“Seriously? Piper, if anyone even attempts to give you trouble, I’ll deal with them.”
“Mmm, that sounds so sexy.”
I tilted closer to her, then caught myself and straightened back up. I needed to get home.
She narrowed her eyes. “Hey, what are you doing? You were going to kiss me.”
“Yeah, but I need to run, and I never, ever want to kiss you on the run.”
Because I was close to giving in to temptation, I took a step back. Piper laughed as she sat down again, taking her glass and sipping from her Aperol, then eating another praline.
“Okay, Beckett. Just give me a call whenever things work out.”
“Next time, I will so fucking kiss you.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
When I arrived home, Charlotte was still fussing. I immediately took her in my arms, and what do you know? My baby girl calmed down.
“Ah. She just needed her daddy. I had a feeling,” Isabeau said.
“And here I am for her. Thanks a lot for staying with her this afternoon.”
“Anytime. She’s my favorite LeBlanc.”
“Mine too,” I confessed, kissing Charlotte’s forehead. She looked up at me with drowsy eyes. “She’s going to fall asleep. I can’t believe it.”
“She’s been fed and burped,” Isabeau informed me, “but she must have wanted her daddy to put her to sleep. It’s adorable that you have such a connection with her.”
“Of course. She’s mine.”
Isabeau was looking at me with a wry smile.
“What?” I asked.
“There’s something different about you yet again. Like you’ve made a decision.”
I blinked. “Whatever you’re doing, stop it. It’s scary.”
“Don’t worry, nothing paranormal. It’s grandmother’s intuition. Just follow through with whatever you decide. When I’m in a conundrum, I tell myself to follow my instincts. I don’t let my fears get in the way.”
“Thanks.”
She looked at Charlotte. “When can I watch her next?”
“Soon,” I promised. But right now, it was time for me to bond with her.
Isabeau slipped on her jacket as her phone pinged—it was probably Grandpa David. He was picking her up. I opened the door and half hugged her as she left, careful not to wake my little girl.
Now alone with my baby, we went through our evening routine, which Charlotte absolutely loved. She woke up fairly quickly after Isabeau left, so I began her bath. She adored bathing, though tonight she seemed more tired and enjoyed getting into her pajamas, then lying in her bassinet. I sang some nursery rhymes throughout, and although she didn’t know what the hell I was saying, my voice seemed to soothe her.
After she fell asleep, I checked my emails. There were several about work that could definitely wait until Monday and one I wasn’t expecting at all from Charlotte’s mom. The subject line said “Papers,” and the message was marked as urgent.
I opened it, bracing myself. I’d made it clear that I didn’t want to have anything to do with her unless she planned to be in Charlotte’s life. She said she had no interest in it and signed over all parental rights to me, so what the hell would she have to write to me about that was urgent?
Hey, Beckett. So, my lawyer said I should have a hard copy of our papers. I thought I had the scans, but I can’t find them. This is my address. Tell your assistant to make copies of yours and send them to me.
I instantly saw red. I got up from my dining table, a ball of energy now. As I paced the living room, my anger intensified. I’d been very calm after putting Charlotte to sleep, but now I had enough adrenaline that I could run around the block. I had a treadmill but didn’t want to use it because that might wake her up. The vibrations were insane no matter how many insulated mats I put under it. I decided to hit the weights section instead because those didn’t make too much noise. I just had to release this tension, and a workout usually did just that.
