Chapter 127: The Flame

Soon all the guests dispersed, and Teddy, Aitana, and their kids went off to their own rooms. Byron and Emily were left alone, and they too headed for their bedroom.

"What am I going to do?" Emily lamented. "Katie is like my own child. I can't let her date Carter."

"Carter's not so bad," Byron said, to her surprise.

"Oh, now he's not so bad because you beat him at weightlifting."

"You have to admit, he was a graceful loser."

"But he would make a terrible boyfriend."

"It's going to be okay," Byron assured her, gathering her into his arms in a comforting hug. "We've had much worse parties than this."

"Parties…" Emily though she might have an idea. "Are you going to invite that Brandon guy to your next company event?"

"Of course, he's my rising star. Oh, I see what you're thinking. If we invited Katie along, she might have a chance to get to know Brandon, see him in his own element."

"Exactly!"

"The only problem is, it might be kind of obvious that we're setting them up."

"That