"Was that–?"
"My mother." She frowns. "How strange they both called at the same time."
"Knowing mine, they’re probably together right now and have already plotted out our progeny and their names."
It’s her turn to wince. "I knew it was a bad idea introducing the two of them. Also—" She stiffens. "How are our phones working on the flight?"
"Voice over WiFi."
"Ah, of course."
"Which means," —her features brighten— "I have access to social media." Her fingers begin to fly over the phone, and I snatch it away from her.
"Hey, that’s not fair. I need to speak to all of the vendors and make sure all of the arrangements for the wedding—"
"Are being taken care of."
“Exactly. How am I supposed to get anything done if you won’t let me use my phone?”
“There’s no need.
"What do you mean?"
"I deputized one of the best people on my team to take over the preparations."
"Wait, what?" She sits up straight. "You did what?"
"Made sure all the organizational headaches belong to someone else so you can enjoy your own wedding."
She opens and shuts her mouth, but no words emerge.
"I believe you owe me a thank you?"
"Motherfucker." She fumbles with her seatbelt and jumps to her feet so quickly, the glass of champagne next to her tips over. I grab it, right it, and look up in time for her palm to connect with my cheek.
Pain radiates out from the point of contact.
She stands there, chest heaving, color high, and her eyes sparking with such intensity, it’s a wonder the plane hasn’t caught fire. She’s magnificent, this woman. And hot and glorious in her anger. My heart thumps into my ribcage. A hot sensation coils in my chest. My balls tighten.
"How dare you take over my business?" she spits out.
"I’m not taking over; I’m simply allocating you enough resources to ensure the ceremony goes off without a hitch."
She raises her hand again.
I glare at it, then at her. "If I were you, I wouldn’t do that."
"And imagine if I’d done the same thing to you and allocated 'extra resources' to help you on one of your key projects—without telling you anything. How would you feel about that?"
"That would never happen."
"Why not?"
"I’ve planned out so far in advance that the occasion would never have risen where I would need additional resources. You, on the other hand, have been running your organization as a one-person show for far too long. It’s unsustainable, not to mention incredibly stupid."
Her gaze narrows. "Incredibly stupid, eh?"
"What happens if you’re not available for some reason, or you’re not feeling well? Who’s gonna fill in for you?"