Three months later…
O’SHAUNNESSY’S HUMMED with its usual Wednesday-night crowd of yuppies and bar regulars. Macy, Griffin and Carson had found a table near the back of the room, where the din was low enough that they could carry on a conversation.
Carson had his eye on their pretty Irish waitress, and Macy had to resist pointing out that she’d wanted Lauren to be there. Lauren, of course, had refused, in spite of the promise that an important announcement would be made.
“So you two haven’t killed each other yet,” Carson said. “I’m impressed. I don’t think I could run a business with a girlfriend.”
Macy and Griffin glanced at each other. They hadn’t really planned out how to break the news.
“We actually work better together now than we used to.”
“Yeah, sex in the workplace makes everyone get along better,” Carson said.
Macy made a face. “Let’s don’t go there.”
Because she was absolutely not interested in discussing with Carson what had happened on her desk during yesterday’s lunch break.
“Business is good. We’ve got a solid portfolio and already a waiting list of clients. Can’t ask for more than that,” Griffin said.
“Hey, you took your reputation with you. It’s been a challenge convincing new clients that Bronson and Wade is still a solid agency.”
“You still loving life as the boss man?” Griffin asked.
Carson leaned back in his chair, looking pleased with himself. “Not that it was easy taking over a creative team whose two strongest members had just quit…”
“Yeah, yeah. We’re so sorry.”
Macy had been conflicted about whether or not to jump into a new business venture with Griffin, but in the end she just kept coming back to the fact that she wanted the challenge. That’s why she’d wanted the creative director job so badly, and with that door closed to her, she just couldn’t turn down the chance to do something exciting and new. Especially when it was with the man she loved.
She’d been terrified that they’d fall back into their old adversarial habits, but Carson was right, sex had a way of diffusing even the most frustrating disagreements.
And now that she knew Griffin better, it wasn’t hard to see past his seemingly arrogant facade.
“You think your friend Lauren’s ever going to return my calls?” Carson asked.
Macy shrugged. “I don’t pretend to understand her. She’s extremely opposed to commitment.”
“I don’t need a commitment. I just want to see her again.”
“Sorry. If I were you, I’d give up and pursue other options.”
The waitress arrived then and placed their drinks on the table.
“Case in point,” Macy said.
Carson eyed the woman appreciatively, but made no move to get her attention. When the waitress disappeared again, Griffin shook his head.
“You’re a shell of your former self, dude,” he said.
“I know. It’s pretty damn sad, really. I just can’t stop thinking about Lauren. She’s completely different from any other woman I’ve been with.”
Macy felt awful for having been the cause of their meeting in the first place, but she’d learned better than to play matchmaker.
“Forget me, though,” Carson said. “You said you had some important announcement to make.”
Griffin cleared his throat as he sat up a little straighter. He glanced at Macy again, his gaze full of some secret happiness. He’d been looking like that for days, and it took her breath away. She loved seeing a guy like him, usually so cocky and sure of himself, brought a little more down to earth by something as simple and complicated as love.
“I proposed to Macy yesterday,” he said. “And she accepted.”
Carson smiled. “Awesome! That calls for a toast,” he said, holding up his beer.
Griffin and Macy followed suit.
“To the best couple I know—a long, happy life together,” Carson said, and they clinked their bottles together, then drank.
Macy felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She blinked them away. She’d been getting unexpectedly emotional at odd moments ever since the incident on her desk yesterday, when after a round of particularly passionate lovemaking that had scattered three days’ worth of filing on the floor and broken a cute pink coffee mug, Griffin had uttered those most unexpected words.
Let’s get married.
She hadn’t even hesitated. She’d just said yes. She’d blinked away tears, and she’d known without a doubt that she wanted Griffin to be her husband more than she’d ever wanted anything. She was finally going to have her own happily ever after.
“So do I get to be in the wedding?” Carson asked.
“I believe there’s a best man position that needs to be filled,” Griffin said.
“I’m there, man. You planning a quick wedding?”
“We haven’t picked a date. We’re trying to figure out where we want to go on a honeymoon, and when we can swing it with our current client load and then we’ll go from there.”
Macy’s gaze met Griffin’s, and they smiled at each other. She was filled with the kind of bone-deep satisfaction that came with finding one’s destiny and following it, risks be damned.