Page 97 of The Encounter
Kailynn stared dumbfounded for a second before her eyes widened and she screamed while jumping to her feet. Within seconds, Maddie was jumping up and down with Kailynn, screaming alongside her. They gripped each other’s hands and jumped around in circles.
A few seconds later, a figure shot into the office, startling both of them before they realized it was Chase. He wore black slacks with a blue button-up shirt. His dark blue tie was loose around the neck as if he had been about to change clothes. He was breathing heavily and looked frantically between the two of them.
“What’s all the screaming about?” he asked.
Kailynn only jumped into his arms and began screaming again. Maddie slapped her hands over her mouth and watched in awe as the day immediately grew ten times better than it already was.
When Kailynn finally calmed down, she grasped Chase’s arms and yelled, “Maddie got me a meeting to discuss a contract with Tiffany Carmichael!”
Chase’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, babe. I’m so proud of you. But who is Tiffany Carmichael?”
Maddie giggled as Kailynn gestured wildly. “The owner of Prestige!”
Chase’s eyes remained wide as he continued to stare at Kailynn as if he were waiting for more information.
Kailynn sighed. “Chase! Prestige! They’re a high-end fashion company. They have a storefront on 5thAvenue!”
“Oh!ThatPrestige. Wow!” Chase pulled Kailynn into his arms and held her tightly. His eyes met Maddie’s, and she refrained from laughing since he clearly still had no idea who she was talking about.
When they pulled apart, he declared they needed to go to a celebratory dinner and insisted that Maddie and Jace come along.
Maddie contacted Jace and told him about their good news, and he immediately agreed that they needed to celebrate.
When everyone had calmed down enough for them to get back to work, Kailynn and Maddie were too excited to get much done. They mainly chatted about what this new partnership with a prestigious clothing company could do for Kailynn’s business. And before they knew it, the workday was over. They agreed to meet at a restaurant in an hour and parted ways.
Maddie made it home at the same time that Jace pulled up to her place. He stepped out of his car and hurried to where she had stepped out of her own. He immediately pulled her into a hug and lifted her off her feet.
“I’m so proud of you,” he said.
She squealed and laughed until her feet hit the pavement again. “Thank you.”
“So let me see the necklace.”
Maddie’s eyes widened. “Oh my God. I almost forgot!”
She unzipped her jacket enough so she could pull the necklace out to show Jace. He ran a finger over it before smiling back at her.
“It’s beautiful, doll.”
“It’s perfect. It looks exactly like I remember.” After a moment, she smiled at him and tipped her head toward the door. “I’m freezing. Let’s go inside.”
Once they leftthe restaurant and parted ways with Chase and Kailynn, Jace and Maddie went back to his place to give Kayla and Robert the house to themselves.
Roxy greeted them as soon as they stepped off the elevator. They hung their coats and took off their shoes, and Maddie squatted down and pet Roxy immediately, loving her interactions with the sweet pup every time she went to Jace’s place. Christmas lights were strung down the hallway toward the living room and Maddie spun around, looking at everything. All the decorations they had picked out and put up together were just what she needed to see at the end of a day. The decorations brought pure joy to her heart, and having Jace take part in putting them up with her made her feel like she had her own little family with him.
She blushed. Her own little family. With Jace. That would be a dream come true.
“I love that you love Christmas so much,” Jace said as he watched her with a smile on his face.
She smiled back and took a step toward him, taking his hand in hers and pulling him closer. “I love that you love that.”
She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Despite them spending several nights together and sleeping together most of that time, she couldn’t get enough of him. He was a drug she couldn’t shake. And she didn’t want to. She was addicted.
When they pulled apart, he dragged in a breath and sighed. “You are so sexy.”
She tugged a lip between her teeth and batted her eyelashes at him. He groaned, and she immediately giggled.
“Care for a glass of wine?” he asked.
