Page 60 of Bobby

My heart doesn’t stop double-tapping until the girls rush out of the rooms and claim another strawberry each.

Chapter 22—Bobby

I toss my glasses onto the table and rub my eyes. I love my job, but sometimes I want to throw my computer through the window. And a few of the members on the board as well. The board is just to keep the public happy; they don’t really have a say in my company. But sometimes, one or two of them get a wild hair and attempt to be more than just a figurehead. That’s when the real joys of the job come in—taking them down brick by brick and keeping them in their place.

Or below.

All depends on how much they piss me off.

And this last one is about to get the worst of the worst. All for simply keeping me from going home at a decent hour and letting me find a way to get myself invited for dinner with the girls. Or back into Willow’s bed.

Is it too late for a booty call?

Jesus, I’ve got it bad. One night of pure bliss, and I can’t get her out of my thoughts all damn day. Not a single moment went by that I didn’t think about her. Wondering if she would handle a meeting or an email differently. Curious if she bought her lunch in the cafeteria or had someone on her floor bring her something so she could work through lunch like I did.

Dammit. What if she didn’t eat at all? What if she just focused too much on the job and not on herself? I should have sent her something to make sure she ate.

But while I don’t give a fuck what others think of me and mine, I don’t know how Willow feels about it. If my small display this morning affected her more than me just saying good morning and telling her to have a good day.

She was off a bit in the morning, and I realized I was doing a poor job of focusing on her. She knows work is important to me, but I want her to know she is as well. A simple handhold was all I could manage at the moment, but it seemed to be enough. I might not have had many relationships in the past, just one-night things that lasted a few hours, but I want this one to work. I’m a workaholic, and my family make it a point to tell me when I’m nothing more than “all work, no fun Bobby.” But I want to make changes for her.

And I know her enough already to know that she won’t expect big shifts. Her dedication to the job matches my own. The big shift I’ll have to make is making sure I spend time with the girls.

Willow is a package deal. I knew that the moment she told me about them. And I fell for them almost as quickly as I fell for her. How could I not? Not only are they the spitting image of their mom, but they also have a unique way of wrapping anyone close to them around their little fingers. I’m not the only one affected by this family either. My entire staff has fallen for them. Well, not Alfonso, but he doesn’t like anyone. He at least tolerates Willow when she comes to my office, and that’s the most I can ask for.

“Are you done yet?” Marco walks in after tapping once to announce his presence.

I take a breath, look over everything on my desk, and nod. “Yes.” I stand and put on my jacket, grabbing my phone and glasses off the desk as I go.

Marco keeps in step with me as we make our way out of my office and into the elevator. He hasn’t brought up what happened between Willow and me, but I know he has something to say. He just won’t voice it until I give the go-ahead.

“You can talk now.” I adjust my cuff links a bit as we descend.

He doesn’t respond right away. That alone has me looking over at him with a raised eyebrow. He isn’t looking at me but at the door. But I know he heard me. Even more, I know he’s working through his word choice from the way his jaw twitches.

“Yes?” I push once more.

His eyes cut to mine. “Hurt them and we’ll have problems.”

The threat doesn’t bother me. I know it’s directed at me. He’ll cause harm to me if I’m the one to hurt them, physically or emotionally. If it’s someone else, we’ll take care of it together. He might be the one inflicting the pain, but I’m the one carrying his leash.

I grin. I like that Marco has enough of a connection with Willow and the girls to feel he has a right to say something to me on the matter. Not pushing me off getting with her, just doing what a father or an older brother would do: threatening the life of anyone who could make her sad or bring a tear to one of the girls’ eyes.

“In that, we agree.”

He nods as the elevator opens and we head to the waiting car.

“It’s also about damn time,” he mutters just as he opens my door, and I get in while laughing and nodding in agreement.

As I ride home, I promise myself that it’ll be the last time this week that I come home past midnight. It’s too late to stop in and say hello or even get a good night kiss after a long day.

A promise I failed to keep, as it’s now Friday, and each night has been the same, along with too early a morning to greet them either. At least I make sure she’s eating. Breakfast is provided to them every morning, and I even started having pastries set up with light items for the rest of the company in the three cafeterias we have in the building. It’s only been a few days, but so far it seems to be a perk that motivates my employees. I’ve had fewer call-outs and an increase in production.

Guess breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

If we continue to see an increase like this, I’ll be reaching out about supplying snacks as well. And I’m still looking into the housing idea Willow put in my head. She’s making changes around here, and she doesn’t even know it.

Speaking of which, she’s late.