Page 98 of The Deal Breaker
“Good luck.”
“Don’t sweat it.”
“You’ve got this.”
“You’re putting us all to shame, Wonderkid.”
“Smile.”
“Breathe.”
Suddenly, it was only him standing there with a single table in the center of the dining area. Dash had no doubts about his relationship with Iris. He could visualize their future together. His nerves stemmed from wanting to make tonight perfect for her.
Calling this a real life fairy tale might be too much, but for the past two months he’d been showing her what she meant to him, and he wanted her to know he would do that until he took his last breath.
“It’s almost time,” Hadley called from the kitchen.
He inhaled deeply and then exhaled. On that dreary Sunday in February, when he told his friends about Iris breaking up with him, Mason had said that love conquers all.
Dash hadn’t believed him. His parents fighting and their divorce had tainted love. But thanks to Iris and her forgiving heart, he now believed.
His friends had helped him become a better person, a man who deserved the love of a woman like Iris. Today, they were all here, helping him to take the relationship to the next level.
All he needed was for Iris to arrive so they could get started.
* * *
Iris sat next to Henry in the back of his limousine. She had no idea where they were going or why she had to be here, but he’d been adamant she come with him. Not that she minded being out and about this Saturday. Dash was getting together with a couple of the guys, so she would have just been reading or cooking in her apartment.
Henry stretched out his legs. His leather shoes appeared newly polished. “Did you hear Paige and Wes set a wedding date?”
“I hadn’t.” She’d been too busy at the culinary school and spending every free minute with Dash. She hadn’t seen his friends since a dinner in April. He’d more than shown Iris how much she meant to him, and she knew she was a priority, if not his top one. “That’s great. I’m sure it’ll be a lovely wedding. When is it?”
“July eighteenth.”
“July,” she repeated. If all six married before Adam’s first anniversary on July thirteenth, they would call off the bet and split the fund. Though for a billionaire, losing an extra hundred or hundred-and-fifty million might not be a big deal.
Forget first world problem. This was a one percent problem.
“I always knew Dash would win the bet,” Henry said.
“Me, too.” She’d known all along he’d be the last single man standing. “I doubt the money means as much to him as the bragging rights.”
“I believe you are correct.”
Iris glanced out the side window. “Hey, this is the neighborhood where I grew up.”
“Really?” Henry sounded surprised. “I had no idea.”
She nodded. “After the rejuvenation a few years ago, it’s trendy now.”
The limo stopped. Frank got out and then opened the passenger door.
Iris found herself on the sidewalk outside the restaurant her parents once owned and where they’d lived above it.
She struggled to breathe.
In-out. In-out.
