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I scoffed at the cheesiness and wished he could see me roll my eyes at that one.
"Poor you, they have remedies for that, you know? They are called teddy bears or pets."
He laughed before replying. "You are one mean woman, Jade Shelton."
"Think you could keep up with me if I moved in?"
He was quiet for a second before I heard shuffling on his end as if he was getting out of bed.
"Are you saying yes?" He asked, and I could hear the excitement in his voice.
"Yes," I confirmed. "But I'm not sure living in a hotel is a long-term plan."
"But I love the room service," he said with a chuckle.
"And I love home-cooked meals and baking. I need a kitchen."
"I know. I already asked my assistant to look into some apartments."
"You were that confident I'd say yes?" I asked incredulously.
"I had hope. And even if you said no, I still wanted Robin to have his own room at my place."
Wow, he was putting permanent structures in place. There might still be a million things that I didn't know about Michael yet, but one thing was certain, he loved his son. And he was doing what he could to be the father that Robin needed.
"Sounds good, thank you," I replied.
"We are in this together, right? No need to thank me."
I assumed Michael had never had a roommate, so this would be interesting. He was getting two in one go, and we came with our own quirks and personalities. I wasn't worried; I knew we would work it out.
"Get ready to have a full house, stepping on Legos and all that."
He laughed. "I can't wait."
"Okay, let's talk more tomorrow then. Then we see how we are going to do this."
"Is that when we discuss the no pajama policy?"
I laughed and shook my head. This living arrangement was going to be interesting.
24
Michael
I tapped my pen impatiently as I listened to the voice on the other end of the line. I was about to say a few choice words when I saw Robin's picture, his wide grin showing some missing front teeth. Jade had given it to me when they had moved in, and the frame had taken its rightful place on my desk. Looking at it reminded me to be nicer, even when dealing with ineffective people. Jade seemed to like the softer side of me.
I foundmyself doing many things to see her smile lately, and it wasn't difficult to make Jade happy. She seemed to be this ball of infectious energy even when she'd had a long day, and I was now living to see those green eyes shining. I was excited to go home at the end of a work day for the first time in my life, and it was all because I had a family to go home to. I'd come here to grow my business, not knowing that I'd find myself where I was now. Even though it was not something I had envisioned, I was right where I belonged.
I gotready to leave once I finally ended the call, checking if I hadn't forgotten anything. Jade's best friend had picked up Robin for a sleepover, which meant that Jade and I would be alone for the first night since she'd moved in. It had been a week of agony as I tried to keep my distance, but I was determined to change that tonight. I picked up some Chinese food from Jade's favorite restaurant and her favorite ice cream, but she wasn't home when I arrived.
It feltweird being home and seeing the place so quiet, something I had once enjoyed before Robin and Jade. I still enjoyed the silence while I worked, but I also loved hearing the sound of laughter in the house. It was official, I was a family man, and I didn't regret it even for a second. I dialed Jade's number and frowned when it went to voicemail. I failed to reach her two more times and decided to take a shower and get ready for dinner while I waited for her. I had been later than usual today since I didn't have to pick up Robin, and I was surprised that Jade wasn't home yet an hour later.
I processed this unfamiliar feeling– it was worry. I had never had to worry about another person, not even my mom, as she had always done the worrying for both of us. I grabbed my keys and drove to her workplace, which I hated. I wanted nothing more than for Jade to leave that job, but I had promised her that moving in together wouldn't change anything. It was ridiculous for her to work that hard since I was more than capable of caring for both of them, but Jade loved her job and took pride in it, which is the only reason I hadn't pushed the matter. She was probably just delayed at work, but it didn't stop me from playing all the worst scenarios in my head.
The front doorwas closed but not locked when I got there, so I just walked in. There was another open door, and the sight before me stopped me in my tracks when I entered.
Jade and her boss were sitting next to each other with a bunch of papers all around them. Jordan looked at Jade with a longing look while she studied something closely. There was no way I imagined that look or misunderstood it; it was clear as day. The man was one second from kissing her, and I didn't like it. I cleared my throat, and both looked my way, Jade surprised but Jordan annoyed.
