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“Anyway. How’s Maddie doing?” I ask
“Miserable. Ready to push the baby out. Still craving weird-ass food. Yesterday was pickles and vanilla ice cream. I almost threw up.”
“That’s hilarious.” I laugh.
“Oh, after our talk last time, I rejoined the gym. Gotta take off the thirty pounds I put on during Maddie’s pregnancy,” he says with a chuckle. “Thought you’d be proud.”
“Yeah? That’s awesome, man. I could write you up some workouts and email them to you, if you want,” I offer.
“I was totally gonna ask but didn’t want to put more on your plate. But yeah, I’d like that,” Liam says. “It’s just not the same without you here pushing and yelling at me to stop being a pussy.”
His admission makes me chuckle. “I mean, put me on speakerphone while you’re there, and I’ll do just that for ya.”
“Thanks for the offer.” He snorts. “It still won’t be the same without ya.”
“Yeah, I miss you too, man.”
Liam laughs. “Now, don’t go getting all mushy on me.”
“Ha! Tell Maddie I asked about her.”
“I will. Take care of yourself, Tyler.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not gonna do anything stupid,” I tell him. After Liam and I end the call, I stare up at the ceiling with Sassy sleeping next to me.
If Eric has my number, then they know exactly where I am. I just want to be left alone. While I’ve never been one to run from my problems, if they show up here, they’ll be the ones who find trouble.
CHAPTERTEN
GEMMA
I wakeup with the sun beaming on my face. It’ll be another hot day, but luckily, I won’t be in the office sweating my ass off. Daddy sometimes goes into the garage on Saturdays to catch up on maintenance, sign for special deliveries, or to clean, but I take the weekends off.
Turning, I notice Robert’s side of the bed is empty and the sheets are cool. He never sleeps in with me and is typically drinking coffee in his home office by the time I get up.
“Morning,” I say when I find him refilling his mug with coffee in the kitchen. He’s already showered and dressed while I’m in comfy shorts and a T-shirt. His black hair is combed, and he’s freshly shaved. Robert never stops working, and on a typical day, he wears slacks and a button-up shirt, or a suit if he has a business meeting. His motto is to dress for success because he never knows who he’ll meet that day. While I admire his drive, constantly having to be on my A game when we leave the house is exhausting. I’d love to just lounge around for an afternoon and watch old eighties movies, but he never has time for that.
“Good morning, darling.” He walks toward me and presses a kiss to my forehead. “How’d you sleep?” Robert takes a seat at the kitchen table, and I pour myself a cup of coffee and add creamer before sitting across from him.
“I slept fine. How about you?” I hold the warm mug in my hands.
“Great.” He smiles at me before grabbing the newspaper and giving it his full attention.
I normally sleep over at his house on the weekends, though I wish he’d stay at mine every once in a while. Although he insists I keep my things here, I don’t and still pack a bag. He’s almost become militant about me moving in, but I haven’t caved yet. I’m biding my time, which is quickly running out, because soon, we’ll be married.
“Did you eat breakfast yet?” I look around, noticing the counters are spotless.
“No, I was waiting for you.”
I blow on my coffee before taking a sip. “What are you hungry for?”
“Something light. I have a lunch meeting with Greg Klein at one. Eggs and toast would be great,” he says without looking up at me.
Biting into my lower lip, I swallow down the words that will inevitably start an argument. I wasn’t aware he had a work meeting scheduled, and I was hoping he’d spend the day with me, but I shouldn’t be surprised. He’ll do his thing, I’ll do mine, and then we’ll meet up for dinner like usual.
“Sure.” I move behind the large marble island, then grab a pan and the ingredients from the fridge. As I prepare our food, I contemplate texting Katie to see if she’s busy this afternoon. Everleigh’s working at the boutique until six, and while I could go visit her, Saturdays are the busiest, and I don’t want to get in the way.
Once Robert’s breakfast is done, I set his plate in front of him with a smile.
