Page 113 of Unspoken Words
Lilah hugged Max to her side. “Nobody, baby.”
I glared at her—Ellie was anything but nobody.
“Is it Ellie McEllie Head? I liked dat lady. She pretty like Supergirl.”
I watched Lilah’s nostrils flare and it made me smile. “She’s very pretty, isn’t she?” I said to my son, winking as I pulled out my phone to text Ellie.
Connor: I’m so sorry. We’re finished now. Where are you?
My phone chimed instantly, regret prickling my face as I read her response.
Ellie: I left. Caught a taxi. I hope Max is okay. Talk soon.
“Shit!” I huffed, scratching my head.
“Bad word, Daddy.”
“Yes, I know, buddy. I’ll sit in the naughty corner when I get home, okay?”
“Okay. Free minutes.”
“Yes. Three minutes.”
“Bad news?” Lilah drawled, hoisting Max onto her hip. She was smiling behind her attempted pout, and I knew she knew Ellie had left.
“It’s fine. Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.” I slipped my phone back into my pocket and held my arms out to Max. He carefully climbed onto me, his plaster cast a dangerous weapon as it near collided with my head. “Easy.”
Lilah huffed. “He can’t go to kindergarten tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
“And I can’t stay home from work. John is working on a high profile case. We have back-to-back meetings all day.”
“Okay. I hear you. I’ll take care of it.”
“In that case, he may as well go home with you and I’ll pick him up tomorrow.” She turned to Max. “Will you be a big boy and stay with Daddy tonight?”
He nodded and reached for Lilah, wrapping his arms around her. “Love you, Mummy.”
She draped Max’s backpack over my shoulder and kissed his cheek. “I love you, too, sweetheart. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I didn’t argue or object. There was no point. And if I were to be completely honest, I’d rather him be with me tonight than with her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ellie
For the second morning ina row, the message alert tone of my phone woke me up. And just like the previous morning, I fumbled for the ghastly device and opened the offending message.
Connor: Rise and shine. I’ll be there in fifteen. Twenty if you’re lucky.
Groaning, I flopped back onto my pillow and rubbed my hands over my face. After seeing him with Lilah and Max at the hospital the night before, I realised I’d only get in the way if Connor and I spent any more time together outside of work, and I didn’t want that. It wasn’t why I was here. We needed to keep things professional, to set boundaries and stick to them. Becoming close again just wasn’t an option. It would only end in more heartache, and that wasn’t good for either of us, or for the album.
Rubbing my eyes a second time, I stabbed out a quick reply and pressed send.
Ellie: Thanks for the offer, but I’m driving myself today.
Placing my phone back down, I dragged myself out of bed and proceeded to the bathroom, enjoying a quick shower—cap on, hair dry—before dressing for the day, still opting for corporate wear and heels. I would continue to send the ‘work relationship’ message to Connor despite the laid back environment we worked in.
