Page 83 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

One thing was certain—Noelle and Jules were unofficial Dentons.

Mitch walked back to the sidewalk, peering up at the building. He made a rough calculation of which apartment was hers based on his last visit. He tried to remember the hallway, how many steps he’d taken, whether the door was on the right or the left. Based on all that, he concluded her apartment had to be one of the darkened windows.

And there was a fire escape leading right to that window.

He turned over the idea a few times in his head. If anyone saw him climbing the ladder, they’d probably call the cops, but it was a risk he was willing to take. He’d gladly spend the night in jail if it meant Jules would give him a second chance.

Taking a deep breath, he reached for the dumpster against the wall and pulled it closer to the fire escape. Grabbing the handle on the lid, he hopped onto the dumpster and jumped up to grab the bottom rung on the ladder and pull it down.

Climbing up, he made his way to Jules’s apartment and sent up a silent prayer that it was the right one, because there was no way he was going to let his family spend a night without him. Ever.

21

JULES

Jules lay in bed tossing and turning. She’d turned her phone off to avoid having to speak to anyone and regretted it now, as she had no way to check the time without turning it back on.

As bad as it was for her, it was even worse for Noelle. The baby didn’t seem to like her apartmentat all. She’d fussed nonstop for a full hour after they arrived, which didn’t even make sense because how could she really tell she was in a different place? But the baby knew, somehow, that this wasn’t her home, which made Jules feel even worse. She’d not only woken her up out of a peaceful sleep, but she’d also forcibly removed her from her only safe haven at this point in her very young life.

The self-criticisms and anxieties were spiraling now that she was back in her own place. She’d thought that they would have lessened once she was back in familiar surroundings. After all, wasn’t that the point, to come back to her own world? To find a clear head and her own two feet?

But now that she was here, she couldn’t stop thinking about Mitch. She couldn’t do this alone, and more than that, she didn’twantto do this alone. She missed his steady presence beside her. The heat of him lying beside her in bed. His warm smiles and quiet reassurances.

Dammit, she’d made a huge mistake. She should never have walked away without letting him talk to her, but she’d been so hurt. She knew he’d spoken semi-regularly with his father and she couldn’t understand why he’d never spoken to him about her or Noelle. Were they some dirty secret not to be shared with his family? Was he embarrassed by them? By her? Her mother’s warnings had flashed in her head, and Jules had known she had to get away from the gala or risk having her dignity completely shredded.

A soft tapping at her living room window made her jolt. She sat up, trying to orient herself in the darkness. It had been so long since she’d spent the night in her own apartment, much less on the couch next to a bassinet. Maybe these were the normal night sounds that she’d forgotten about.

A shadow moved outside her window, and her heart leapt into her throat.

Or maybe someone was outside her window on the fire escape. Seconds away from breaking in.

Her limbs turned to stone and she waited in deathly silence for any other sound. After a few moments, the tapping returned. And this time, it wasdefinite.

She fumbled for her phone, turning it on. What was taking so damn long? “Updates? Now?” Taking a deep breath, she blew it out hard. “Calm down, Jules. It’s probably just a drunk at the wrong window.” It didn’t necessarily have to be someone looking to rob her or worse. She wanted to go investigate, but with Noelle in here? She debated for a moment, and then decided she wasn’t going to get any sleep without knowing who or what was out there.

She forced herself to walk over to the living room window and pulled back the curtain. A gasp rocketed out of her.

It wasn’t a robber or a drunk person.

It was Mitch.

He cupped his hands around his eyes, pressing his face to the glass. “Jules.” His voice came out muffled against the glass and left a foggy warm spot. “Will you let me in? Please? It’s freezing out here and I’d really like to avoid getting arrested.”

She could only blink in amazement, moving to open the window before she could even think. She lifted the lower sash as high as it would go, and Mitch folded himself inside the apartment. She hurried to shut the window once he was in.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed.

“You didn’t answer my calls. Or respond to the buzzer.” He rubbed his arms and she realized that he’d come here straight from the gala. He looked around, his gaze landing on the crib. “Is she asleep?”

“Yes, but just recently, so keep your voice down.”

Mitch raked a hand through his hair, his intense gaze switching to her. “Jules, come back to the penthouse.”

Her chest tightened and she gripped the arm of the couch behind her. “Why? We lead different lives. And I don’t think there’s room for me in yours.”

Mitch stepped closer, searching out her gaze. “There’s plenty of room for you in my life. In fact, without you in my life, there’s a hole.”

Emotion clogged her throat, and she looked away.

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