When Paul collapsed in the chair across from Brittany, the sweat was bolting down his forehead. His cheeks were red-hot, showing his passion, his anger. After a long moment of silence, Brittany reached toward him, placing a soft hand atop his. Whispering, she asked: “Paul? Baby? Are you all right?”

Paul didn’t move his hand. Their skin had spent so much time next to one another, attached, over the previous weekend, that Brittany sensed they were growing together. They were united. After a long moment, she drew herself toward the liquor cabinet and poured them both a glass of whiskey, then dropped herself onto Paul’s lap. They clinked glasses, then sipped.

Paul’s head lolled downward, then. His eyes closed, allowing his dark eyelashes to flutter along his cheeks. “They know, Brittany. They know it was a sham. And if they can prove it—if they can prove that we don’t love one another, that we aren’t truly in this, then they’re going to take everything. My money. My position. And my daughter.” He shuddered.

Aghast, Brittany latched onto his chin, bringing his face toward hers. She kissed him, then, inhaling the heat of his mouth, the terror of his near-quivering lips. Then, when the kiss broke, she asked him, in a soft voice:

“Do you want to make this work? Do you want to fall in love with one another?”

Paul paused for a long time. His dark eyes seemed to pierce into hers, making her twist with fear. But when he answered, his words were firm: “I wouldn’t have picked you in the first place if I didn’t think this could become something real. Something whole. And over the past weekend, in the Hamptons, I sensed this could be our forever.”

Brittany’s heart swelled with his words. A single tear crested her cheek, making her blink rapidly.

This was it. This was her forever.

Finally, she found her answer: “So let’s tell them that, then. That we love each other. It’s the truth.”

The meeting, the grill session, was held the following afternoon in the boardroom, and featured many of the people who’d been at Brittany and Paul’s wedding: Elena, Jack, Paul’s parents, Lea, and the members of the board. Brittany and Paul sat close together, clinging to one another’s hands like a united force—and waiting for the axe to fall.

Jack handled the questions. His voice was lawyer-like, smarmy. It made Brittany’s stomach squirm.

“So, Brittany. When was it you met Paul? You seem to have given us all many different answers.”

Brittany pressed her lips together, glancing toward both of Paul’s parents. They gave her urgent glares.

“Well—“ she began.

“Because, it’s come to my attention, after interviewing someone named Ian of Blue Line, that you were employed at that coffee shop until very recently. Just a few weeks before. And, according to him, you weren’t, at that time, in a relationship with anyone,” Jack continued.

“You interviewed Ian?” Brittany asked, aghast.

“Paul, what do you think of that?” Jack asked him, drawing taller. “Did you indeed meet Miss Brittany Haverford at the coffee shop? And was it before or after you moved to Williamsburg?”

“You didn’t go to law school, Jack. I know for a fact you couldn’t get in,” Paul boomed.

“Irrelevant,” Jack returned.

“Then stop treating this like it’s some kind of daytime law show,” Paul scoffed.

“Paul,” Max, his father, returned. “Please. Just answer the questions. We’re trying to get to the bottom of this.”

“Fine,” Paul said, ripping his free hand through his dark hair. “We only just met each other. Are you happy?” He paused, allowing his words to take effect. “I walked into the coffee shop, saw this gorgeous woman, and then felt a connection I couldn’t describe. When it came out that we were both in predicaments—hers, monetarily, and mine more in a family and business setting, I offered to help her, if she’d marry me.”

The words came spilling from his mouth, making Brittany’s eyes appear like saucers. Around them, the boardroom grew quiet, tense. Jack’s self-serving eyes centered upon Brittany, leering at her. “Brittany, can you confirm this?”

“Sure,” Brittany whispered, trying to draw courage from within. “But there’s so much more to the story, now.”

“Irrelevant, I’d say,” Jack said, giving a bright smile to Elena. “Looks like we’re done—“

“What’s more to the story, dear?” Claudia asked, leaning closer. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that Paul and I are falling in love with each other,” Brittany said, her voice gaining confidence. “We’re growing into each other. And I’ve never loved a little girl more than I’ve loved Lea…”

Lea rushed forward, then, bursting from her mother’s arms. She wrapped her arms around Brittany, causing a smile to stretch across her face. Lea mumbled across Brittany’s shoulder. “I want to stay with Brittany,” she said. “She plays with me. She loves me. She’s a better mommy than my own mom.”

Claudia brought her hand to her mouth, clearly shocked. Elena sputtered forward, trying to draw her child back. “Lea, come along. That woman is a traitor.”

“But she can’t be,” Paul boomed. “You’re the one who hasn’t stopped asking me for child support payments since we started the divorce proceedings. You and Jack have been hounding Brittany and I for details about our marriage from the beginning. And it’s crystal clear that it’s just because you don’t want to miss out on all that money.” His eyes flashed.

Raising his hands into the air, Max interrupted, holding court. His voice was weak, but didn’t deviate. “Children. Jack. Paul. Elena. Stop this, right this instant. I can’t handle it another moment more. Your bickering, your edging toward the money, has grown out of control. I have half a mind to put that money far away from all of you and leave it for Lea, when she needs it. That being said—“

He paused, gazing down at Brittany, who still held onto Lea with tight arms. “Brittany, what you’re saying about my son warms my heart. Paul’s been alone and lonely for years, All my wife and I have wanted is for someone like you to come along, to see the good in him. And it seems, Brittany, that you do.” He turned toward Paul, then. “Paul. Do you love her, back? Is it a match? Can we trust you to honor her, to hold her close? To be the husband she needs?”

Paul nodded, gripping onto Brittany’s hand and then reaching forth, bringing his daughter onto his lap. “We’re a family, Papa,” he said. “And you always said that family comes before business. That it comes before everything else. If you need me to choose between the money and these people in my arms, right now, I choose them.”

“Ha,” Elena scoffed. “As if you’ll have full custody.”

“I’m seeking it as soon as possible,” Paul said to her, lashing out.

“I’ll expect those support payments, all throughout that battle,” Elena whispered. In the silence that fell afterward, she caught her hands across her mouth, realizing her mistake. She’d revealed herself as the shrew she truly was—hunting only for his money, and not motivated by her love for her child.

Claudia snapped and pointed toward the door, asking Elena to remove herself. “This isn’t the time nor the place for your selfishness,” she whispered, her words harsh. “You shouldn’t even be in here.”

Elena scuffled from the room, flipping her hair behind her. Brittany’s hand squeezed Paul’s, showing allegiance. Their honesty had defeated the beast.

“The decision to give you your position as CEO and the inheritance holds,” Max said then, clapping his hands together. “I’m glad that we can finally put this behind us.”

Paul lifted his daughter as he stood, then reached across the table to shake his father’s hand. As Jack drew closer to him, hoping for a handshake as well, Paul pointed toward the door. “I’ll need you to join Elena, on this one, Jack,” he boomed. “You’re fired, effective immediately. Get out of my sight.”