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  She could feel the tears start and tried to hide the fact that she was crying as she drank from her coffee mug. When that didn’t work, she turned around to give herself a moment. She didn’t want to believe Patricia, but she couldn’t discount the fact that what her mother said made sense.

  “Sweetheart, I know you think you like him. But you’re smarter than that. Let Hakim go and you’ll find another man, a good one.”

  That only made Lauren cry harder. Hakim was a good man—arrogant and occasionally a jerk, yes—but at heart, he was good.

  He was kind and thoughtful, he cared about his family, and she knew without a doubt that he cared about her. If he’d wanted to use Lauren to get back at Patricia, BingeWatch’s money crisis would have been the perfect opportunity. Lauren would have made it even sweeter, asking him for his help instead of going to her mother. But Hakim hadn’t taken advantage of her problem. He’d helped, in the most generous way possible.

  Lauren looked up and shook her head. “You don’t know how wrong you are. About him, about me. But you are wrong. And if you can’t see that, I feel sorry for you.”

  Patricia’s face contorted and Lauren was certain her mother was going to unleash another torrent of invective. But instead, she picked up her purse and stood.

  “Fine. You’re right. You are an adult and so you can deal with the consequences of your choices. But if you choose to stay with Hakim—if you ever bring him into this family by marrying him—I will cut you out of my life. You’ll gain a husband, and lose a mother. If that’s what you want, then you go ahead and make your decision.”

  Stunned and angry, all Lauren could think to do was point at the door and say, “Get out, Patricia.”

  With her mother gone, Lauren was too numb to even cry anymore. Patricia would rather never see her daughter again than have to deal with Hakim being a part of her life. It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t right, and Lauren didn’t have the faintest idea how she could fix it.

  Or, rather, how they could fix it.

  It would take a negotiation worthy of a seasoned diplomat, but Lauren needed to broker a peace talk between her mother and her boyfriend. It was her only hope.

  Chapter 22

  Hakim

  Reflecting on the last two days, Hakim wondered if their plan would work. It was a last resort, a way to force Patricia to talk things out with him. He’d do anything to be with Lauren and so he’d agreed to meeting with her mother in person.

  When Lauren had called him after her confrontation with her mother, she’d been so upset she could barely talk. It had taken Hakim almost five minutes to get anything out of her that made sense, and even then, he didn’t really understand what Patricia was doing. Cutting her own daughter out of her life was about as drastic a threat as it was possible to make, and Hakim wondered for the first time how much Patricia Sanders had to hate him for her to be able to do that.

  He’d suggested meeting Lauren at the dog park where she’d taken Zeus. It was something approximating neutral ground, so maybe her mother’s watchers wouldn’t follow her there.

  He felt like a spy arranging a secret swap of information. Wearing a ball cap and sunglasses, Hakim sat at one of the picnic tables watching Zeus run and play, while Lauren entered the dog park chatting with another woman. Zeus ran up to Lauren and she greeted him, taking the time to pet him thoroughly. When Zeus ran off again, she casually made her way to his table and sat down on the other side.

  “How are you?” he asked.

  “Still in shock. I never thought she’d do something so extreme. She wouldn’t even listen to me, wouldn’t even try to see my side.”

  “I’m so sorry, Lauren.” He felt helpless, and that was the only thing he could think to say right then.

  She shook her head. “No, this one isn’t on you. It’s all Patricia.”

  “I’ll go see her. I’ll set up a meeting and tell her that I take all the responsibility for our feud. I’ll apologize; I’ll even grovel if I need to.”

  Hakim risked a look at Lauren and was happy to see her smile at that remark.

  “I think a meeting is exactly what we need. And I would appreciate you apologizing. I might even look forward—just the tiniest bit—to seeing you grovel.”

  Internally, he sighed in relief at the return of her cheerful, teasing tone. As long as she believed they could fix things, he could believe that, too.

  “I am worried that even you groveling won’t be enough,” Lauren added sadly.

  Hakim had thought about that possibility, too. Things were so bad that a simple apology might not be enough, so he was working on another plan.

  “Do you trust me?” Hakim asked.

  Lauren turned to face him fully. She tilted her head and looked into his eyes for a long moment.

  “Yes. Completely.”

  “I’ve got something else planned. Groveling might not work, but I think I can do something that will convince her of my sincerity.”

  He shrugged and added, “Or at least will give her enough of a business reason to back off.”

  Lauren stared at him before asking, “What are you planning?”

  Hakim shook his head. “It’s better if you don’t know. I promise, it won’t hurt you. Or Patricia.”

  “I know that. You wouldn’t do that. I’m worried if it’s going to hurt you.”

  Her trust in him warmed his heart. If he hadn’t recognized that he was falling in love with the stunning, brave woman sitting across from him before, he knew it now.

  “It might affect my company, but it won’t hurt me. The only thing that could hurt me is if you say you can’t be part of my life.”

  Lauren nodded and smiled brilliantly at him. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

  “I’ll set up the meeting then?” Hakim asked.

  “Do you think she’ll agree to meet with you? It might be better if I do it and we don’t tell her you’re going to be there.”

  Hakim turned the problem around in his head. He had an idea, and any way he looked at it, some kind of deception was necessary. Better that he was the perpetrator instead of Lauren.

  “I’ll set it up. Fair warning, I’m probably going to have to give her a reason she can’t say no to.”

  Lauren thought about it and Hakim could see her come to the same conclusion. Not for the first time, he was impressed with how smart she was, instinctively catching onto his strategy.

  “You’re going to threaten to go public with the story about you winning the auction? Maybe some sordid tale of my week of servitude?”

  “Leaving out the part where my dog now likes you better than me and how I’m still finding the things you deliberately moved around? That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  He looked back again when he heard her choked laughter. She had her hand pressed to her mouth and was trying not to grin too much. If this plan worked, he vowed that he’d spend the rest of his life trying to make her laugh life that all the time.

  Lauren agreed it was the best way and slipped out of the dog park before she could be noticed. Hakim let her go and hoped it was the last time he would ever have to do so.

  Chapter 23

  Hakim

  Setting up the meeting went almost exactly like Hakim thought it would. Patricia said no and so he threatened to go to the tabloids with the story of how he had bought Lauren at an auction and had her cleaning his house and running errands. He hated himself as he stressed the degradation Lauren must have felt and how awful it would be for her to see that in the papers, but he knew it was the only surefire way to get her in a room.

  Patricia agreed, as long as he would come to her, and so Hakim found himself pacing outside the offices of Sanders & Company five minutes before the agreed-upon meeting time. He’d seen Lauren walk in a few minutes before and was giving her time to get upstairs first.

  Right on time, he appeared at the reception desk and allowed Patricia’s secretary to show him into her office. Patricia sat behind her desk, Lauren on th
e other side with her back to the door. Hakim could see the look of relief on her face as he sat down next to her.

  Patricia’s expression was not a welcoming one, and Hakim decided that small talk was not the way to open the negotiation. Instead he took the large folder he was carrying right up to her desk and threw it down where it made a satisfyingly loud smack as it landed.

  “I’m tired of this feud, Patricia. It’s stupid and immature. For my role in it, I apologize. I’m not proud of who I’ve been the last few years and I’m truly sorry for antagonizing you.”

  Patricia was staring at the folder, almost like she thought it might blow up in her face, but she looked up sharply when Hakim apologized.

  He nodded. “Lauren means the world to me. What I did at the auction was ill-conceived and cruel, and I’ve apologized to her for that. She’s accepted my apology. I would never hurt her, no matter what. I am in love with your daughter. She is everything to me. I chose her over my business every single time.”

  Hakim pointed at the folder on the desk. “If you don’t believe me, maybe that will convince you.”

  As Patricia opened the folder, Hakim put his hand on Lauren’s shoulder. She reached up and covered his hand with hers, a silent gesture of support. Patricia’s expression changed as she read through the folder, shock followed by bewilderment.

  When Patricia looked up again, Hakim added, “Take them all.”

  “Are you bargaining with me? Your clients for my daughter? In spite of what you clearly think, she’s not something to be bought or traded for.”

  Hakim started to reply with a vehement denial, but Lauren squeezed his hand and spoke instead.

  “You two are so alike.”

  Both Hakim and Patricia looked at Lauren, startled.

  “You both show how much you care by stating it in business terms. Mother, I know you care because you raised me to be strong, independent, and smart. You trained me to run my own company and my own life, just like you did. You can’t be upset that I’ve followed in your footsteps.

  “Hakim is showing how much he values me by being willing to give up what you think he wants most—those clients. He’s willing to give up being first in order to be with me.”

  Patricia sniffed. “He is not first.”

  Even Hakim could hear that she was weakening at Lauren’s words. Lauren squeezed his hand again and continued.

  “Neither of you is going to be first if you keep this rivalry up. It might be working for you now, but eventually you’re going to get so wrapped up in it that you’ll lose sight of everything that makes you both great leaders. I know you both care about me; that gives you even more in common.

  “I love Hakim, Mother. And we’re not letting each other go.”

  Hakim felt a thrill of surprise at her words. He tapped Lauren’s shoulder and she looked up at him.

  “You love me?”

  She grinned. “You mean you haven’t figured that out yet? Of course, I do. It shouldn’t be a surprise—you love me, after all.”

  Hakim scratched his chin. “To be honest, I was kind of hoping we could exchange our first I love yous in a more romantic setting.”

  Lauren raised her eyebrows. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I don’t know. The dog park. The theme park. The garden, which is kind of like a park. We seem to have a thing for parks. Want to do this again, in a park somewhere?”

  Her answering grin made him feel like whatever happened in that office, everything would wind up being okay.

  “You bet. Pick a park and I’m there.”

  They both turned their heads when Patricia cleared her throat. Hakim was heartened to see that her expression was softer and more thoughtful as she watched them. Lauren saw it, too.

  “Mother, I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose either of you. I think if you’d just give Hakim a chance, you’d see that he is a good man.”

  Patricia was silent for a long time and when she spoke, her voice was low and rough.

  “I’ve never seen you look at anyone like that.”

  “Because I’ve never been in love like this before,” Lauren said.

  Patricia nodded. “If Hakim has earned your loyalty and love, then I suppose I should. Give him a chance, that is.”

  Hakim sat in front of the desk, leaning forward so Patricia could see his eyes clearly.

  “I am sorry, Patricia.”

  The older woman nodded. “As am I. I’ve been in this business so long that my default reaction is to fight for what’s mine. I can see how we fed off of each other, where our competition turned into a bloody fight. I don’t like backing down.”

  “Neither do I. But I shouldn’t have taken it so far.”

  Patricia shook her head. “I’m not sure I left you any alternative. If my daughter can forgive you for that, then so can I. And I apologize for my role in our feud, for what I’ve done and for the assumptions I’ve made.”

  Hakim almost couldn’t speak for a moment. “I forgive you. To tell you the truth, I admire you for putting up a good fight. You’re one hell of a competitor.”

  Patricia laughed at that. “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be friendly competitors, then.”

  “Agreed,” Hakim said gladly.

  “I feel like we’ve made our way through some sort of Shakespearean scenario here,” Patricia said and looked confused when both Lauren and Hakim laughed.

  Lauren waved a hand at her mother. “It’s possible there was an actual balcony scene.”

  Patricia tilted her head, looking like she wanted the whole story, but instead she let that go and looked at her daughter. “Lauren, I am so sorry. All I wanted was to protect you and I got carried away. I overreacted and over-reached. I do trust your judgement and your instincts. I should have listened to you. You are my pride and joy, worth more to me than any company.”

  Lauren had tears rolling down her face as she moved around the desk. “I love you, Mom.”

  The two women embraced for a long time and in that moment, Hakim knew that everything was going to be okay.

  When Lauren pulled back she wiped away her tears and smiled. “By the way, Mom, since we’re sharing secrets, I have something else to tell you. Guess what I do in my spare time?”

  Chapter 24

  Lauren

  Six Months Later

  Hakim kissed Lauren quickly as she gathered her things from the floor of the passenger seat in the car.

  “Break a leg, my love,” he said, handing her the script that had fallen out of her bag.

  “Thank you! I’ll see you backstage after the show.” She ran for the theater’s front door, knowing that she was running five minutes late for her call. Hakim had offered to drive her to the theater, since he was of course planning on being there for her opening night.

  Over the past six months, Lauren and Hakim had been inseparable. He’d helped her run lines for the play, had cooked dinner for her, and in general had been the perfect boyfriend. Lauren had fallen head over heels in love with him, not only for those reasons, but because he had put aside his feud with her mother and worked to build a good relationship with Patricia. It was his willingness to open himself up that Lauren found attractive.

  Lauren has also been working to develop a better relationship with her mother. Patricia had even taken Lauren’s revelation about her theater work with pleasure and very little surprise. Lauren had been thrilled when Patricia had promised to be in the audience that night.

  He also made sure that she took time for herself, and gave her excellent business advice that had made BingeWatch even more successful than before.

  And it was good that she had that extra time, because she needed it to be the lead in her theater group’s latest production, Romeo and Juliet. There had been something terribly romantic about practicing her lines with Hakim in his library, acting out the scenes and inevitably falling about laughing when one of them messed up a line.

  She ran into the dressing room, only to find her dire
ctor in a panic.

  “Oh, good, Lauren. Listen—we’ve got a bit of an issue tonight, but it’s going to be fine.”

  “Inspiring words, Alec,” Lauren said as she dumped her stuff next to a makeup chair.

  “Our Romeo has had a bit of a problem. He can’t make it tonight.”

  “What?” Lauren whirled to face him. “That’s not a bit of an issue. That’s a big problem!”

  “No, I promise. It’s fine. We have an understudy; he knows all the lines and blocking. It’ll be okay.” Alec patted her arm and waved someone over to help her with her hair and makeup.

  Lauren watched him walk off and muttered to herself. “Oh, sure. It’s fine. I’ve just never acted with the understudy. But, of course, it will be fine.”

  She rolled her eyes as the makeup artist smiled knowingly at her. She tried to sit still as her hair was done, but it was hard. She’d met the understudy, and she knew he had participated in some rehearsals with her own understudy, but Lauren had never really spent any time with him.

  At least he knew the lines, so maybe it wouldn’t be a total disaster.

  Lauren looked around for the other actor—she couldn’t even remember his name at the moment, which she felt bad about—so that they could at least chat a bit. Maybe go over a few scenes quickly.

  But he was nowhere to be found. She’d just have to trust Alec that it really would all be okay. All she could do was her best once she got on stage.

  Her first scene went brilliantly. Lauren was comforted by the fact that the rest of the cast seemed fine, and what she heard over the speakers sending sound from the stage back to the dressing room was a perfect play. The understudy seemed to be doing a fine job; the audience liked him.

  The act where she would be onstage with Romeo for the first time was up next, so Lauren checked her hair and makeup and went to make her entrance. When she walked out onstage, she was unquestionably glad that Juliet was only supposed to stand there so that Romeo could see her. Because she was stunned—instead of the understudy whose name she couldn’t remember, the actor who was standing there, eyeing her mischievously, was Hakim.