“Incredible.”
“I’m sorry you weren’t there today,” I murmured, nuzzling my head into the crook of his neck. “It didn’t feel right without you.”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry for being a jerk.” He pressed his lips to my hair.
“Thank you for telling me everything,” I said. “I know it wasn’t easy, but everything we’ve been through and the messes we’ve talked through, have only brought us closer.”
“I know,” he said. “It’s not easy for me, so please go easy on me.”
I laughed softly. “It’s like pulling teeth.”
He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. “Thanks for being patient with me.”
I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, his familiar stubble tickling my lips, before settling back onto his shoulder. He was home, and I always wanted to come back to him, no matter what.
Chapter 38
Jeremiah
“And you’ll do this discreetly?” I asked the sandy-haired man sitting across from me in my office. John was a private investigator I had called yesterday to come in for an interview. He seemed legit, based on the few times I had needed someone to do some discreet digging.
“Of course. I’ll be just like any other employee. I know the world of accounting enough to be able to schmooze with any of these people,” he said confidently.
I nodded, pressing my fingers together thoughtfully.
“Good. I don’t care who you have to befriend and ultimately betray to get to the bottom of these rumors. I’ve provided you with the emails that have circulated around the office.”
“Yes. I’ve read through them. While they didn’t necessarily point to who started the rumors, there were a few key names that stuck out, which is who I will target first. Casually, of course.”
“When can you start?” I asked.
“Tomorrow?”
“Perfect. It will give us time to mock up some ‘new hire paperwork,’” I said with air quotations. “This has to look legitimate.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll hire you on as a junior associate.”
He nodded, beginning to gather the emails and files on employees, filing them in his brown leather briefcase.
Though the rumors had died down in the office, at least in terms of emails being sent, I knew the hushed murmurs and employee happy hours were filled with speculation. The press hadn’t released the story yet, but it would be breaking any day now. I was sure they had to confirm their sources, and one of them was in this office. Or so Sadie was convinced. I wasn’t so sure still. There was a possibility Sadie let it harmlessly slip accidentally. Or there was the possibility of her friends, whom she still assured me would never talk. Either way, it was worth hiring someone undercover to look into the employees of the office.
“I do have something else I need you to look into,” I said.
After running into Anderson at my apartment building and his confrontation with Sadie, I needed answers because my mind was taking me to some dark places. I didn’t know what he had up his sleeve, but I knew it couldn’t be good if he were coming around after all these years. If it were just me, I would handle it. But now that Sadie was involved. And our baby. I couldn’t take any chances.
“What is it, boss?” asked John, clicking his briefcase shut.
“I need you to look into somebody.”
“Name?”
“Anderson Bradley.”
John looked taken aback for a second. While my name was well known in the business world, so was Anderson’s. Especially now that he had come out with a book.
“We have history,” I said, not going any further in detail. “But he’s been poking around lately and I want to know what he’s up to.”
