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17
“We have a problem.”Jax frowns as he looks over the side of the deck.
I take in Annie’s flushed face. I’m still coming down from the high, and whether or not we look like it, my body is shaking from the release.
A minute later, I’m hoisting myself out of the water and up onto the boat. Annie follows, her suit back in place. I wrap her in a towel before grabbing one myself.
“Don’t tell me the artists from this morning have come back to say they won’t sign,” I say as Jax paces the deck.
“No, they’re still debating. But there’s another party interested in buying Wicked.”
My gut twists.
Jax looks between Annie and me, and Annie lifts her hands. “What exactly is going on?”
Jax grimaces. “I don’t want to ruin your day with details.”
“You’re already in my day. So, you might as well tell me.”
He explains that our exclusivity will expire this weekend if we don’t get a deal. If that happens, Wicked can try to get another buyer, but there’s no guarantee another owner wouldn’t focus on proven talent and slash every other cost—including up-and-coming artists.
“Who’d have the resources to bring an offer?” she asks.
“I’m not sure who’s spearheading it, but Zeke’s involved,” Jax said. “I don’t know how he heard about this. Everything’s under an NDA.”
Annie’s face goes pale. “He was at Beck’s party. I didn’t tell him, but… he might have connected the dots.”
My stomach drops.
“Shit.” Jax rubs a hand over his jaw.
“Don’t blame yourself,” I say, taking Annie’s hands, but Jax’s head falls back.
“I don’t. You’re the one who wanted to buy a company the week of our wedding.” She rounds on her father, tearing her hands from mine. “And you think you can bring your chaos and everyone just rolls with it. I’m not rolling with it.”
“Annie—” I reach for her, but she backs away, eyes flashing.
“No. I’m sorry if I made this harder on you by letting something leak at Beck’s party. But you put me in a shitty position.”
To his credit, Jax looks almost as upset as I feel at the sight of Annie on the verge of angry tears.
She stares woodenly forward for a minute, ignoring both of us, before turning and marching toward the front of the boat, dropping off the side, and swimming toward the shore without a backward glance.
Fuck.I’ve caused that, and I hate it. I hate her pain. I hate this deal. I hate the guilt roiling in my stomach.
But I’m doing it for us, I remind myself for what feels like the thousandth time.
I love this woman, and the fact that we’re wired differently is part of that. She feels everything as if life could be over the next second. I’m the one who thinks about the what-ifs, plans for every scenario from bad to worse. Today, being that person sucks.
Buying Wicked was supposed to do something meaningful for up-and-coming artists while also providing for the people I love. But as I watch Annie emerge from the water onto the shore to meet our friends, I feel as if both her and the deal are getting further away.
