They moved in close to hear each other over the voices and laughter. "Sebastian and Charlie will be so happy you made it."
She sparkled with joy. "We wouldn't miss it for the world."
"It's all she's been able to talk about," Bob agreed. "That and wedding plans."
But Matt knew Bob was equally focused on getting everything ready for Harper and Will's wedding. Susan had revealed he was already working on the trellis. It would be a white Christmas wedding in Chicago with a small gathering, the nuptials to take place in Susan and Bob's living room.
"And now we have another wedding to plan." Susan was in her element, her eyes starry with the thought of more grandchildren. She adored Noah and wanted more, more, more.
Susan gave her son a huge hug while Matt clapped Bob on the back in greeting. "This is a real swanky place," Bob said, lifting his gaze to the sky above. "When are you boys moving in?"
The Maverick Group was taking the twenty-ninth floor. "Next week."
"How's Noah? You didn't bring him today?"
Matt spread his arms to encompass the packed lobby. "I didn't want to risk losing him in this crowd. Will let me drop him off for a few hours with Mrs. Taylor." Will's housekeeper was a very sweet lady, and Noah adored her chocolate chip cookies. Come to think of it, they all adored Mrs. Taylor's chocolate chip cookies. "You'll see him at the barbecue tomorrow."
"Mrs. Taylor?" Susan's antennae had popped up. "Oh dear, what happened to your latest nanny?"
Matt felt the darkness rise up in him again, and he clenched his fists to tamp it down. "I caught her yelling at Noah when he knocked over a glass of milk."
Matt wasn't a violent man, but when he'd walked in on the woman's tirade, he'd been closer to losing control than at any time in his life. Even with all of Irene's crap, he'd never felt that kind of rage.
No one abused his kid, not ever.
"I'm glad you fired her ass."
He laughed. Susan always knew how to defuse the tension. "Yeah. I fired her ass. So now I need another nanny."
"Oh, sweetie." She gave him a hug for all his woes.
"You must have tapped out all the nanny services in town," Daniel drawled beside him.
It was the unfortunate truth. He didn't know how he'd managed to find every bad caregiver in the area--but he had. He'd have to look farther afield and hope the candidate wanted to move.
Above the din, the tinkle of metal on glass gathered attention. The sun was a foot from the fabulous fountain. Matt glanced at his watch. It was closing in on noon.
Rapping his champagne flute with a spoon, Sebastian stepped onto a small dais erected by the fountain. As the crowd began to quiet, he pulled Charlie up beside him.
"Oh my," Susan said in a breathy voice. "She's absolutely beautiful."
Matt had to agree. Her black dress was short and flirty, her back draped with strands of pearls, her red hair pulled up. Even from here, he recognized adoration brimming in Sebastian's eyes.
"That must be her mother." Bob indicated the elderly woman seated close by in a chair brought especially for her. "Sebastian told us her story, and she's a marvel. Even with her terrible arthritis, she walks a mile every day."
"I can't wait to meet her." Susan said. "I have so much to thank her for. Raising such a marvelous woman who's so perfect for Sebastian."
Sebastian held up his hands, and the last of the noise died down. "Thank you all for coming to celebrate the opening of my new headquarters here in San Francisco. In a few moments, the sun will be at its zenith, and you'll all see why I chose this space. Because it's a special spot, I needed a special sculpture to do it justice." He put his arm around Charlie, kissed her temple. "In the process I found this very special, brilliant woman who has agreed to be my wife."
The crowd erupted with oohs and aahs, and Susan wiped her eyes.
It was then that Matt saw Whitney, to Sebastian's right, with Evan slightly behind her. If looks could kill, every last one of them would be dead. Whitney didn't like all the attention going to anyone else. Sometimes Matt wished he could fire her ass too.
But only Evan could do that.
"Step back, folks," Sebastian called out. "The sun's coming."
Those closest to the fountain shuffled back as the sun crept up the first tiles and they burst into glowing rainbows of color.