Page 86 of Boss's Baby Surprise

I laughed. “Having Leo call me Mommy is amazing, until it’s not. And then it’s annoying. But the magic returns and it’s amazing again. I’m really glad you like it. It suits you.”

Kyle started to narrow his gaze.

“Stop that. We are not having that Daddy word conversation right now.”

It was Kyle’s turn to laugh.

“Look, I know you don’t want to leave us. And I don’t think you will. Alayna made sure of that. I will forever be grateful to her for quitting.”

Kyle started to open his mouth. I held my hand out to stop him.

“She is an amazing woman, but I don’t think she did you any favors,” I continued. “You relied on her so much, and she picked up all the pieces you left in your wake. You needed to go to Hong Kong for a project. Instead of simply taking care of the task at hand and returning to whatever else you had going on, Alayna was behind you, enabling you to be distracted. With her as your professional sidekick— I don’t think assistant is as all-encompassing as what she did for you—you were able to be a different version of you than you are now. I know it makes you nuts that Jeremy has boundaries and will not immediately answer the phone when you call during his non-work hours, but honestly, that’s so much healthier for both of you. She may have been the most amazing person at that time and place. You were able to grow an international reputation. It’s safe to say you wouldn’t have gotten to where you are without her.”

He nodded. “She was one of a kind. Still is.”

“Yeah, absolutely. But on a personal level, you weren’t able to have a relationship with me.”

He started to protest.

I shook my head. “No. You were never going to be able to have a relationship with anyone for more than a few weeks here or there because you didn't have to maintain anything. You didn’t even make sure your condo was cleaned or the electricity bills were paid. She made it so you could do whatever you wanted without ever having to look back. And honestly, if she hadn’t figured out that there was something between us, she would have continued to be there for you in that capacity.”

“What do you mean?”

“She got really pissed on my behalf when you left the last time, and she realized she was always having to put out the fires you left behind.”

“She said that?” he asked.

“Not in so many words. Look, when I left Chicago, she seemed like a bottle rocket ready to explode. Part of me feels bad that she ever got to that level of frustration and disappointment. But only a little part. Because when Alayna went boom, you had to figure the rest of everything out fast.”

“And boy, did she go boom. She chewed me out a few times before dropping the bomb that she was quitting. She quit on New Year’s Eve after telling me how much I had let her down.” Kyle stood and walked around his desk. He picked up my hands from where they rested in my lap.

“I love my job, you know that. I’m good at it, and I love watching my designs come to life. But you are the love of my life, and I was too wrapped up in myself to even realize it. And that is why I cannot go this time.”

I squeezed his hands. “Kyle, that’s why I think you should go. It’s for a party, a photo op. A chance to shake hands and pat eachother on the back. And here’s the crazy part. You can get back on a plane and come home. You don’t have to stay.”

He let out a low groan. “I’ll get there, and I’ll see everything that I could be doing to fix it, and…”

“And then Jeremy will tell you to come home because you have an office here, with multiple locations and multiple architects who also need your expertise and guidance.”

He pulled me out of the chair and into the space between his legs as he settled against the front edge of his sturdy desk. “Have I ever told you how smart you are? Do they have any idea of what a valuable asset they have in you at your job?”

As he wrapped his arms around my hips, I played with the buttons on the front of his shirt. “I think they might. I think you’re pretty smart, too. Even if this whole Hong Kong thing makes you moody.”

“I’m not moody.” He practically pouted.

“Mommy!” Leo came running back into the office. “I want to go to King Kong.”

“Go where?”

“King Kong! Mr. Steve said Daddy was going to see King Kong. I wanna go. I want to see the big gorilla.”

Kyle started laughing. “Hong Kong. It’s a part of China. There are no giant gorillas, not King Kong.”

“I always thought Hong Kong was a city on an island with the same name,” I said.

“It’s more than a single city. There is a Hong Kong island, but there is more than that. You should see it someday.” His eyes narrowed, and suddenly, a huge smile spread across his face.

“What?”

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