Page 36 of The Homewrecker's Fate

“Even if I did, there was so much going on, there’s no guarantee-”

“Stop,” she said as she cut me off again. “We both know good and damn well that you would have been there with chocolate, ice cream, and maybe wine if you knew what was happening. That’s the type of person you are. You put everyone else before yourself. I’m just sorry I couldn’t give that back to you when it was needed.”

“It’s really okay. I’ve had Mel and Braxton to lean on.”

“That’s just so fucked up,” she admitted.

“It is what it is.” My shrug let her know that there wasn’t really a whole lot more to answer.

“Are you really dating that guy now?”

“Yeah, I am.” The grin that exploded across my face made her smile, too.

“You deserve to be happy, if that’s what he gives you, then I’m excited for you.”

“He does. I never thought I’d start dating someone while pregnant with another man’s child, but somehow, it works for all of us.”

Bridgette started to laugh. “Well, most of you anyway. I’ve heard Rich bitching more than once about the bastard who moved in on both his women.”

I rolled my eyes at that. “He likes to think Brax moved in on Mel, but that wasn’t the case.”

“She doesn’t know whose baby she’s having yet, though,” Bridgette announced as though I wasn’t aware.

“Their one time together was more than enough for them to know it wasn’t meant to be.”

“As long as you believe that, I will continue to be happy for you.”

“I do. They’re both fabulous.”

“It’s crazy that someone as duplicitous as Rich could get two amazing women to fall for him.” She sniffled again. “That’s another reason why I can’t stay with Cliff. I think he’s exactly the same as Rich. I don’t want to fall for the bullshit he’ll sling my way.” She stood up and tossed her used tissue in the trash before she took another one from the box. “I turned in my notice and am using my vacation time for the two weeks’ notice. Mr. Higgins and Mr. Herring approved it already. This was my last day.”

“I wish I’d known sooner,” I lamented.

“I waited until the last minute to tell you. When I leave here, I’m headed straight to the airport. I know that I don’t deserve your loyalty, since I wasn’t there when you needed me, but please, don’t tell Cliff where I’m headed.”

“I would never betray your trust, Bridge. Can you call or text when you get in, so I know you got there safely?”

“Absolutely. I’d still like to keep in touch. I can’t wait to see that beautiful little girl when she makes her entrance into the world.”

“I will be sure that you get an announcement when it happens.”

“Love you, Avi. So sorry I wasn’t a better friend.”

“Let it go, Bridge. I understand. Go, heal your heart and do wonderful things!”

Bridgette leaving the office made me wonder if I should seriously consider doing the same thing. It wasn’t quite as easy, considering I was pregnant, but it might be better in the long run.

Rich hadn’t bothered me in weeks. I was extremely thankful for that, but also suspected that our bosses were behind that more than Rich finally coming to his senses and listening to what I wanted. Mr. Higgins had even removed Rich from the campaign that we worked on together previously. His ties were no longer needed to secure the deal, so he left it in my capable hands and put Rich on something else.

If luck was ever on my side, maybe they would start to push Rich out of the company as well as putting him off my campaign. I rolled my eyes at that thought. It sucked that I adored Mel and her children because it meant I couldn’t wish bad things for Rich. Those bad things affected them whether we all wanted them to or not.

Just as I was closing everything down for the night, Mr. Higgins stepped into my office. “Ms. Acker, I didn’t realize you were still here.”

“I was just about to leave. Everything is set for the Jacobs and Singer campaign. If they decide to ask for information during our holiday downtime, you’ll be able to access everything from the server.”

Our CEO smiled widely at me. “I was prepared to tell Daniel he had to wait for an update after the holiday. Good work Ms. Acker. Make sure you’re taking time for yourself, though. I don’t want to see you here working overtime when it isn’t necessary. It could wait.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that, but I’m trying to stay on top of everything in case any emergencies should pop up.” I pointed down at my ever-growing belly as Mr. Higgins stepped further into my office.

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