“Jaeger!We can’t do this with my brother and Gen around.”
“I know, feisty.”He grins.“But while they’re gone, naked time is in full effect.”
ChapterTwenty-Eight
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”My legs are crossed at the ankle over Jaeger’s lap on the couch in the living room.He spent the night, and we were perfect angels while Gen and Tyler were around.Probably because we’d taken care of our pent-up sexual needs before they returned.
“You’ve got work, and I probably should drive up to Kate’s sister’s on my own.”Jaeger rubs his forehead and runs his fingers through his hair.He lets out a breath, the fine lines around his eyes deeper than ever.He doesn’t seem convinced.
“You’re worried you might meet your daughter and you want to keep things simple,” I say, guessing what he must be thinking.
He sucks in air through his nose and closes his eyes.“If I have one, yes.I’d bet anything, though, she isn’t mine.If she is… I’ll do what I have to, but Kate’s a liar.I haven’t figured out why she’d lie about this, but she must be.We were—careful—or I was.”
I hate thinking about Jaeger with another woman.“No need to elaborate.”
He pulls me to his chest and rubs his lips along my hairline.“I should be back by the time you get off work.See you then?”I nod and he kisses me on the head, then wraps his arms around my waist in a lung-crushing squeeze.
I love his hugs.I could stay in his embrace for the rest of the day without food or water and be perfectly content breathing in his scent for sustenance.
And that’s what I have to hold me over for the rest of the day while I’m at work, the memory of being held by Jaeger and knowing I was so blissfully wrong, thank God.I mean, Kate’s still a problem, but she’s not as big of a problem as I thought.As long as Jaeger and I are together, everything will be okay.
That doesn’t stop me from worrying entirely.If Jaeger has a daughter, what does it mean for him?For us?I like kids, but I’ve spent next to no time with them.
I didn’t expect to need a working knowledge of children until I had my own—a loooong way off.What if Jaeger realizes I’m no good with children?Then what?
“Cali?”Architect Bill jars me from my bout of anxiety.I’m supposed to be working on a new design for the company’s business cards, but instead I’m staring off into space.“Do you have time to make an artist’s rendition of the Lakeshore property?We think it will help with the planning council.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Great, I’ll send the principal your way.John’s son.Have you two met?Nice kid.”
Several of the guys that come through the office are on the younger side, but they spend most of their time on job sites.Sallee Construction is in a nice office building, but space is limited.Most employees don’t have offices.My own desk is in the copy room.Kind of pitiful, but I don’t mind.The way I see it, it gives me more time to chat with the receptionist, who’s sweet and always coming in to make copies for John and the others.
A little while later, I’m trying to recall whether any of the guys I’ve met could be John’s son, when a knock sounds at my door.
I carefully finish the line I’m working on for the business card mock-up, and turn around.My head notches back in shock.“You?”
The word is out before I can stop it, but what the hell?
Lewis’s brow furrows.“Gen’s friend,” he says, as if confirming the obvious.After a pause, he seems to gather himself and takes a step inside.“I’ve worked in the field the last several days.I didn’t realize you were the artist my father hired.”
Lewis is Mr.Sallee’s son?It makes some sense with the connection to Nessa.Nessa’s how Gen met Lewis.
After a long hesitation, in which I attempt to process the fact that I now work with Lewis, I gesture to the one chair in my office.
He takes a seat, looking like an adult in a toddler’s chair and consuming the room’s limited breathing space.Lewis isn’t as bulky as Jaeger, but he’s athletically built and just as tall.
“How’s Genevieve?”
The hair on the back of my neck prickles.Most people don’t even know Genevieve is Gen’s full name—and it makes me nervous that this guy does.“Good,” I answer warily.
Lewis is tall, with dark hair and tanned skin like his father, though his face is free of laugh lines—probably because the guy never smiles.Add high cheekbones and a strong, proud chin, and what’s not to like?But no way in hell am I throwing my BF back into the fire with a cheater, and last I checked, Lewis was in some complicated relationship with Mira.
If I’ve learned anything though this summer, it’s that Gen doesn’t need me to fight her battles.She’s done just fine on her own.I should keep my mouth shut.
I relax my shoulders and tell myself to simmer down.
Lewis pulls two reduced architectural CAD drawings from a file in his hand.He explains the general aesthetic of the Lakeshore building and shows me the landscape plan.The final product will be a multilevel Swiss lodge with a modern bent and eco-friendly plants.
