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I rubbed my belly and sipped ginger ale to help keep it calm. I still wasn’t showing. It was still so early I didn’t have even a slight swell yet, but I was looking forward to it.
“When is Tom supposed to get here?” Ava asked when we finished up the tasting and went back to finishing up. “We’re opening the doors in ten minutes.”
“I thought he would be here by now,” I said. “But I know he had a few really important meetings today. When he went back to the hotel, he said he might be cutting it close.”
I hadn’t gone back to San Francisco since coming to Astoria to tell Tom about the baby. I also hadn’t gone back to the run-down motel after that first night in the hotel with him. He went back and packed up all my stuff for me, saying he wasn’t going to have me or his baby in that place.
I couldn’t help but laugh when he said that. It wasn’t the best motel in the world, but it wasn’t that horrific. It wasn’t like the wallpaper was peeling off the walls and mold had overtaken the bathroom or anything. But I did have to admit his surge of protectiveness gave me all kinds of wonderful feelings.
Now I was settled back into the nice hotel with him. Someone checked out a week after I arrived, and we were able to move into a bigger suite. It was nice, but I had to admit there was a little bit of sadness leaving that room and all its memories.
“It will be fine,” Ava said. “We have everything in place. It’s not like you’re going to see Tom back there behind the bar slinging drinks or anything.”
That image made me laugh. Tom loved the bar and had been really helpful in planning the grand reopening, but she was right. He was never going to be as hands-on as his other brothers. It just wasn’t his thing, but that was alright. Everybody did their part, and he was just as excited to see the new Hollow get going as all of them.
Right on time, we opened the doors and the crowd started flooding in. From there, it was nonstop. I volunteered my efforts as a hostess and occasionally ran drinks when the bar got swamped, but for the most part I was acting as an ambassador for the bar. It let me talk to the customers, get recommendations, and encourage them to come back and see what else Ava had up her sleeve.
It didn’t seem like they were going to need a lot of encouragement. The crowd was enthusiastic, and there was still a long line even after we reached capacity. Everything was so busy, I didn’t even notice when Tom showed up.
I didn’t know he was there until I felt a hand on my arm and turned around to see Tom gesturing for me to follow him outside. The fresh, cool air outside was a relief after the close warmth of the bar, and I took a few deep breaths.
“How is everything going?” he asked, bringing me in for a kiss.
“You saw the crowd,” I said. “It’s been like that since we opened the door. It’s going to be amazing around here.”
“I’m so glad,” he said, then took my hands and pulled me close to wrap my arms around his waist. “And I’m even more glad to have you here by my side through it all.”
I smiled. “Me too.” He kissed me. “How was your work?”
“Good. I put in for that transfer for you,” he said.
I barely even remembered filling out the application right after coming back from Astoria before finding out I was pregnant. Now hearing him say he was approving of me moving away from him in the company made my stomach sink a little.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because the department you applied for is actually looking for a position that is higher in the company than you have now. It is a promotion, and I can’t think of anyone who would do better in it. You will be fantastic in the position, and you deserve it,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said. “That means so much to me.” He leaned down for another kiss, and I stopped him. “Wait… that would still mean we’re technically coworkers. What about the policy against coworkers dating? What will the investors think when they find out about all this?”
Tom shook his head. “The investors can kiss my ass.”
I slapped his arm playfully. “Tom!”
He laughed. “I’m just kidding. I looked into it. That policy is specifically against upper-level managers and executives dating those under them. Technically I will still be your boss since I am the CEO of the company, but I’m kind of everybody’s boss. I won’t be directly above you anymore, so I don’t think the policy counts. We have nothing to worry about.”
