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I was going to win her back and prove to her that we belonged together.
Chapter 14
Martha
I scooped Jimmy up in my arms and held him to my chest. He wrapped his arms around me and giggled. With a sigh, I squeezed my eyes shut and inhaled the smell of him, like soap and baby shampoo. Having got in when Jimmy was asleep, I had spent the night tossing and turning and craving the days when my son slept on the bed next to me, and I could reach across and feel him. Over the pounding of my heart, I listened to the rise and fall of my son’s voice, trying to hold onto it for dear life.
Because I’d screwed up again.
Getting caught up in the moment and allowing myself a brief moment of happiness in the midst of my heartbreak was one thing.
Allowing myself to get caught up in the moment again when I knew the consequences was another. I didn’t have a snowstorm or my own sorrow to blame my lapse in judgment on. Instead, all I had was the knowledge that when my boss wouldn’t leave me alone, it was Albin who came to my rescue.
Kind, strong, and reassuring Albin, who hadn’t left my side all night.
Whose touch made all of my insides quiver, and with one look, he knew how to leave me yearning for more. While I had spent the night wrestling with the resurgence of my feelings for him and the undeniable fire that crackled between us, I knew I hadn’t tried hard enough. All it took was one look, one touch, and all of my common sense flew out the window.
What kind of idiot was I anyway?
Albin and I weren’t the same people who met in the middle of the road and sought refuge from a snowstorm. I was not the same woman who had once spent a night drinking and unburdening myself to a complete stranger before jumping into bed with him. Although Albin was much sweeter and far more intoxicating than I remembered, it didn’t change the facts.
He and I were still different people who came from very different worlds.
I was struggling to make ends meet and find a job that supported Jimmy and me.
Albin, on the other hand, was a businessman and an investor with cash to burn.
Letting myself forget hadn’t been a good idea, especially when I knew what was at stake. As if he sensed my turmoil, Jimmy squirmed against me and demanded to be set down. As soon as I sat him down on his feet, he skipped away, making a beeline for the couch in the living room. He jumped onto it, stretched his legs out, and giggled. Anne materialized in front of me, her purse in one hand and her phone in the other.
“I didn’t hear you come in yesterday.”
“The event ran a little later than I thought.”
Anne shifted from one foot to the other and frowned. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”
“Yeah, this job is going to be a lot more complicated than I thought.”
“Problems with the new boss?”
I hesitated before running a hand over my face. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Considering how generous Anne had been with us, the last thing I wanted was for her to worry about my livelihood. Coming to her after my parents had kicked me out hadn’t been much of a choice since I had nowhere else to go. Burdening her with the pressure and demands of my new job, including a handsy boss, was another thing altogether.
I couldn’t let Anne fight my battles for me.
I wouldn’t.
All I could do was hope that Mr. Banks got tired of pursuing me and let me keep my job. However, given the way Albin threw him out last night, I wasn’t even sure I still had a job. With a slight shake of my head, I brushed past Anne and into the kitchen. After filling the kettle and rummaging aimlessly through the fridge, I twisted to face my friend and paused.
What was I going to do if Mr. Banks did fire me?
With Albin back in the picture, could I even go to him for help with our son?
Not unless you want to risk having Jimmy taken away.
As generous and kind as Albin was, I doubted he was going to take the fact that I hid his son’s existence from him a secret. Being forced to walk away from Albin years ago was a conscious choice I made, but the second I laid eyes on him last night, I should’ve found a spare moment to tell him the truth.
Albin hadn’t done anything to deserve being kept in the dark.
