Iris was madly and deeply in love with Cade her brother’s best friend. At one time she had been extremely close to the two of them. She never thought there could be anything that could separate the three of them. She was happy in Cade’s presence. Iris was fun, confident, and smart—all the things a girl wanted to be. She felt alive. She gave Cade too much power in her head, heart, and life. Iris felt loved in a way that she knew only Cade could provide. Which may be true for right now but not always. She needed to love Iris. Even then, she knew what they had been special.
She felt that connection deep in her bones, in her soul, and in her heart. Iris’s future was Cade Richards. Or at least, she thought it was. That was before. One night. One kiss. One rejection. You read that right he rejected her. That was all it took to shatter everything. He pulled his lips from hers, and with a look Iris couldn’t quite understand, he shook his head and told her no. It couldn’t happen. They couldn’t be. Then he walked out of her life. No explanation or anything.
Everything she thought she knew before, nope! Gone. Now she felt alone and abandoned. He even got her brother when you think about it, it was like in a custody battle that never was. She just slowly faded away. Although she was questioning what she should do next. Iris realized she had put too much credence in what he thought, and she had some decisions to make. She had to rebuild her self-worth from a pile of broken pieces. Second-guessing everything, she no longer trusted herself. She felt obtuse to have been fooled into believing he loved her.
With her innocence shattered, she vowed to be strong without him. She vows to make every aspect of her life exceptional and to excel at all her endeavors. Maybe she wasn’t all the things she thought she was before, but she’d be them now, at least the ones that mattered. One thing was for sure, she’d never allow Cade to hurt her again. That was Iris after a broken heart.
PRESENT
What happened was that she became anal-retentive. A place for everything and everything in its place. Law was her new jam which makes sense. Very cut and dry follow the rules you don’t there are consequences, end of story. Do not pass go. Her grades and test scores in high school were exceptional enough to warrant her acceptance into the University of Michigan’s pre-law program. She can’t be certain that her father had nothing to do with her getting into the most prestigious college in Michigan for her undergrad or Harvard Law thereafter.
The man has made quite a name for himself as one of the state's wealthiest and most successful corporate lawyers. He had nothing to do with the rigorous schedule that allowed her to earn her undergraduate degree in three years or the top scores she made in law school. She’s been nothing if not diligent in her education to get there. She worked in one of the best law firms in Michigan, located in Ann Arbor, a mere four miles from the university where she started on her path. The events of that day showed her that she had to prove her worth so no one would ever question it again.
She was reborn into someone who would be great and accomplish incredible things, and everybody who knew her would see it. She would shine so bright, she’d blind them all. At twenty-four years old, the youngest lawyer at the firm. Not her father’s firm either, but her boyfriend, a year that day. The cases she gets are lackluster, at best. Yet she’s won them. She’ll keep winning until the senior partners see her as the asset she is. Shaking her head, she quiets the voices that remind her that the senior partner is her boyfriend, Benjamin Stormberg Junior’s, father.
Benjamin Stormberg Senior didn’t hire her because she’d been seriously dating his son. He brought her on board because he saw her value. However, Ben had forgotten their anniversary so therefore didn't plan anything and told her he had to work late because he was swamped. Can they put off whatever great thing she probably had planned until the weekend? She deflates, but before she leaves his office he tells her how beautiful she looked. Making her feel great because she took extra care that more with her hair and makeup. Which reels her back in.
Meanwhile, her brother texted her trying to get her to go to the bye week with him and Cade’s Hockey team. Yup, her brother, Beckett, is two years older than her and one of the starting forwards for Michigan’s NHL team, the Cranes. They're going to Barbados. She tells him, I have a job. Take the time off. I’m sure you’ve earned it. She rarely gets to see him because of his rigorous schedule. I can’t. Sorry. Yes, you can. Bring that hot slutty secretary of yours. Nancy is not a slut! You’re the one who told me she was! LOL Oh, well. She’s really nice.
So as she left the parking lot, she decided to get a picnic together with wine and take it for their anniversary dinner to Ben. Only to be met with him, doing the only friend she met at the firm her age over his desk, Nancy. He wanted to explain. What? How his junk fell into Nancy's vajayjay. It's self-explanatory. She snatched the pen that her dad gave her from the desk and her framed diplomas from the wall. Iris knows without a doubt that she won’t be returning to her office. She’s done there. Iris decides on Barbados, it sounds good after all.
But first, they must stop by their parents for their anniversary party. Courtesy of Iris herself, from party planning to execution. Beckett Feldmore, her brother is none too happy because he only got a couple of hours of sleep. After all, they are comin’ off a winnin’ streak, they’ll be starting the bye week late by a day. Crybaby much? Cade who doesn’t drink much does suck on Dumb Dumbs something his momma always had on hand, has no sympathy. Cade can only remember all of the good things his parents have ever done for him.
Since he was ten, and taken in by Momma Margaret Richards as a foster, but she kept him as her own. It's the Feldmore’s that provided him the opportunity to learn, have the money, and equipment for hockey growing up. His Momma now has dementia. Bring tissues between reuniting with Iris and saying his goodbyes to his past, lordy it is hard to swallow, but oh so good.