Page 59 of Baby by Mistake (Beautiful Mistakes 2)

“I will. Thank you again, Niall.” Feeling vulnerable and grateful, I hugged him.

“You’re going to do alright, Hammond.”

From his lips to God’s ears, I thought.

Chapter 24

Sebastian

The last time I saw Leah was on Friday, when I headed to the marketing department to check in with her. She had her arms wrapped around Niall. A part of me wanted to stride in and kick his ass. Another part of me, said this was a good thing. She’d moved on. In fact, perhaps she wasn’t as attached to me as I’d thought if she was already in the arms of another man. Instead of saying anything, I walked away.

It was time for me to regroup and refocus on what was important. The first thing I needed to do was cancel golf with Henry. I needed some time away from the Hammond family until I got myself sorted out.

Instead of golfing, I spent the weekend going over quarterly reports, looking over new clothing and toy designs, and reviewing the Paris deal. This was the life I’d chosen, and I’d need to remember that. I couldn’t let Leah or any woman get in the way of that.

I’d been successful at keeping thoughts of her away while I worked, but late at night in bed, she was there with her sweet smile and sexy body. Like a ghost, she haunted my dreams. The first morning, I took a cold shower, refusing to give into the hardon the dreams brought. The second morning, I gave in. If I couldn’t have her for real, I would have her in my mind. In my shower, I brought up that last night in Paris, when we made love so sweetly. Only in the private recesses of my mind could I admit it was one of the most satisfying sexual experiences of my life.

But out of the shower, I was back to what was real and lasting, and that was my business. On Monday, I entered my office with a renewed focus on the business. I stayed away from the marketing department and any part of the building where I might run into her. I arrived early and stayed late so I wouldn’t risk running into her coming or going.

By Friday, I realized I not only hadn’t seen her but also, I hadn’t heard about her, and it made me antsy. I called down and arranged to have Niall and Craig in my office that afternoon.

“Is there a problem, Mr. Cox?” Craig asked as he and Niall stood in front of my desk.

“What’s the status of Leah Hammond?”

“She completed her internship last week.”

I frowned. “She was supposed to be here through the month.”

“When you transferred her to us, we reviewed what she’d done and discovered she’d met the requirements.”

“So you let her go?” This was a good thing, so why did it bother me?

“She met the hours and duties.” Craig said.

“And you wouldn’t let us hire her, so there was no reason to make her stay,” Niall added. There was a tone to his voice that suggested he thought I was an idiot not to hire her.

“Why wasn’t I notified?”

The two men looked at each other. Craig spoke up. “You transferred her internship to us. I wasn’t aware you needed to be involved anymore.”

“This is still my company, is it not?” I was getting pissed, which was stupid because he was right. I’d transferred her because I didn’t want any contact. So why was I so bent out of shape about this?

Niall’s eyes narrowed. “She had a lot on her plate. She did the job and did it well. Why you don’t hire her is beyond me—”

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” My voice turned dark.

Craig’s eyes widened, but Niall’s narrowed even more. “She’s a good worker.”

“And pretty too. I’ve seen you two together?”

Craig looked at Niall in confusion.

“I don’t know what you saw, sir,” Niall’s voice was laced in sarcasm when he said “sir.” “But we’re just coworkers.”

I quirked a brow letting him know I wasn’t buying his bullshit.

He didn’t seem phased by me. “It was clear you didn’t like men sniffing around her, so I stayed away.”

We stared at each other for a moment as I tried to decipher what he meant. Slowly his expression morphed until it looked like something dawned on him.

“I thought it was because you were like a father figure to her, but now… considering the rumors, maybe she’s the intern you’ve been—”

“Niall.” Craig’s voice held censure.

Inside my gut churned in a mixture of anger and panic. I stood, hoping my size and the fact that I was the boss would shut Niall up.

“Mr. Cox,” Craig started. “Ms. Hammond completed her time and duties and so we signed off on her internship. I’m sorry we didn’t consult with you.”

My gaze held Niall’s daring him to come at me again. Niall didn’t speak, but his facial expression didn’t hold the concern I’d have hoped for.

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