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“Fuck. Shit.” It floats to the top of the water. “Goddamn it.”
Just as I’m about to reach for it, incredibly grateful that I’ve already flushed, I notice the readout on the little digital screen.
Pregnant.
Chapter 24
Noah
“No, no. That’s not what we discussed. Go with the other upgrade material and make it happen. Okay? Good. I’ll talk to you later.”
As I hang up yet another call with my suppliers, I sigh and collapse back into my desk chair. Today has been nothing but a drain, and it’s all starting to get to me.
It’s always another snag, this one about the wallpaper we want to be used in the executive and higher-end suites, and I just can’t anymore.
The Hawaii deal is progressing, but it feels like I’m running into problems every five minutes. This is the first off-mainland job I’ve taken on, and now I see why people rarely develop outside of the continental US without issue.
Creating something beautiful where people can relax has always been a dream of mine, but right now, I feel like I desperately need a vacation from developing a vacation resort.
And the stakeholders still want me to go down there at some point soon.
I’m not five minutes into cleaning up my email responses again when my phone buzzes on the desk. I know who it probably is, and as I reach for it, I imagine my blood pressure starting to rise.
Opening it up and checking the message, I see I’m right. Natasha is back to harassing me with texts again.
Congenial negotiation has since failed over the past two weeks, and now we’re dealing with a judge who’s completely biased. I’ve barely had the chance to say anything to the woman, and she’s always cutting me off when I do speak.
Just meet with me. Or you can kiss your sweet life goodbye.
Natasha’s been demanding a one-on-one without the lawyers or the judge, and at this point, I don’t know what else to do but say yes. She’s played every angle she has with the judge, and her honor is eating it up.
Between being the single parent, the one that works all the time, and the “strong temper during litigation meetings,” I’m the bad guy here.
Worse, Natasha has been turning down all my offers, and I’ve offered damn near everything, which, of course, is what I think she wants. Everything.
A ping comes through my computer, and I see the supplier has found a way to get another key material we need to the job site faster if I pay a bit more for the freight shipping. I quickly type up a yeah, go for it and send it off.
Maybe this is a sign that my luck is changing.
Regarding Natasha’s message, I hang my head before I send back a reply.
Fine. Meet at my house at 2:30 p.m. before Elijah gets home from school.
Natasha’s see you then comes back in moments, and I start to wrap up as much as I can so that I can head home to meet her.
After putting out a few more fires, I’m good to leave, and I go back home to freshen up and make sure the house looks good enough for “company.”
Liv always does a great job keeping everything clean and tidy, so I’m not worried.
A familiar pinch echoes through my chest as I consider Liv, but it’s one I’ve grown accustomed to feeling. She’s made it clear what she wants and the risks we’d be taking by staying together, and I won’t push it.
I’ve honored her request every day since, finding some solace in the fact that she’s still in my life, in Elijah’s life.
I’d be lying if I said I still didn’t think about her that way, though, and it’s been fucking hard to stop myself from dragging her right back into the office after long days like today.
All I want to do is crash into that incredible woman and forget the world exists for a while. But as I think about our trysts, I realize that I also just want to talk to her like I had that Friday night.
We both know hanging around each other alone is a surefire way to end up fucking again, so we’ve kept our distance.
