Page 36 of Five Babies for the Boss

“Wait till I tell Laura. She’s gonna throw a fit. Maybe we can get her to adopt a couple,” Callie laughs lightly. “I can take a couple, too. You can keep one. Or I can take one and give the other to Mom and Dad; I’m sure they’ll enjoy raising another baby fire-devil.”

I rub my face with my hands. “You’re kidding.”

“About adopting your incoming quintuplets? Yes. About the incoming quintuplets? No. They’re real and they are definitely happening,” she says, her humor slowly fading. “And it is going to be a hard pregnancy for you to carry, honey. You will need a lot of extra care and monitoring. You cannot do this alone, do you hear me?”

“But Iamalone. Todd’s leaving,” I whimper, the reality finally smacking me across the face.

Callie comes closer and takes my hand, squeezing with all her might. “You’re not alone, honey. You’ve got Laura and me. You’ve got Mom and Dad, too, as rusty as they are. I’ll bet Vincent will be more than happy to assist you. And wait till Elliot grows up a little. He’ll be your trusted copilot and you know it…”

“This is terrifying…”

It changes everything in so many ways, except for the one aspect I dare not touch, even now. Todd doesn’t need to know about any of this. Not right now. Not with just days left before we close the sale of HeartMatch.

I’ll have to keep it to myself until after the deal is done, but I will have to inform Todd, eventually, that he is going to be a father.

And not the father of one, either.

The father of five…

CHAPTER21

TODD

Three days remain before the deal is closed and both my and John’s signatures find their way onto the last pages of a life-changing contract. To say that I’m excited would barely scratch the surface.

I need to close this chapter, I really do. I’ve given HeartMatch my everything and more, and it’s my turn to take all of that energy and focus it on myself while I’m still young enough to enjoy it all. I’m happy, but I am scared, too. It’s a new dawn, and there are unknown things ahead that I cannot quite predict nor control, but it’s a good thing. I need the excitement; I need the unpredictability of life to keep me on my toes.

I’ve been on a plateau for too long.

I keep wondering about Becky, about how she will fare with Elliot once I’m gone. But they’ve been around since before I entered their lives, and I’ve made sure that they’ll be better once I’m gone. I keep telling myself that, yet I still cannot shake the guilt that perhaps I could do more. That perhaps this whole “traveling the world on my own” could be adapted or postponed to something far more wholesome. It’s hard to envision doing anything without Becky, without having her to come back to. And it’s a ridiculous thought to have; we only had that one night together when we took the method acting too far, like she said. But I don’t believe that. Neither of us was acting.

I haven’t given her reason to be completely honest with me about it, either. Everything that is happening now is on me. I have to own it. For the time being, however, I must focus on closing the deal with John.

We’re at a restaurant overlooking La Jolla, its terrace opening onto a stretch of golden sand kissed by the Pacific Ocean. We’re enjoying a mixed charcuterie board and several types of wine as part of a cheese-and-wine tasting—a favorite thing to do for Tamara, who’s a devoted lover of crisp and dry chardonnay.

The kids are out of today’s meeting. John’s have school, and Elliot is spending the day with his grandparents, but I don’t mind. I love the little tyke but I love spending time with Becky more these days, especially since she has been consistently pushing me away. In fact, the more she pushes, the harder I go against the current. I’m a stubborn, idiot salmon at this point.

I love how she looks in the white linen dress that drapes over her curves, a wide textile belt around her waist. Her brown hair is loosely braided, and the gold-leaf earrings and bronze blush further add to her allure as a modern Greek goddess. I’d worship her body as my temple every day and every night if she’d let me. If she’d only let me. If I’d only gather enough nerve to ask.

She’s only drinking water today, and I think it’s got something to do with how she’s been feeling lately. She has blamed the stress of the entire situation one too many times for me to even try to suggest there might be a deeper problem. She won’t tell me about it, anyway. But she’s loving the food. At least she’s eating now.

“So, Todd, the lawyers have had their great counsel and whatnot,” John says in between wine- and prosciutto-related chitchat, “and they’ve got the papers ready to sign for Wednesday.”

“That’s wonderful news. I suppose we’re good to go on the annexes as well?” I ask, adding several types of salami to my plate. “The details were downright insignificant the last time I spoke to Shauna about it.”

“Oh, I wholeheartedly agree. I signed off on everything, anyway, including the takeover dates and employment terms,” he says.

“I’m glad,” I reply, smiling broadly. “I’m really glad that we’re moving things along. I think it will do us both a heap of good.”

John chuckles lightly as Tamara gives him a long and amused look. “My wife isn’t the greatest fan of your dating app; she worries about my involvement. But I’ve assured her that I will keep my activities at a decision-making level only, and that Piper and the rest of your team will comprise the executive board, just like we discussed.”

“I’m sorry, guys. Excuse me for just one moment, but I have to say something,” Tamara chimes in, her gaze now fixed on Becky, who’s been keeping busy trying out different cheeses with a rare and slightly spiced acacia honey. “You haven’t touched any of these wines, Rebecca… Are you okay?”

For the first time, I see Becky looking right at me with a sparkle of… fear. It’s hard to decipher, but she is definitely feeling uneasy for some reason.

“Um, yeah,” she tells Tamara. “Well, I haven’t been feeling much into wine lately, or any alcohol for that matter. I have these periods when I do a bit of a detox here and there, that’s all.”

“Nah, nah, there’s something else,” Tamara insists, narrowing her eyes. “You’re glowing, too… I recognize the symptoms, all right. Three kids in, you bet I can smell the kids before they hatch!”

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