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“I–I think so.”
“Willyoube okay, angel?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I know you will be,” I murmured. “Just stay with me for a bit longer, alright? I’ll take care of everything when I get there.”
“I’m sorry, Eli,” she said softly. Emma cried again, and I pinched between my eyes. “I—I can take her. You don’t need to come home—”
“I’ll be there soon,” I said, cutting her off. There was a beat of silence and I waited for her to say something, but when she didn’t, I hung up.
Turning on my heel, I took another deep breath and readied myself for Tim. This would not be a fun conversation.
I hurried to his office, knocking on the door as I pushed it open. “Hey, Ti—” I cut myself off, my mouth dropping open.
“Shit.” He scrambled to fix his pants, leaving Nina helplessly on her knees, her blouse unbuttoned and hair a mess. “Why didn’t you knock?” He glowered at me before turning it on her. “Why didn’t you lock the fucking door?”
“I—I thought I did.” She stumbled to her feet, her knees wobbly on her heels. “I’m sorry, Mr. Mitchell.” I cringed. She still called him Mr. Mitchell? Gross.
“Get out,” he hissed, his gaze unable to stay on me. I moved to the side as Nina rushed past me, giving me a terrified look. “Not a word, Hayes. Not a fucking word.” He pointed at me and I lifted my hands.
“My kid is sick. I was just letting you know I need to take her to the hospital,” I said, taking a step back. “I didn’t see a thing.”
“You’re kidding me,” he scoffed. “You’re seriously leaving again?” He shook his head, and my anger surged.
“You know, maybe I did see something,” I said in a low voice. His jaw flexed. “And maybe I might write an email to corporate. They’d want to hear about this, don’t you think?” I waved my finger at him, lifting my brows. “Your wife might want to know, too. And think about poor Nina—”
“Blackmail?” he snarled. “Really?” I shrugged.
“Either let me take care of my child, or I’ll tell everyone.”
My hands balled into fists at my sides. I wasn’t in the wrong here. He was the one fucking one of his employees—now that I thought about it, it’s probably why she was moving up the ranks so quickly. Fucking hell. The thought made me feel ill.
“Fine,” he gritted out. “But just today—” I grinned at him.
“How about you just keep your opinions to yourself, yeah? I’ll come and go as I please when it comes to Emma.” I was pushing it. I knew I was, but I didn’t really care. What was the worst that would happen? He’d fire me? He was planning on doing that, anyway.
“Fine.” The word seemed to pain him as he ground it out. We stared at each other for another moment before I dipped my chin, turned, and sprinted across the lobby and out the door.
Thirty minutes later, I pulled up to my house, barely putting the car in park before I threw the door open. My heart pounded as I ran inside, the sound of Emma crying hitting me immediately.
“Rae?” I called, tossing the keys on the entry table as I headed for the hall. She poked her head out of Emma’s room, her hair messy and face pale. Emma was clutched tightly in her arms as she bounced her lightly.
“Look, Em. Daddy’s home,” she whispered. Emma’s cries barely stopped enough to turn her head. It still rested on Reagan’s shoulder as she stared at me.
Her sweaty face was red, and she was pulling roughly on her ear. Tears, and slobber, and snot coated her face and Reagan’s shirt, but neither of them seemed to care.
As I got closer, Emma reached for me, nearly falling from Reagan’s arms. I jolted forward, catching them before either could go down. “I’m here, baby,” I murmured, grabbing Emma and holding her on my hip. She rested her head on my shoulder, her hand still on her ear.
“She didn’t start feeling bad until you left,” Reagan said softly, her wary eyes on Emma. “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. I was trying to figure out what—”
“It’s okay,” I whispered, reaching for her. She hesitated before sliding her hand into mine and letting me tug her closer. I didn’t know why I needed them both close right now, but I did. I wrapped my arm around Reagan’s waist, and she must’ve truly been exhausted, because she leaned against me, resting her head on my other shoulder.
This felt right. Even with Emma sick, and Reagan worn out, holding them both felt right. Like everything in my life had been leading to this exact moment. I squeezed my girls tighter, anchoring them to me.
“I’ll take Em to the doctor,” I murmured. Reagan took a deep breath, drawing strength as she pulled away.
“Let me change clothes and I’ll go with you.” I kept my arm around her waist as I stared down at her.
