He snorted and looked out his window. Yeah, I had him pegged. He’d go for Clare in a heartbeat, but his professionalism held him back. Admirable quality though.
We turned onto Fifth Avenue; the sun hitting the sidewalks and shimmering windows of elegance and luxury. Rarely had I visited the city. Not like I had a choice all these years looking after Mom and the girls on an extremely tight budget. Here I was now; for how long, who knew? A day? Seven more months until the baby popped out? I might as well take advantage and see the sights.
“Can you stop up here, Brock? I’ll walk.” As soon as he pulled over, I hopped out.
“Call an hour before school pickup, and I’ll come get you,” he called. The SUV pulled away, leaving me standing on the sidewalk with the crisp city wind brushing my hair.
Fifth Avenue, full of window displays and polished people with important places to be, proved to be just the elixir I needed. I stopped at a small café on the corner, ordered a hot cocoa, and took a seat by the window to observe the hustle and bustle.
The city was a long way from Holly Creek’s quiet, charming streets and diners that smelled like pancakes, pie, and coffee.
I missed home, but this was a chance to start over. I pressed a hand to my belly, still flat but full of a secret. Life would change drastically when the baby came. We would either be here with Griffin or back home splitting custody. I’d prefer to have this baby with him, if my heart had a say in the matter.
As I stirred my drink, my thoughts circled back to this morning and the way his voice clipped, running late. From the tension coiled in his shoulders to the exhaustion in his eyes, Griffin hadn’t exactly looked thrilled to see me. Maybe he was just overwhelmed. Or I’d imagined the connection we had in Holly Creek in the first place. No matter what, I needed to talk with him tonight and get things sorted out.
With time to kill, I checked in with Mom and Aunt Patty. They assured me they were fine. Pauline and Charlene texted me back on our group chat from school. Charlene had beennamed as part of the senior high homecoming court. Pauline said Richard Buchanan offered her a job at his stables. Everyone was fine. I’d been gone a day, and so far they’d survived without me.
Aunt Patty’s voice replayed in my head from the day before as I had packed my car to leave:Tell him about the baby, Jessa. No matter what happens, it’s time for you to take care of your needs now.
She’d divorced and moved back home with us, available to take care of Mom and help with my sisters. She worked as a legal aid from home, making good money; the girls had part-time jobs now, and everyone pitched in. They’d all survive without me.
When I told them about the baby, Mom and Aunt Patty agreed that I’d done enough for all of them. I needed to strike out and do something for myself for once.
They were right. But staring at a skyline that belonged to Griffin West and his world, I wasn’t sure how to tell him that one night in Holly Creek had changed both of our lives forever—the proof was growing inside me.
Chapter Six
HAT TRICKING
Griffin
What partof my rules didn’t Jessa understand? They were simple. I required the nanny to text me throughout the day about Theo. Not a word came in until this afternoon when Jessa simply texted a photo as soon as Theo’s game started. It was a shot of my boy all geared up and giving a thumbs up before hitting the ice.
I touched a fingertip to the screen along his goofy grin, the same he wore the day I took him ice skating when he was five at a birthday party for another little boy in his preschool class. At first, he loved hanging onto a bar on wheels and zooming down the ice. By the time we left that night, he was one of few kids not needing the assistive bar at all, like he was born to skate.
I gave the photo a ‘thumbs up’ emoji and tried to wrap up a few more things on my desk. Outside my windows, the sky darkened in purples and blues, a dusky fall evening approaching. I checked the time. If I left soon, given traffic, I could join them for the second period. Theo always liked when I could make it to his games.
Of course, Sam—the best damn legal counsel I could have ever hired—moved into my office without knocking.
With a glance at my desk and everything I needed to get done yet today, though, I let out an aggravated, shaky breath.
“What’s going on with you? You seemed particularly on edge all afternoon,” he complained. He went straight for the Macallan M on my bar cart—my last bottle from the private cask.
“I’m fine,” I clipped. “Another day, another new nanny.”
“Jesus, Griffin. What happened to the last? What was her name—Theresa?”
My sheepish look was a dead giveaway.
“You fucked her?”
“No. It got to the point where her flirting became too much, so I fired her.”
He sighed down into the nearest chair. “Good. If we’re going to pull off this IPO, perception is everything. Investors want a family man, not a playboy CEO who can’t keep his hands off his nanny.”
My jaw tightened. “I need the agency to stop sending me young women fresh out of college who think they can bag a billionaire.”
Sam arched a brow. “Look, we’re heading into the biggest quarter of this company’s life. Media exposure, investor dinners, magazine profiles. You need a narrative investors can fall in love with, Griffin. Stability sells. People want someone they can trust with their money.”
