Corinne squeezed my arm. "Believe it. Look at all this." She gestured at the packed ballroom. "You did this."
Across the room, Kyle and Astrid were darting between legs, giggling, the little charm bracelets from my children's line dangling from their tiny wrists. Jasper caught my eye and lifted his glass in a silent toast.
I should have been happy.
I should have been over the moon.
But as I scanned the room, I felt a hollow ache settle in my chest. Elliot was gone - he'd never answered my calls after that disastrous night in London. And Ace... Ace was blocked. Erased. Or at least, that's what I told myself every night when I stared at my dark phone, willing it not to buzz with his name.
But tonight wasn't about heartbreak. Tonight was mine.
I sipped champagne, forcing myself to laugh when Corinne whispered something snarky about an influencer's outfit. I posed for photos, smiled for the cameras, thanked guests with practiced charm.
And then... I felt it.
A shift in the air.
The kind of silence that presses against your skin just before lightning strikes.
I turned - and there he was.
Ace.
My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I actually stumbled back a step.
He stood at the entrance of the ballroom, hands tucked casually into the pockets of his black tailored pants, his white shirt rolled at the sleeves, that infuriatingly perfect smirk tilting one cornerof his mouth. His dark eyes locked onto mine, pinning me in place.
God, why did he still have this effect on me?
For a moment, I was frozen. Then I snapped out of it, head whipping away, smile pasted back on as if I hadn't just seen the man who tore my heart to shreds.
But of course, Ace didn't stay at the door.
No, that would be too easy.
He moved through the crowd like a predator, slipping between clusters of guests, nodding at familiar faces, his eyes never leaving me. My skin prickled with awareness, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as I felt him approach.
And then he was there, close enough that I could smell his cologne - smoky, sharp, devastating.
"Brit," he murmured, his voice smooth as whiskey, "congratulations."
I drew in a shaky breath and turned slowly. "Ace." My voice came out cool, practiced. "What are you doing here?"
His lips curved. "Celebrating you."
I narrowed my eyes. "Funny, I don't remember inviting you."
He shrugged, unfazed. "Your brother did."
Of course Jasper did. I shot a glare toward where Jasper was clinking glasses with a producer.
"Can we talk?" Ace asked softly.
I let out a dry laugh. "I don't think so."
"Brit-"
"Go mingle, Ace. Enjoy the free champagne. And stay the hell away from me."
