AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And you were left behind?”
She nodded. “They had friends over once. And they told me and Trenton to eat in the kitchen.”
Fury consumed him. No one deserved to be treated like that. “Damn it, Bree. I’m sorry.”
“I shouldn’t say anything bad about my employer, but I’m glad Trenton wasn’t there alone with just the two of them.”
“Look, take a few days off. Paid.”
“I won’t mind the break, if you’ll be okay without me. But I need to tell you something, Mr. McCall.”
“You’re not quitting? Tell me you’re not quitting.”
“No. Well, sort of. I’ll stay with you, but I won’t continue to work for Mrs. McCall.”
“Fair enough.” He planned to give Bree a holiday bonus. A large one.
“Let me know when you need me?”
“Thanks, Bree. You went above and beyond.”
He excused himself and made his way to the rear of the plane. Uncaring that it was the middle of the night back home, he called his lawyer. He wanted to get in front of the judge as soon as possible to adjust the custody arrangement.
When he took his seat again, sleep eluded him.
Now that his child was safe, his thoughts returned to the long-haired, blue-eyed beauty who’d captivated him and jolted him from his painful past.
Hayes could no longer imagine a future without her.
He sent a quick update to Abigail, but since it was so late, he didn’t expect an answer.
By the time the plane landed in New Orleans, it was nearing dawn. He dropped Bree at her house before driving home and tucking Trenton into bed.
An hour later, after a quick workout and a hot shower to unwind, he fell into an exhausted sleep.
He dreamed of Abigail and her vulnerable beauty.
Then, maybe because of the stress of the last twenty-four hours, nightmares plagued him. Images filtered through his mind of what he’d thought were happy times with his family. Other snapshots took their place, of Trenton being with Susanna and Doug miles away, and his son calling out for his father.
Hayes tossed and turned as a vortex pulled away his son, leaving Hayes alone in his office, staring into the bottom of a whiskey decanter.
The disturbing pictures were replaced with more soothing, potent ones—of Trenton smiling in front of a Christmas tree, eyes alight.
And there was Abigail—sassy sub, complex woman.
Cock hard, he came fully awake.
The dreams were so vivid that he didn’t know which parts were real and which were pure fantasy.
He threw back the covers and raked a hand into his hair.
After checking on Trenton—who was sleeping peacefully—Hayes took a shower then made a full pot of coffee, determined to shove away the troubling aftereffects of his broken rest.
More clear-headed, he walked into his home office to send an email to his management staff. He informed them he was working from home and that they should take some time off.
Then he texted Abigail to ask how she was.
Even though it was Monday of Christmas week, his inbox was filled with dozens of year-end reports that needed attention.
