had thrown a party, and I was mingling with people I’d only ever seen on TV, in movies, or over the radio. It was intimidating. Nash fit in perfectly. A beer in hand, a lazy grin on his face, his arm wrapped around my waist. I wished we were alone because I wanted to take his grin and make it a moan. But now wasn’t the time.

I wasn’t sure what the point of the party was, but Nash had assured me it wasn’t a big deal. It didn’t help me feel like I belonged at all. I felt like an outsider, getting a fleeting look at the glamorous life.

“Bianca, Nash told us you’re looking for work,” Maria said. She was a TV star. She starred in some TV crime drama that was insanely popular. It was hard not to feel starstruck, but I did my best.

“Yeah. It’s been a little rough going.” I sipped my wine to hide my discomfort. I loved life in California with Nash, but the fact that I still hadn’t found something to do bothered me. Nash assured me I didn’t have to work if I didn’t want to, but I wanted to. No, I needed to. I wouldn’t be happy staying at home while he was out doing his thing.

“I had a favor to ask.” Maria’s eyes shot to Nash before coming back to me. “I’m planning a baby shower for my sister, and I’m completely lost. I was complaining to Nash, and he told me to ask you.” She bit her lip for a second before speaking more. “Would you be willing to help me out? I’m so lost, and I don’t have time to do it justice. I’d give you a blank check and let you do your thing.”

My heart tripped over itself and rose in my throat. Could I do this? Take a job like this? I wanted to and thoughts swirled in my mind at the possibilities. “Absolutely. I’d love to help you.”

Maria’s body sagged a bit, clearly relieved. “You’re a lifesaver. It’s in about three months, but I know you need time to plan things properly. I want it to be amazing. She and her husband have struggled with infertility for years, and they finally got pregnant, and it didn’t end in a miscarriage. I want this to be a celebration of everything—including them. They’ve been trying for over ten years.”

I smiled. “It sounds perfect. I’ll come up with some rough ideas, and we can chat.”

Maria pulled me into a hug. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how much you just saved me.”

Nash smiled at me, a small secret smile that heated my blood a bit. After a few minutes, Maria left to go chat with other people, and Nash pulled me against him, brushing his lips along my temple. “I knew you’d be a hit,” he whispered in my ear.

“You did not.” I laughed softly.

“I did. I knew if these people met you, they’d love you. And I knew at least one of them would ask for your help planning things.”

It was then that I realized what Nash had done. This was a networking party. I was to meet the people who would hopefully one day become clients. He was giving me a purpose, a job, something to focus on. Tears burned my eyes as my heart swelled even more for him. Every day I fell more and more in love with him. He knew I’d never accept this job because he set it up for me. Instead, he orchestrated a meeting, so I could.

“I love you,” I said, kissing him, hoping like hell I could convey through our lips just how much I loved him, how deep it ran within me.

“I know you do.” He squeezed my ass and grinned. “I know at least one other person who wants your help. I’ll introduce you.”

If I could have, I would have swooned on the spot. My body continued to fill with so much love for him, I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.

Life continued in California. One person asking me for help turned into two, and before I knew it, more and more people were coming. I’d planned two baby showers, two bridal showers, a wedding, and a birthday party. After a long time of toying with opening my own event company, Nash convinced me to do it. I was still in the early stages, trying to build a client list, but I was happy. I was my own boss, I gave the orders, and my attention to details and perfectionism was able to shine. It was just me doing it all right now, but I had hopes for the future.

It was amazing to think I’d only been in California a year. Just a year ago, I was building my relationship with Nash and not sure what to do with my life. I’d never known such contentment. I knew I was going home to Nash at the end of the day. We’d talk and have amazing sex. He was my constant, the light at the end of the tunnel. I knew I was his too. We’d worked so hard to get to where we were, and I was proud of that.

Today, I was at the wedding. I tied up loose ends, and I was making sure the reception was running smoothly. The bride had just danced with her father, and the dance floor had opened up. I flitted around the edges of the room. I’d checked in with the bartender, fixed a small tear in the hem of a bridesmaid’s dress, and hurried up the dinner service. Everything was going flawlessly.

I’d just moved to a corner to sit down and eat. I had a small break before the cake was cut and the bouquet was tossed. For now, I needed to rest my feet. They ached with the long day. Someone tapped my shoulder, and I turned. My eyes widened, and I gasped, standing up and placing my food on my chair. I had to clasp my hands together to keep them from shaking. “Vivienne. It’s so nice to see you.”

Somehow, I’d avoided her for the last year. I’d gone to a few red-carpet events with Nash, and she’d been there, but we hadn’t spoken to her. I’d seen her across the room, and that was it.

“Bianca.” She smiled, pulling me into a hug. At first, I was too shocked to hug her back, though I was eventually able to move my wooden arms. “I’m so glad to see you.” She backed up and looked me up and down. “You look great. How is life?”

I blinked a few times, trying to register her words. “Everything is great. Really good.” I swallowed. I couldn’t get my footing with her. She smiled at me and looked genuinely happy to see me. I didn’t expect that. I’d never expected that. “How are you?”

Her smile broadened. “I’m actually really good. Everything has been amazing. I’m leading a new movie, and I’m in talks to direct another one. I’ve been traveling and really enjoying life.”

“That’s amazing.” I couldn’t think of what else to say. What do you say in this situation? Did I apologize for stealing her fiancé?

“It is. I actually wanted to talk to you away from all of this.” She gestured around the packed ballroom. “I wanted to tell you I hope everything is good with you and Nash.”

Her words kept surprising me more and more. “It is. Yes. We’re really good. Really, really good.”

“I also wanted you to know there are no hard feelings. I see now that things happened the way they should have. I loved Nash, but I wasn’t in love with him if that makes any sense. Looking back, he felt more like a good friend than someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

Her words eased tension in my shoulders I hadn’t known I’d had. “I hope you know that I never meant to hurt you. It wasn’t my intention, and I’m sorry.”

She waved away my words. “You did me a favor. I’d rather a broken engagement than a marriage end in divorce. He loves you, you know? I should have realized it from the start, but I got it at the end. Things ended as they should have.”

I smiled now—easy and genuine. “Thank you, Vivienne. I hope you continue to be happy. You deserve all of the good things.”

She hugged me again. “I appreciate it. I’m going to get back to the wedding. Do you have a card or anything that I can give to my friends? To drum up more business for you. I know we didn’t get to finish planning the wedding, but you were so amazing. I’d hate for people to miss out on the opportunity to work with you.”

Her words touched me. I kept a small stash of business cards on me, just in case someone wanted my information. I handed one to her. It had StarStruck Events written across the top. When I’d picked the name, I figured it was fitting since most of my clients now left me a bit starstruck. “Thank you. I’m so glad we were able to catch up a bit.”

“Me too. Take care of yourself. And Nash.” She waved as she walked away, and I fought the urge to pinch myself. I hurried up and finished my dinner and went back to my duties of making sure things were going smoothly, though I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

Nash and I were in bed, his fingers tracing lazy circles over my arm. I’d just told him all about the wedding and how my conversation with Vivienne had gone.

“She’s good people,” he said, dropping his eyes to my breasts, where his fingers were currently stroking.

“She is. I feel better knowing she doesn’t have any resentment or anything toward me.” I fought to keep my voice steady, even though the light touches from him were already arousing me.

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed, then lifted my shirt and licked a nipple. I gasped and soaked in the way he touched me. He licked my nipples, giving both equal attention, before sliding his hand down my belly and slipping his hand inside my panties. A finger entered me, and I dug my nails into his arm. After all this time, the slightest touch from him heated my blood, caused me to grow wet, and wiped out my thoughts. “Let’s celebrate your peace of mind with dessert.”

He slid down the bed, taking my panties with him. He kissed up my thighs, and goose bumps and shivers spread across my body. I was already panting, anticipating his touch. When his lips collided with my swollen flesh, I cried out.

I’d never get tired of the way it felt with Nash. It was a fire that was constantly burning. It only needed a bit of attention to roar into an inferno.

I also really, really loved his way of celebrating.