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A startled gasp had me turning to find Shaylee in the doorway to her office.
I turned to face her, the frame still clutched in my hand.
I needed to ask the question, but I was afraid of the answer.
Chapter 3
Shaylee
My heart was hammering, stomach in knots, and just thinking about seeing James…I’m sure this is how a panic attack starts.
How was any of this even possible? The fates, God, Zeus, Anubis…damn. They must all hate the alignment of my stars. I was a walking, talking, end-of-days kind of girl. Or so it seemed.
Shaking myself, even I had to admit, that sounded a little dramatic. Giving myself a mental slap to get my head back in the game, I let out a long breath.
This day had gone from a celebration to…a hot mess of nerves. He was here. He’d seen me with Lola. Did he know just from their brief meeting? My stomach was seconds from making me lose everything I’d put in it over the last hour.
I’d been so nervous to come back up this elevator; to face my past choices head on. Would he be waiting? I’d gotten lucky; he wasn’t waiting, nor did I see him anywhere. I sure hoped my luck would hold out just a bit longer. I could slip in my office, grab the new manuscripts that needed my attention and a couple of folders, then escape this place for the weekend.
Rubbing my hands over my arms, I walked back toward my office. I could handle this. There was no choice actually. It was done, so it couldn’t be changed. He was going to be here for at least two months. Eight weeks. Fifty-some odd days. That was nothing.
Coming to the end of the hall, I noticed Danni wasn’t at her desk. I’d take that as a good sign. If she’d seen him, she’d most definitely remember him. The girl may be married, but she took the ‘you can look, but don’t touch’ saying to heart. Though, now that I thought about it, her husband Chandler was just as bad. When we went to dinner, they seemed to make it a contest. Ogling and booty checks at their best.
Grinning at that thought, I walked into my office, jumping when James’ wide shoulders came into sight. He was holding a picture of Lola. I sucked in a startled breath, and he turned, taking me in.
“What ar?—”
“Is she?—”
“Yes.” The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it. Tears pricked my eyes as he stood there, looking between me and the picture in his hand.
I wouldn’t lie to him and say no. I hated when people did that kind of shit. Why lie? No way to deny it, not really. It was obvious with him standing right here. Not that I’d had any kind of doubt. I wasn’t a girl who slept around normally. He’d been the only one in a long while.
“I didn’t know—” I stopped, took in a clearing, calming breath, and shut the office door. No one else needed to be privy to this conversation. “There was—this looks really bad,” I stammered. Panic rolled through my gut, my unease growing with each step I took toward my desk. “I didn’t know how to find you. The apartment was empty when I came back. They wouldn’t give me any information.”
I had tried. But I’d had nothing more than a first name and a half-assed description of him from that night. The tequila made things a little less clear too.
“I left for my job in New York the next morning. I never imagined coming back here.” He chuckled. “Turns out, I’m not a big city guy.”
“I didn’t know—I was celebrating getting a job here. You—I didn’t know.”
His gaze met mine, taking in the panic I was trying to hide. He was the CEO’s son. I hadn’t targeted him. I’d read stories of people doing that. Trapping someone so they’d have a better life. If Mr. Whitman found out…would he fire me? Could he?
“Hey, look at me.” When I looked up, he was right before me. “Breathe. None of this is your fault. It’s—” He shrugged. “I’m still trying to process this.”
“She’s the best part of me,” I whispered. “She’s kind, very smart, and she’s going to rule the world one day.”
He chuckled. “From what my father says about you, I can see that. He talks very highly of his best employee.” He took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “I think we should start over. Now that I know?—”
“You want to meet her,” I stated, already knowing. I didn’t—couldn’t—blame him. Not one bit. “She’s mine. I won’t let anyone or anything upset her. You can get to know her, within reason, of course. I have to put her needs and safety as my top priority.”
“Understood. I’d not want to do anything to make you uneasy or that could hurt her in any way. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. It wasn’t how I wanted things to go that night. I had no idea.”
His eyes had tears pooling in them. If there was one thing that I was sure of, he was being open and honest with me. His raw emotions were bare to the world right now.
“Neither of us expected that one night to blossom into anything more than a good memory. I, for one, am still in awe of the way things turned out. I’d just landed this great job, and here I was a few months later having to tell my boss that I was pregnant. I was so scared he was going to drop me. Thankfully, he didn’t. I’d be lost without this place; they’ve become family.”
He took a seat in one of the chairs in front of my desk, still holding that framed picture. My lips tipped into a fond smile.
