Page 18 of Falling for the CEO

Chapter Seven

Spencer

Ben slept badly thatnight. He woke up every hour. The result was that we were both exhausted the next day. The difference was, he could sleep in, but I couldn't. At seven o'clock, I came down with him in my arms to the living room. I moved him so that he rested his nose in the crook of my neck. It seemed to be the place he liked most. He wiggled against me.

"Yeah, that's right. You like it there, huh? You feel safe, buddy. You and I are going to be just fine. You'll see." I loved this kid more than I could’ve ever thought possible. You hear parents sayI would die for my child,and I used to think, well, yeah, of course you would. But now I really got it. I would do anything for Ben—anything.

I was constantly studying books, but Ben did something every day that I hadn't read about anywhere, and I felt at a complete loss. Like I was failing him. Last night, he wouldn't sleep at all when I put him down in his bassinet, so I’d thrown in the towel, and I kept him in my arms the whole night.

I canceled a few of the calls I had scheduled, and I told Agatha not to come until late in the afternoon. Maybe it was better that I didn't go into the office anyway. Naomi was stopping by to see Ben at two o'clock. She usually came on Fridays and Tuesdays, though she occasionally dropped by on other days.

If it wasn't for Ben, I would never have seen her again, not after how things ended between us. But she was Ben's mom, and I was determined to make an effort.

She arrived at half past two, and she stomped inside with an exasperated huff. "Swear to God, I'm going to just Uber the next time I come here. I don't know why I can never find any parking." She stared at me. "You don't look so good."

"Ben had a rough night."

"Can't you get a night nanny too or something?" she asked as she glanced at her son. He was currently sleeping in the stroller.

That pissed me off. "I happen to like spending time with our son. If I could, I’d be with him all day too.”

“Right...”

“I wouldn't wake him up if I were you," I said.

"Okay. I prefer it this way, to be honest. At least he's quiet. I never know what to do with him when he's awake."

A vein pulsed in my temple. “Make an effort. That’s what you should do.”

"Aren't you going to make me a drink or something?"

"No. You're here to see Ben, and that's it."

"Oh, get over yourself, Spencer. Gregory and I are in a relationship."

I glanced at Ben, hoping our voices wouldn’t wake him, but he was fast asleep. “I don’t give two fucks who you’re seeing. But the way you took off and then simply dropped Ben at my doorstep isn’t something I can justget over."

"Look at you, you're a good dad, and I honestly don't think I could have coped doing all this.”

“You didn’t even try,” I reminded her.

She huffed again. "Well, if he's asleep, it doesn't make much sense for me to be here, does it?"

"He usually only naps about one hour at a time."

"But I can't wait that long. I'm meeting Gregory for drinks."

My jaw ticked. “Your priorities are fascinating. Why do you even bother?”

She rolled her eyes. "I'll see you next Tuesday. By the way, why isn't the nanny here?"

What the hell did I ever see in Naomi?

"Since I was going to work from home, I told her there was no need for her to be here, so she’s coming later in the afternoon.” And that was because I had plans with Grandmother this evening.

---