Page 93 of Better Daddy
Tears burn at the backs of my eyes, but I take deep breaths, staving them off. There’s no sense in getting emotional. If I have any chance of completing the work on time, I’d better get a hold of that file now.
I send Julius off to find it, and when he returns with two Redwelds in his arms, he looks completely confused. “When does this statement need to be complete?”
He hands me one file and drops the second one on the corner of my desk.
I sigh. “Will wants it on his desk by six.”
“Tonight?” His voice is high-pitched, like he’s been kicked between the thighs.
“Yeah, he’s being difficult, but this isn’t too bad. I’ll look through the case notes first and get the associate who worked on it to fill me in on the important stuff.”
He shakes his head. “This is just the case notes. This divorce has been going on for five years. There are three drawers full of financials alone. It has its own cabinet.”
My stomach sinks as I slump in my chair. Will really is settingthings up so he can let me go, just like I imagined he would if I turned him down.
Shit.
“What did you do to piss him off?” Julius asks.
I blow out a breath. “Turned down his advances.”
“What. The. Fuck?” he says, every word dripping with dramatic flair.
I nod slowly, my mind whirling. I always thought Will and I were friends. I thought Sully’s disdain of him was unwarranted and that the guy was mostly harmless.
Boy, did I underestimate him.
“He’s going to fire me. I’ve been a disaster since I found out about the baby. He said he could let that slide if I agreed to give us a go, but if not—” I settle my hands on my stomach again, like I can protect Tia from hearing any of this.
Julius paces the office. “First of all, fuck him.”
I nod.
“Second, they can’t fire you because you’re pregnant.”
“No, but they can fire me for not doing my job.” Will found a workaround. And I’ll have to deal with the consequences.
My assistant whips around and paces back. “No, I mean they can’t fire youbecauseyou’re pregnant. It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. Document it, baby. March down to Will’s daddy’s office and tell him that you’re pregnant. Tell him what that weasel of a son is trying to do.Document it.”
For as much as I don’t believe pregnancy should be used as a weapon, that goes both ways. And if I’m going down, I might as well go down swinging.
I push my chair back and stand. “You’re right.”
With a grin, he pulls on his lapels. “Of course I’m right. And when you eventually leave this firm in the dust, make sure you take me with you, baby mama.”
Snorting, I pat him on the shoulder and head for the door. “Thenyou’d have to work with baby daddy, and I know you aren’t a fan of his nickname for you.”
Julius grins. “Eh, baby daddy is hot when he goes all smoldery and calls me Caesar. I could dig it.”
I’m still smiling when I hit Will Sr.’s door.
But as the implication of those last comments hits me, it slides off my face. I may have joked about returning to Sully’s firm, and I know they’d take me in a heartbeat, but I’m not quite ready to give up on a career set apart from that safety net. So I straighten my shoulders and prepare to fight for my right to make that choice.
I don’t want to go back to Murphy and Machon by default. If I do eventually return, I want it to be because they really want me there. Because I really want to be there myself. Right now, I’m not sure that’s the case.
Working on our marriage is vital, and I don’t know that jumping back into working together would be helpful.
I knock, and when I’m greeted by a loud “Come in,” I push the door open.
