AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Would he feel the same if he knew that guy was him?
“You want wine tonight?” Hayden asked, pulling me from my mess of thoughts.
“Mhm,” I answered. “Sounds good.”
We spent the next fifteen minutes laughing and fawning over just how funny, smart, and adorable Jack was.
“I’m a proponent for women being able to make their own decisions regarding their bodies and pregnancy, but I’m grateful Kylie gave me the chance to know my son.” Hayden took a long swallow of his wine as I curled up just slightly closer to him than boss and employee situations might allow. “The thought of never knowing that little guy just about tears me apart. She and I might have been a toxic mess together, but the one thing we did right was my son.”
“Where is Jack’s mom, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“When she first got pregnant—and I swear, I used a condom every damn time; even back then, I knew she and I weren’t meant to be forever—she tried to use the baby as a way to manipulate me and get me to stick around, even though, by that time, we’d agreed to go our separate ways. She disappeared when she realized I wasn’t going to let her use the baby to get what she wanted.” He sighed, his arm moving to rest on the back of the couch as he turned to face me. “I hated every minute of not knowing where she was—hated not knowing what was going on with my child—but I’d grown up in a really toxic home life, and I wasn’t going to do that to my kid.”
Hayden seemed to lose himself in thought for a while before returning to the conversation. “When she showed up with baby Jack and papers signing away her rights, I was floored. I think for the first month, I kept waiting for her to show back up and tell me it was all just a big manipulation and she was taking him away from me.” He smiled sadly. “For a day or two, I was so overwhelmed, I couldn’t even think—I was in survival mode. Then I spent a lot of time trying to protect my heart from whatever she might have had up her sleeve. But there was no way I couldn’t fall in love with that kid. She would have destroyed me if she’d come to take him away—but my lawyer promised the paperwork was binding, and I had every intent to fight tooth and nail if she tried.” He shrugged and drained the rest of his wine before pouring another glass. “I guess it’s always a possibility, but each passing day makes me think there’s less and less chance she’ll show up and want to use Jack as a bargaining chip.”
“I hate that you had to deal with that,” I said. “You’re an amazing father and Jack is blessed to have you in his life. I’m not one to judge people I’ve never met, but I want to think Kylie wasn’t the best parent for him.”
“Sometimes I wonder if I need to find a willing partner just so Jack has a mother figure,” Hayden said, catching my eye. “But now we have you and you’re the best we could have ever hoped for.”
My cheeks pinked. “I’m grateful to be here. You were doing fabulously without me, but I’m glad to be able to take a bit off your plate. Getting to know you and Jack has been the absolute best.”
Hayden’s glassy eyes sparkled as his fingers trailed over my shoulder. “Kinda wishing you weren’t the nanny right now.”
“Oh?” I squeaked.
He leaned in to nuzzle my jawline, my heart leaping into my throat. “Wanna do some very unprofessional things to you.”
“I won’t tell HR if you won’t,” I managed to murmur while every cell in my body begged for his lips on mine.
And then Hayden kissed me.
No kiss had ever compared and I was immediately ruined for any other man.
Our lips and tongues met with such heated passion and heart-thumping anticipation, I could barely breathe. Hayden tasted of wine, hope, and promises. His tongue danced with mine, stoking a fire in my belly.
Melting into the kiss, I whimpered, opening for him to kiss me deeper.
Hayden groaned as my arms wrapped around his neck and he pulled me closer, pressing his hips against mine.
And then Jack picked the absolute worst time in the world to wake up.
His cries filled the air and we jumped apart as if doused with ice water.
Breathing hard, Hayden murmured, “I’ll get him.” Stroking the back of his knuckles down my cheek and brushing a thumb over my cheek, Hayden leaned in and pressed another kiss to my swollen lips. “Can this be continued?”
I nodded in a daze.
Taking a moment to compose myself—trying to figure out what my next move was—I touched fingers to my lips and replayed that kiss.
I wanted whatever was happening to continue.
Would that be for the best, though?
Was Jack’s interruption a sign from the universe that Hayden and I needed to keep our relationship purely professional?
Get real. Whatprofessionalrelationship involves daily walks to the park, baby bath time, wine, and movies on the couch?
Giggling like a fool, I licked my lips in hopes of tasting Hayden again.
