Page 36 of Bonus Daddy
I had no clue what was happening, but I certainly enjoyed it. “Tell them I’m sorry.”
“Mom,” Greta called. “We’re ready.”
With a long sigh, Jess stepped away from me and snagged her purse off the counter.
“See you tomorrow,” she said. “And behave.”
Chapter 13
Brian
After Jess and the girls had left, I ran down to the basement for a punishing workout, my every cell buzzing with adrenaline.
The woman had all but come out and admitted to having feelings for me. She said I was handsome. Perfect, even.
Perfect. That was the farthest thing from the truth. This kind of thinking had to stop. It was dangerous. I had too many unresolved feelings when it came to Jess, and she was my client. I’d built this career over the past twenty years, and I’d never, ever crossed a line.
She was my client.
My punch landed hard, making my knuckles tingle. I shuffled and followed with some quick uppercuts, trying to let go of these complicated feelings.
She needed my help.
I had an ethical obligation to do all I could to get her relo request approved. To help her move to Vermont.
By the time I came back upstairs, it was after midnight and I was sweaty and exhausted.
I leaned against the sink, refilling my water glass and staring out at the dark city.
“You okay?”
I turned, discovering Sloane pacing in the dark with Tia in her arms.
I’d known this woman forever. She was another sister to me, and last year had been so brutal on her and Sully both.
In law school, I’d had a front-row seat to their love story. I’d been their third wheel then, and I’d remained that way until last year, when their marriage fell apart.
Now that they’d reconciled, they were better than ever, both more at peace with themselves and with one another. Even with a newborn keeping them up all night.
“She keeps growing.” I padded closer and gently stroked the infant’s soft little cheek.
“Babies do that. Remember how massive T.J. was?”
“His cheeks.” I laughed. “They were the chubbiest.”
Smiling, she pressed her lips to the top of Tia’s head.
For a moment, we stood in the dark silence, cradled in the peace of the moment, watching Tia sleep. Memories of my nephew Liam at that age surfaced, and my heart tugged. I’d had many sleepless nights back then. Dad and I had taken nighttime shifts so Dylan could sleep. Her every waking moment had been focused on feeding him and caring for him, and she’d come close to running herself into the ground.
When Liam was born, I was a twenty-three-year-old dumbass who had never held a baby. But I’d figured it out quickly. As long as we were moving, he would sleep, so I’d walk circles around the living room in Dad’s house for hours at night. Then I’d catch a little sleep before heading to class.
And now Liam was headed to college. Just the thought made heat gather at the backs of my eyes.
“Would you…?” Sloane held Tia out to me.
Without hesitation, I cradled her in my elbow, immediately falling into the swaying pattern she liked.
Sloane filled a glass with water, and after a long, slow sip, rolled her shoulders.
