“I’m sure your team would pick up the slack,” Grace said.
“They would.” Alex glanced at her. “What about you?”
“Whataboutme?”
“What are you planning to do?” Alex asked. “I know you said you were thinking of working again soon, but I’m happy to provide enough that you don’t have to. At least not until the kids are older.”
“I love work,” Grace said. “I’ve always wanted to be a coder, and I still do. Although I’d like something part-time for now. Eventually, though, I hope to get back to full-time work at a company I can really contribute to.”
“I’m sure people are clamoring to hire you,” Alex said.
Grace took a long drink of her sparkling apple juice as if it were wine. “Not really.”
“I…” Alex wasn’t sure what to say, but Grace shook her head.
“Let’s change topics.” She leaned forward. “Once the babies are here, how often do you want to come see them?”
“Every day,” Alex said without hesitation. “Or as often as you’ll have me. If I had my way, I’d move you all into my condo.”
Grace laughed, but Alex was only half joking. He would have liked to spend more time with Grace. He would have liked to know she was right down the hall, along with their babies.
In the month they’d spent together, preparing for the babies, his feelings for her had started to return. Or maybe they’d never left. He still thought of her often, whether he was working or home alone or out with friends. He still wanted to spend time with her. And as long as he didn’t think about the lawsuit or the laptop, he often wondered why they couldn’t just move in together and be coparents.
Maybe even more.
But then, he’d remember what had happened with work, and worries would come back. Grace had stolen from him. And then she’d sued him! He couldn’t trust that she wouldn’t act that way again.
Even worse, he’d found out a few days ago that Boink was using sections of the MatchupNow code. Grace must have sold the laptop and its data to Patrick Hale, the man she was collaborating with on the lawsuit. Who knew how long they’d been working together?
No matter how much Alex wanted to, he couldn’t let himself forgive Grace. Not after this.
“You look serious,” Grace said. “Everything okay?” She tilted her head, her hair swaying.
“Everything’s great.” Alex smiled at her. “And dinner was delicious, by the way. Thanks for cooking.”
“Anytime.” Grace smiled back.
The conversation moved on to other, easier topics. They chatted a little more about the babies, exchanged stories from childhood, and talked about the TV shows they were watching—it turned out they were both fans of cop procedurals when they had time to watch TV.
Eventually, it was time for Alex to go. He walked slowly toward the door, Grace beside him, and said goodbye.
On the drive back to his own big, empty, rather lonely apartment, he wished that Grace were in the seat beside him, joking about her clumsiness or making insightful comments about their lives. When he climbed into his big, empty, ratherlonely bed, he wished Grace were beside him to rest her head on his shoulder and snuggle in. The one night she’d spent here, he’d slept better than he ever had before, surrounded by her ocean scent.
Grace had hurt him and his company. He still couldn’t completely trust her. But now, more than ever, he wanted to.
CHAPTER 18
GRACE
Grace patted her hair and glared at herself in the mirror.
Alex was coming over tonight. Again. As he did almost every night nowadays.
At first, he’d come to help with baby tasks or to bring her food. Now, he came over just as often to share dinner with her or watch a show or just sit and talk. And Grace looked forward to his visits more and more each day.
She turned to the side and sighed. No matter what she did with her hair or clothes, it wouldn’t change anything. She was still nothing more to Alex than the mother of his children—and someone he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, trust. And she shouldn’t want to be more. She shouldn’t want to spend all her time with Alex or kiss him again or be a real couple.
Grace looked down at her belly to distract herself from thoughts of Alex. Her babies had to be her priority, not the man who’d already hurt her once.
