Page 108 of Six Month Wife

“Yup.”

She stares at me, a little stunned. “That’s a big deal, Adair. People in this town spendthousandstrying to get on her radar. And you, what, called her up?”

“Sort of. It was a connection through Parker, but she loved the product. And she’s been promoting it hard.”

Bets shakes her head in disbelief, tapping through her screen. “You’re trending on her stories right now.Twice.That’s wild.”

A rush of pride blooms in my chest, stronger than I expected. For the first time in a while, I'm not constantly scrambling to prove I belong here. It's like I have a place here and a job to do.

“If I can keep up with the demand, this could save Citrine and put us through to the next level. And that isn't the only iron in the fire.”

"There's more?"

"Yes, I have a call scheduled with someone from Barbara Corcoran's office."

"The Barbara Corcoran?"

"Yes. She's been looking for a beauty brand to help promote. As you know, she has a lot of big-box store connections. I'm not sure that's the direction I want to go, but I want to hear what it would mean."

"Uh, yeah! Absolutely. Wow. That's amazing. Kudos."

"It feels good to finally have some wins. It's been hard."

"And you've been taking the hits alone."

Bets lifts her eyes from her phone, and for the first time in weeks, there’s nothing guarded about her expression.

“I can’t do it alone,” I add quickly. “That’s why I’m here. I need your help, Bets. I need your advice, your experience. I need your financial backing, but as a loan. With interest.”

“Look at you, all grown up,” she says with a proud smile.

“I’m done letting ego get in the way.”

Bets squeezes my hands, then grabs her notebook. “So give me everything. The plan. The product line. Citrine’s future.”

I unload it all. She listens like a partner, pen flying, eyes sharp with ideas.

The energy in the room is electric. Citrine isn’t surviving. It’sbecoming.

By the time I finally pause, we’re both leaning forward like conspirators in something huge.

“Adair,” she says, her voice soft but certain, “you’re doing it. You’re a badass, and you’re making it happen.”

I smile. Her approval means the world to me.

She reaches across the couch, taking my hands in hers. “I’m proud of you,” she says. “Not for pulling this off, but for doing it your way. For trusting your gut. I know what it took to get here.”

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I blink them back. “Thank you.”

Bets grins. “Okay. Enough business talk. Now that we’ve covered your glowing empire, can we talk about your glowing husband?”

I roll my eyes, but the heat creeps into my cheeks before I can stop it. “Not glowing.”

She lifts a brow. “You sure? Because I’ve had a front-row seat to the chemistry between you two since that nightyou didn’t tell me, but Dr. Hottie and Gunner announced your engagement. You looked like you’d been body-snatched, but the tension was loud.”

She pauses, reading my face. Her voice softens. “And… I saw the article. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to talk about it, but are you okay?”

My stomach twists. “I don’t know.”