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Her eyes drop. The silence in the room is heavy, and I’m not sure where to start—how to fix this, or if I even can.
“Blair, if I pushed you too far, I can give you space—”
She shakes her head and for a second I think I see her beginning to tear up.
“No, Nick. I need to not have any contact with you. Do you understand?” She looks up again, her gaze harder now. I can see in this moment what makes her so good at her job. Although just seconds before she looked to be swept away by emotion, Blair now sits perfectly calm, legs crossed, expression blank.
“I need you to leave me and the baby alone. For good. It’s what’s best for everyone.”
She stumbles over the last word and I frown. “For everyone?” I stand, unable to stop myself from pacing. She catches her breath, but manages to stay calm and professional.
“Who is it good for, exactly? I can’t imagine that it’ll be easy raising a child alone. If you’d just let me sbe there for you—”
“I don’t need you to be there,” she says quickly, voice cracking. Blair looks almost panicked now, but takes deep breaths. “Nick, you’re not listening. I need you to leave me alone. I’m more than capable of caring for a baby and providing for us. The paperwork—your account—is almost done. In a few weeks, we won’t ever have to see each other again.”
“And that’s what you want?” It comes out sharper than I meant it, but I’m barely holding back anger. And desperation. “You don’t want to see me again? Ever?”
She glances at me but it feels like she’s looking right through me.
“I thought this was working,” I continue, speaking low and walking toward the desk. “I thought, Blair, that it was clear—that we want the same thing.”
“We don’t.”
Her words are crisp, sharper than mine. She stands, eyes steely, and strides toward the door. “You need to leave me alone, Nick. I’ve already asked you several times. I don’t want to make this a legal issue. I’ll be in contact if I need anything to finish out the account, but otherwise…”
She opens the door.
Walks out.
And I’m left standing alone in the office, fists clenched and heart pounding.
Out on the floor, Blair’s coworkers are watching wide-eyed. They look away quickly as my gaze sweeps over them.
There’s nothing I can do.
She’s made herself clear, and even if I wanted to chase after her, I wouldn’t know where to start. Blair Morrison wants nothing to do with me. I know legally I have rights in this situation but I just don’t think I have it in me to go through that kind of war with her.
She’s made up her mind and I’ll just have to learn to accept that.
Chapter 23
Blair
Thenextfewdaysare quiet, and it’s a relief. A small part of me keeps waiting for Nick to show up again at the office and insist on seeing me. To tell me he won’t tolerate my decision. Tell me that he wants this. That he’s never wanted anything more in his life than this.
It’s what I want too. With every fiber of my being.
But I attempt to ignore the thought and try to concentrate on the file in front of me instead. It’s a return client and is a simple case–luckily it doesn’t require a lot of brainpower.
The Weavers’ estate account is almost complete. Just this morning my intern sent both Nick and his father emails saying the documents were ready for signature. With Collin, it’ll be a little complicated—he’s officially in the UK full-time now that the industry branch has opened there. But I’ve decided to let my team deal with the details there.
Bringing my attention back to the other client’s paperwork, I realize I’m missing a section. I walk out onto the floor to find the admin who has the info I need.
“Ida, can you do me a favor and track down the—”
Before I can finish, the elevator doors open and a woman storms out. My heart jumps as I realize that it’s Vanessa. And she looks very angry.
Scanning the floor, she finds me quickly and heads my way.
