Page 111 of Bound To Be Mine

“No, but it looks like we have a new babysitter option.”

With Adrian’s help, I settled Bucky against my shoulder, patting his back in what I hoped was a soothing rhythm. “Hey, little man. What’s all this fuss about?”

His little face was red and splotchy from the tears, but he’d quieted down, staring at me with those huge blue eyes.

“How did you do that?” Adrian asked.

“I have no idea.”

“You’re a baby whisperer.”

“Or he just got tired of screaming.” I kept patting his back, afraid to move and set him off again. “He’s getting big.”

“He is. Growing like a weed.” Adrian sat down on the couch, running a hand through his hair. “I swear he’s a different baby every time I blink.”

“You look exhausted.”

“I am exhausted. Elizabeth is exhausted. We’re all exhausted.” He laughed, but there was genuine weariness in it. “But it’s worth it. Every sleepless night, every diaper blowout, every inexplicable crying fit—it’s all worth it.”

“Why don’t you hire a nanny?”

“Elizabeth wants to do this part on our own. She says later when she needs to work, we can get help, but for now, she’s determined to do this.”

I looked down at my nephew, who had fallen asleep against my shoulder. His little mouth was open slightly, his breathing even and peaceful.

“Dinner’s ready,” Elizabeth called from the kitchen.

She smiled when she saw her sleeping son. There was some serious gymnastics to remove the baby from my chest and into her arms and then into the bassinet without waking him.

We sat down to dinner, with the baby monitor sitting on the edge of the table.

“I figured you’d be celebrating after today’s win, but you showed up here looking like someone kicked your dog,” Adrian said.

“I don’t have a dog.”

“You know what I mean.”

“It’s Mandy,” I said finally.

“What about her?” Elizabeth asked.

“I miss her. More than I expected to. More than makes sense for someone I’ve only known a few weeks.” I wiped sauce from my lips. “We’ve been trying to talk, but we can’t seem to sync up. Time zones, schedules, work—there’s always something. And I don’t know how to make this work long-term.”

“Have you talked to her about it?” Adrian asked.

“Not really. We keep saying we’ll figure it out, but we haven’t actually figured anything out.” I rubbed my face. “I can’t imagine moving to LA. My whole life is here. The firm, the family, everything. But I also can’t ask her to move to New York. Her entire business is in LA. I can’t ask her to give that up.”

“Briggs, if what you have with her is real, you’ll find a way to work it out,” Elizabeth said. “It might not be easy, but it’s possible.”

“How?” I heard the desperation in my own voice. “How do you make it work when you’re on opposite coasts?”

“You get creative,” Adrian said. He took a bite, chewed and then swallowed. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. It might be relevant.”

“What?”

“If we move forward with the retail expansion—and it’s looking more and more like we will—we’re going to need someone on the ground in LA to coordinate with Cleo and Callum. To handle the legal side of the lease negotiations, vendor contracts, all of it.”

I heard what he wasn’t saying. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I couldn’t stop it from happening.