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    “Excuse me, could you two let me through, please?” I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.


    Jace didn’t budge, his gaze locked on me. Tanya nced at me before silently stepping aside,


    gripping Jace’s arm like she thought I’d snatch him away or something.


    “Rea,e on, let’s eat,” Lindey called out the moment I stepped into the private room, her smile


    warm and inviting.


    I slid into my seat, ying dumb. “Why’s it just the two of us?”


    “It was always supposed to be just us. Someone else decided to crash the party,pletely


    clueless,” she said, her disdain for Tanya–and probably Jace, too–couldn’t have been more


    obvious.


    I chuckled softly. “If you keep this up, it’s gonna put a strain on things with Jace.”


    I wasn’t trying to be all noble or anything; it’s just that Matthew and Lindey had always been good to


    me. I genuinely wanted their family to get along.


    “This is on him,” Lindey said firmly, not backing down one bit.


    I’d said my piece, so I let it go and decided to just enjoy the amazing food in front of me.


    “What took you so long in the restroom?” Lindey asked.


    “I ran into Hayden,” I admitted, keeping it honest.


    Lindey paused, then teased, “What, did he follow you to make sure no one snatched you up?”


    “No, he’s here for lunch with his boss,” I said, keeping it vague.


    Lindey shifted the best dishes closer to me. “Rea, Hayden’s a great guy. He’s got character and


    good looks. If you’re with him, Matthew and I would be happy. It’s just…”


    She trailed off, but I knew where she was going. “You’re worried he doesn’te from a wealthy


    family. right?”


    *Exactly. It’s not about him personally. We just don’t want you to struggle. Life can be really tough


    when money’s tight,” she said with a sigh.


    I knew she was speaking from experience. RiverwaveCorp wasn’t some generationalpany; she


    and Matthew had built it from scratch.


    They’d been through a lot in those early days, though they never talked about it much. Jace had


    filled me in on how hard it was before they made it. Back then, the whole family–or rather, the five of


    them, since Jace’s grandma was still alive–had to get by on Matthew’s single ie. Just making


    ends meet was a constant struggle.


    They lived in a tiny house with only two bedrooms. His parents had one, and he and Wayne shared


    the other with their grandmother. Lindey took care of everything at home while Matthew worked


    himself to the bone, barely making it from paycheck to paycheck,


    Eventually, Lindey realized they couldn’t keep living like that. She found a job herself, taking on


    whatever she could, and went through her own share of hardships to keep the family afloat.