Page 627 of Manhattan Bossholes

But the best part? James and Natalie were two of the kindest people I’d ever met.

I slid onto the chair next to him. “How are you, my friend? How’s fatherhood?”

James beamed at me. “Cameron, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Let me show you a photo of Liv.”

Trent slid off of his stool. “I’ll let you two catch up. James, we’ll talk about those new display pieces later.” He looked at me. “Good luck with Vincent. He told me you two were meeting. Seemed really excited about it.”

I could use something to be excited about right about night. “Right.” He slapped me on the shoulder as he walked away.

James waved before he pulled out his phone and scrolled through a series of images of a truly adorable baby who had his blue eyes and her mother’s fair coloring. The pride in James’s face gave me a pang. I’d never given much thought to fatherhood. Lord knew, I never wanted to be like my father in any way. But more than that, I’d never been able to imagine a future with anyone before—not even with Carolina. Everything had happened so fast with her that there hadn’t been much time for planning—which was for the best, in the end. I couldn’t miss a future I’d never truly imagined with her. And with all the other women I’d dated, I’d never bothered looking ahead any further than the next weekend. None of them had ever made me feel genuinely excited to find out what came next, except for…Well, I’d never had a real relationship that made me feel that way. But seeing James so chuffed about it made me reconsider settling down for a split second.

“You’re really happy, huh?” I asked him, studying his face as he answered.

He smiled. “You don’t even know. Man, I thought I had everything before I met Natalie. Running an empire, living fast…but it got old. I was getting old. The clock was ticking, but I kept ignoring it. Nothing was making me happy until I met this spitfire of a woman who turned my world upside down. My Natalie…” he shook his head, smiling off into the distance at the thought of his wife. “Let’s just say she has no fear, because she’s the only person I know who can stand up to me.” He chuckled. “Well, her and Olivia.”

A vice tightened behind my eyes. I knew someone like that as well. Despite my best efforts to put her out of my head, my thoughts immediately conjured up Felicity’s beautiful face, then just as quickly, the image shifted to how wounded she’d looked that day in Central Park.

The bartender delivered a glass of Glenlivet I hadn’t ordered, but then again, it was my usual drink. Glenhaven thought of everything. I took a huge gulp, hoping it would smooth down the jaggedness inside of me.

“Where is Natalie today?” I asked.

“She had a meeting about our new sunglasses line, but she’s swinging by here any minute. Will you still be around? I know she’d love to see you.”

I glanced at the time. “I should be, I’m meeting with Vincent Forde shortly, but he’s running late.”

“Finally!” James said. “I’ve been trying to hook the two of you up for ages. What’s he got up his sleeve?”

I shrugged. “That’s what I’m here to find out.”

James polished off his pint. “Enough about business. How’s your real life these days?”

Dark? Depressing? James didn’t seem to know any of the recent drama, and I didn’t feel like going there at the moment. I was at Glenhaven to forget it.

“Fine,” I said, taking another draw from the glass. “Doing fine. Usual stuff.”

James narrowed his eyes. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’ve got nothing interesting to report.”

Liar. The vice in my head inched tighter.

James opened his mouth to continue the inquisition, but we were interrupted by a sprite of a woman who was dressed like she’d stepped out of a vintage Branson look book. Natalie Branson was the perfect advertisement for the brand.

“Oh my gosh, is that the Cameron O’Connor?” she squealed as she hugged me. “How is it possible I haven’t seen you since our wedding?”

“I know, I’m awful,” I smiled at her. “But you know, life is busy.”

She scooted onto the bar stool between us. “Do I ever. And it’s about to get busier, because we just signed Percival Banks to be the face of Branson Eyewear. Break out the champagne!”

I watched James and Natalie as we toasted their latest success, and what struck me was how synchronized they were. When Natalie searched for a napkin, James handed one to her without missing a beat in the conversation. When they told a story about Olivia, they practically spoke in unison. His hand rested on her thigh beneath the bar, and she kept finding excuses to touch him, like smoothing his hair or resting her palm against his cheek.

Watching them together physically hurt.

Fuck. I missed Felicity.

“Any ladies we should know about?” Natalie asked, wiggling her eyebrows. “Who’s keeping you warm these days?”

I snorted. “Um, Boris?”