41. Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Jemima
A week later
“Where are you heading?” I ask my mom on the phone as I walk into the office.
“San Francisco,” she gushes. “I’m off to dazzle the city, darling, you know how it is!”
“I miss you. When will you come visit?”
“Oh, honey, you know I never make plans. But just call me when you need me, and I’ll be there with bells on.”
“Well, Chad's birthday is next month, so I need to plan it. I know he’d love it if you could come.”
“Oh, my stars, of course, I’ll be there! I would never miss my grandson's birthday bash.”
“I have something else to tell you,” I say, my voice quieter than usual.
Why is it so hard to tell my mom I’m dating someone? It’s not like she’ll disapprove, but it feels like it’s all happening so fast. Is there a rule against moving on when my ex was a douchebag? It’s not like I haven’t mentioned him before I told her on the phone that I was seeing someone she just doesn’t know it’s the same person.
It’s not like I was actively dating… No apps, no bars… nothing. Harvey wasn’t planned. If anything, he’s the opposite of who I thought I’d end up with, which I think is a good thing.
“What is it?” Mom urges when I’ve been silent for too long.
“Things are getting serious with someone.”
Mom shrieks. “What? Is this with the person you were seeing?”
I giggle at her reaction, but a sense of dread washes over me. What if she doesn’t approve? Last time, she and Dad ended up being right.
“His name is Harvey.”
“Mm strong name, I like it.”
I giggle again. Trust my mom to comment on his name. My mind drifts to just how strong he is, lifting me up or pulling me on top of him to eat me out. Yeah, he’s strong in many ways.
“He’s been great,” I mumble.
“How does Chad feel about him?”
My heart races as I think of them playing basketball, watching movies, or video games together. I’ve been slowly leaving some of Chad’s and my clothes at Harvey’s place.
“I think Chad loves him more than he loves me.”
“Never. He’ll always be a momma's boy, but it’s fabulous he approves.”
“I couldn’t be with him if Chad didn’t like him.”
“Tell me more, darling! I'm dying to know!” she exclaims, her voice high with excitement.
I’m not going to explain to my mom how hot he is with his sharp jawline, bright eyes, amazing body, or how good he is in bed. That's way too much information. But I do want to tell her something important. “He’s younger than me…”
“Really?” she exclaims. “By a few years?”
“Eight.”
“Ohh, good for you! As long as he’s ready to settle down and he treats you like the queen you are, who cares?”
I want to say he's the first man to treat me the way I deserve but I don’t. I want to keep things light.
“He owns a successful acquisitions company.”
“That sounds familiar. A secret agent?”
I laugh, remembering the time he called, and I had to google it to find out.
“He buys part or all of companies.”
“He owns a company, and he’s thirty-four?” she says, her voice filled with surprise and intrigue.
“Yeah, he’s really mature.”
“Is his family lovely?”
“I haven’t met his parents yet, only his brothers, and they’re really kind.” I sit down in my office chair.
“Well, then I’m sure they’ll be fabulous, darling.”
“They're retired too.”
“Oh my gosh, something we have in common,” Mom yells excitedly.
I see Molly hanging around my office door with papers.
“Mom, I better get back to work. I’ll send you the details for the party.”
“Call me this weekend, sweetheart. I want to chat with Chad and hear all about his birthday plans!”
“Alright, will do.”
I hang up and smile at Molly. “Just told Mom I’m dating Harvey.”
Molly's face lights up as she steps farther into the room. “And how did it go?”
“Good, but I want to see her in person. She and Dad had a lot of opinions about my ex, and I need to know she likes Harvey before I can feel totally at ease.”
“I’m sure she’ll love him. He’s charming, you have to give him that.”
“Oh, I know. That’s the problem. My mom will think he's handsome, but I’m her daughter, and she’ll want to make sure he treats me and Chad right.”
“So, she’s coming to the party?” she asks, her eyes widening as she lowers papers to my desk.
“Yeah. She’ll meet him then.”
“You know Hugo and I are coming too.”
“No plus one?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.
“No. I’m still having fun while I wait for Mr. Right.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
“Make sure you let me look after Hugo when you need a date night.”
She smiles. “Will do.”
Her office phone rings. “I better grab that. Here are the minutes for your meeting at two.” I take the papers from her as she walks out to grab the phone before it goes to voicemail.
Since hiring two new full-time staff members and an HR employee, I’ve been holding regular meetings, thanks to the new filing systems and software Harvey set up. It’s made a huge difference in streamlining the day-to-day operations, allowing me to take a step back and concentrate on the bigger picture. I’m able to focus on what I need to do while allowing them to manage. I want a team I can trust. I occasionally like to help with event planning to keep my knowledge up to date. I dive straight into reading the papers of Mr. Hernandez’s Christmas party.
When I’m finished, I walk over to Harvey’s part-time office. When he first came here, I thought it would be temporary, but now, he’s really made the space his own. Despite me encouraging his original idea to open the consulting firm, he shut it down, insisting on focusing on family, DreamMakers, Lincoln Acquisitions, and Recaredo Events.
“Hey, you look deep in thought,” I say.
“I need you to look at something.” He curls his finger in a come here motion, and then he pats his leg.
My eyebrow arches as I try to read him. “This isn’t a prank, is it?”
“No, but I’m up for it if you are.” He smirks.
“No, I have a ton of work to do today. I have to head to D.C., but I need to sort out a sitter for Chad.”
I glance at my phone, waiting for a response from Jade and Pedro. If they can’t do it, I’m screwed. Molly has a wedding to attend, so she can’t do it, and I have to get to D.C. to meet with suppliers and the team.
“I can do it,” Harvey says as easily as breathing.
I can’t help the butterflies at seeing his excited face, but I’m unsure. “I don’t know…”
“You need to let me show you that you can trust me.”
I hesitate, deciding what to do. Harvey’s been nothing but supportive, and Chad adores him. I take a deep breath, knowing this is a step toward trusting him completely.
“Alright,” I finally say, meeting his blue eyes. “You can watch Chad while I’m in D.C.”
His face breaks into a smug grin. “You won’t regret it, I promise.”
“I hope not,” I reply with a small smile, trying to hide the nausea rolling inside me. But deep down, I know this is right. This is the next step in our relationship, trusting Harvey with the most important person in my life.
He leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “Thank you for trusting me.”
I nod as warmth spread through my chest. “Just don’t spoil him too much.”
He laughs. “No promises.”