“Absolutely.”
“Okay, I’ll do that.” She shifted her weight from one leg to the other.
“What is it?”
“Just a heads-up, but you might see her at the event this afternoon.”
“What event?”
Damn it. I hated the feeling that I was playing catch-up on my own life. I’d lost my grasp on everything. Was it just becauseI didn’t sleep for one night? How on earth did people even do parenthood? I had to talk to Chad.
“The award for the best marketing campaign. Honestly, part of the reason I scheduled the meeting this morning was because she told me you’d both be at the event in the afternoon. Her tone implied that she might accost you there if she didn’t get the chance to pitch to you beforehand.”
I grunted. “Sounds just like her.” Typically, I was all for go-getters. I liked people who fought for what they wanted. And I liked the woman’s pitch too. It was just a pity that she was so unprofessional and infuriating. I mean seriously, accusing me of being a drunk just off a bender? She thought she was so important, prancing her shapely legs around in that tight-fitted red suit, with her red lips pouting and full and?—
Stop it, Beckett.Why are you thinking about her lips?
“After what went down this morning, I can assure you that Piper Dawson won’t get anywhere near me,” I stated firmly.
“Was her presentation any good at least?”
I sighed. “Infuriatingly enough, yes. It was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time.”
“Pity you two didn’t click, then, I guess.” Her shoulders slumped. “Maybe you could still work with MarketingPros and ask for a different representative be assigned to you?”
Hillary had a point. I’d probably talk to Josh and see what the options were.Maybe.
“What time is the event?” I asked.
“Starts at four o’clock.”
“Do I have any other meetings until then?”
“No.”
“Then I’m heading home, and I’ll work from there. I don’t know what I was thinking, coming in today.”
I wanted to check on Charlotte. I’d asked my grandmothers to send me updates every thirty minutes, and I’d only gotten two pictures until now. She was sleeping in each of the photos, which made me think we’d have another sleepless night.
But miraculously, the thought didn’t bother me. Last night, she only wanted to sleep on my chest. Maybe she’d do it again tonight. I’d be a zombie tomorrow, but knowing my daughter was safe with me more than made up for it.
I spent the rest of the day with Charlotte. My grandmothers and Bella insisted on staying too. At first I thought it wasn’t necessary, but then I realized that having company wasn’t the worst thing.
Later that afternoon, I had half a mind to skip the event, but I was the one handing out the award. I might not care what people thought of me, but I’d never do anything to negatively impact the LeBlanc name. I cared about the family legacy too much. And now that I had someone to carry on that legacy one day, it was more important than ever.
“You know what you need?” Isabeau asked after I put Charlotte in her crib. “A rocking chair.”
“What for?”
“You know, so you can sit next to her bed and rock her to sleep. Babies like rocking motions.”
“They do? That’s a great idea. Where would I find a chair?”
Isabeau laughed. “Oh, Beckett. You know, out of all your brothers, I figured you’d be the last one to have a baby.”
I laughed too. As we left Charlotte’s room, I turned on the baby monitor. The grandmothers found it among all the items Hillary had purchased. I still hadn’t even looked through most of the stuff.
“I never thought I’d have a kid either,” I confessed as we headed down the hall.
