“Absolutely. But you take a snack break in the middle, or I swear I’ll come sit on your lap while you’re typing.”
Sydney giggled. “That sounds more like a reward than a punishment.”
“Don’t tempt me, little miss.”
He gave her a soft kiss and sent her off to her desk with a pat to her butt and Sydney couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear at his antics.
She didn’t sendallthe emails that afternoon, just a few. Her welcome-back message was brief, professional, and full of apologies. She updated her contact details, offered flexible hours to accommodate the time zone difference or alternatively, an out on their contracts if that wouldn’t work for her clients, and hit “send” before she could overthink it.
Then she sat there, a little breathless, heart fluttering like a trapped bird.
But it was done.
The world didn’t end.
Greg hadn’t materialized out of the shadows. Nothing cracked or shattered. She just… worked. Carefully. Slowly. Like stepping back into her old life wearing brand-new shoes. And ithadmade her feel better, more in control. Starting tomorrow she’d work through the responses and set up regular working hours again so she could get back to her old self.
Well, maybe not her old-old self. Because that Sydney was sad, lonely and missed out on life.
She was still at the table, laptop open, fingers half-poised over the keys, when Levi appeared at her elbow holding a little pink plate.
“Snack delivery,” he said with a grin and a wink. “Unless youwantme to come sit on your lap.”
Sydney looked down.
A cookie sat in the center of the plate, delicately iced with white and gold swirls. On top sat a note in Levi’s masculine handwriting. “Proud of you, baby.”
Her throat closed up again, but this time in the good way.
She took the cookie and looked up at Levi, blinking fast. “I guess, I will have to, because if you sat on my lap, we might break my pretty new chair, and we can’t have that.”
Levi responded by leaning over and placing a tender a kiss on her brow before tapping her nose. “Now go on, take a bite, and I’ll even pretend a cookie is a healthy snack.”
Sydney laughed, even as tears slipped down her cheeks. “From that, I take it I won’t be getting sugar cookies every day?”
He laughed as he walked back to the kitchen. “You bet your red ass you won’t.”
Sydney looked down at the cookie in her hand and mumbled, “Maybe I’ll take that red ass for a sweet treat.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sydney
After Sydney’s snack, Levi had to get back to work, but he was soon replaced by Roland who came in, greeting her with a whopping kiss before mumbling something about needing to get some of his own work done.
She was well aware that these men were taking turns to stay with her, to ensure she was never alone for too long, and she should have felt stifled by it, but for now she was going to enjoy it, and the way it made her feel safe.
So instead of sulking or scoffing at her Daddies, Sydney spent the rest of the day going through old and new emails, and checking her notes on each client. Most of them had decided to stay on, thank goodness. Only a few weren’t willing to work with the new time zone constraints, but she wasn’t worried. She could get new clients.
Her new phone, sleek, purple glitter-cased, and entirely Greg-free, buzzed beside her. She picked it up with cautious hope and saw a reply from one of her favorite clients blinking on the screen.
Oh my goodness! Syd. I’ve been dying without you. I’ve got about a million things running behind schedule, and I am so freaking glad you’re back!
Sydney’s eyes welled before she could stop them. She sniffled once, smiling, then wiped at her cheeks.
A soft clearing of a throat made her glance up. Roland leaned against the wall, holding two mugs. One was her brand new bunny mug, the other with something stylish and earthy that was very him.
“You alright, little bird?” he asked, concern etched between his brows.
