“Wow.” She ran her fingers through her blond hair, breaking up the curls. “Jada, you’ve been carrying a lot.”
I nodded in agreement, surprised at the emotion stinging my eyes. Just telling her had lightened some of the weight from my shoulders. I wasn’t so alone anymore, thanks to my colleague, my friend.
“Will you want to come back?” she asked. “You know childcare is free for employees, and you’d be working in the newborn room.”
“I need to discuss it with my...”
A knock sounded on the door, and Esther glanced over her shoulder, seeing what I was seeing: Bryce Madigan waiting in the doorway.
“Speak of the angel,” she said.
My brows pinched. “That’s not the phrase.”
“Can’t call a man that handsome the devil.” She stood up, bending to put the baby back in his crib. She gave me a hug, whispering, “Congratulations on your new family.”
I held on to her hug, realizing maybe I wasn’t as alone as I thought.
When Esther exited, she exchanged a friendly and quiet hello with Bryce. Soon, though, it was just him and me in the nursery. Silence blanketed over us, weighty as the unspoken question: Do you still have your job?
Evie banged her hands on the tray, snapping us out of the quiet, demanding more food.
“Hungry girl,” I cooed softly, scooping more fruit onto her tray. I could feel Bryce’s eyes on me as I did, and when I looked up, I saw a small smile on his lips.
Inside, I was dying to know what had happened in that boardroom, but I also trusted Bryce to tell me in his own time. After all, I was convinced it was my fault the board had voted to oust him in the first place. Jude didn’t want me or my baby anywhere near him.
The thought made me angrier than I’d ever been. My perfect little girl deserved to be seen and adored, especially by the man who helped create her.
I went to hug him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist. With a deep breath, Bryce pulled back so he could lookme in the eyes. “I’m still CTO,” he told me. “One of the board members flipped at the last second.”
A relieved breath whooshed out of me. “Really? That’s amazing.” Then sadness came back in with a swiftness. “I’m sorry, I feel like this is all my fault.”
He shook his head. “It’s better to have your enemies in plain sight than hiding behind your back.”
I’d never thought of it that way, but he was totally right. “What are you going to do about Jude?”
“The bylaws state we can only have one vote of no confidence per year, so getting him out of the company is out of the question for now. I have to work with him.” He spoke the words in a bitter, regretful whisper.
The thought of my husband going to work every day with the biological father of my baby made me sick to my stomach. But Bryce hugged me again. “The only bright side I could think of while I was standing in that room was you and our child.”
My heart swooped at the words.Our child.
“On the way down here, I kept thinking how great it would be to come here during the day and see my girls.”
I swallowed down the unexpected lump of emotion forming in my throat. “It sounds amazing,” I agreed.
He glanced around the center. “It would be. But if you ever wanted to stay home full-time instead, that’s fine. Don’t feel like you have to work outside the home if you don’t want to.”
I blinked back tears because Bryce was tugging at every one of my heartstrings. Instead of answering with words, I held his face in my hands, bringing his lips to mine. I kissed him slowly, softly, wanting to show him just how grateful I was that he chose me. That I was going to build a life with a truly good man.
As he kissed me, I felt something vibrate against my back. I pulled back at the strange sensation, reaching behind me to seewhat was there. But Bryce chuckled low. “Sorry, it was my watch reminding me about my next appointment.”
“Ah,” I whispered back. “What’s next on your calendar, CTO?”
He smiled at the title. “I’m having lunch with your grandma.”
My jaw dropped open, even more surprised than if he’d said he was having lunch with the president or the star of my favorite TV show. “Mygrandma?”
He nodded. “We’re going to be family soon.”
