Page 67 of The Boss I Can't Stand

“Ready?” I asked.

She nodded as we made our way up to the door.

“You look sexy as hell. Have I told you that?”

“Only a few times,” Sierra said. “But I don’t mind hearing it again.”

“You look very,verysexy.” I reached for the front door, but it flew open before I could grab it.

“You have to knock!” Grace announced before slamming the door in my face. I blinked, momentarily stunned. Sierra broke into giggles.

“I take it that’s your niece?”

I grinned in amusement, shaking my head as I knocked. The door swung open again. This time, I was able to get the full picture of Grace clad in a tiny butler’s outfit, white gloves and all. “Hi, Uncle Finn! Can I take your coats?”

“Hi, Grace,” I said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. I gratefully shrugged out of my jacket and handed it over. Sierra didn’t have a jacket, but she offered Grace her purse.

“She’s adorable,” Sierra whispered as Grace went and dumped our things in a heap on the couch.

“She’s definitely the coolest eight-year-old you’ll ever meet,” I said as I whisked Sierra through the living room, doing formal introductions with Liam and his fiancée, Mia, and Connor.

“Feathers!” Mia said, looking at Sierra’s headband. “I knew I was missing something to go with this flapper thing I thrifted downtown.” She and Sierra immediately started chatting about their favorite thrift stores. As I watched them bonding, contentment bloomed in my chest.

It shouldn’t have mattered what anyone thought, but for some reason it did. I wanted my family to like Sierra, but I never should have worried about that. Everyonealwaysliked Sierra.

“Appetizers are ready!” Mom said, rushing over with a party tray and placing it down on the coffee table. “I ran out of time and had to order them, but they are period appropriate.”

“Do we have to stick with period-appropriate drinks?” Connor complained.

Mom tittered. “Of course. Martinis for everyone!”

“Yay!” Grace cheered.

“Not you!” Connor said.

“Aww,” Grace whined, and we all laughed as she pouted and stomped across the living room to sit next to Sierra on the couch. “When is the wedding?” I heard her ask, taking Sierra’s hand to look at the ring.

“Oh, well?—”

“Can I be the ring bear?”

“Bearer,” Connor corrected her.

I winced. Despite how cute that question was, the fact that she was asking at all meant Connor hadn’t explained the whole fake relationship thing to Grace. I tensed, wondering how Sierra, the world’s worst liar, would respond.

She smiled brightly, like the question hadn’t even phased her. “As soon as we set a date, there will be all sorts of jobs that need doing.”

Smooth, I thought. Because without the date, there would be no wedding. So that wasn’t technically a lie.

“I can be the flower girl, too!” Grace declared excitedly while I caught Connor’s eye, inclining my head toward the kitchen. He followed after me.

“Sorry about that,” Connor said once we were out of earshot of Grace. “I didn’t exactly know how to explain a PR relationship to her. Divorce was a hard enough concept.”

“But what happens at the next family dinner when there’s no Sierra?” I asked.

Connor shrugged. “That’s up to you, I guess. I figure there’s at least a chance you’ll get your head on straight and realize what an absolute rockstar you’ve found and decide to hold on to her. Because frankly, if she can put up with you, she’s one in a million.”

“Hey!” I nudged him. Hard.