When she cups his face, her eyes are shining. “I’m so proud of you,” she says. “I can already tell you’re gonna be a wonderful father.”
I recognize the look on his face and the very slight nod he does as an answer. He just turned into a little boy for a few seconds.
You’d think that would be a big turnoff, but nah, I feel good when I see him happy. I’m actually…maybe I’m a littletoohappy watching this. My eyes are watering.
I walk down the hall in search of the bathroom and almost walk smack into Jackson. When he sees it’s me, he stops short, then turns in the other direction.
“Wait!” I follow after him. “Jackson.”
He turns, and it’s reluctant as hell.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah," he says. "Areyouokay?”
“Fine. Just looking for the bathroom.”
He points. “Second door. Right there.”
In my mind, I make note of how good he looks. And smells. But all I say is, “Did you enjoy the shower?”
He considers me for a minute, then nods. “I did. My wife throws a hell of a party.”
“She does.”
His gaze drops to my bump, lingering for a beat before he smiles. “Looks like I’m running out of time to decide on my name.”
I chuckle at that. “Yeah. Listen, thank you for the shower. And for the use of your home. I appreciate it.”
He nods and moves along.
And I feel oddly satisfied by that boring little interaction.
47
Ace
Somebody transformed the conference room into a three-ring circus.
It’s the end of a fucking era, though, so I’ll allow it. The fucking bridge is done.
And this is our final wrap party.
A balloon archway greets us at the door. Banners stretch out across the walls. CONGRATULATIONS! And WE DID IT! and the like. Tables of food line the outer walls, and the two makeshift bars are in the corners.
The liquor is flowing.
Somebody handed me a drink as soon as walked in, and now I’m on my second and feeling good as fuck. I’m not even irritated when I see Veronica, but that’s likely because I know I won’t have to deal with her ass again after this.
Hugh, my supervisor, taps his glass with a fork to get our attention. “To the long nights. The early mornings. The delays and the audits and the hearings. The compliance logs anddrafting and all of it, every last bit. To never having to do this shit again on Dobler Street!”
We all drink to that.
“Wait, wait!” he says. “Ace, come over here.”
A few whistles sound out, and polite applause.
“To Ace. You steered the ship, kept us on course, and looked like a million bucks doing it. Isn’t he handsome? Look at this face. Thank you Ace!”
