Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
HECTOR
Jacob and I sat across from each other in a conference room, along with Evelyn and a few other executives, poring over charts, numbers, and figures in our annual review of the health of our business.
I ran a hand over my face, unable to focus because I couldn t stop thinking about last night. When Jacob had walked into my place and Heather crawled around the island to suck on my cock fuuuuuuck, I loved it.
“So, we need to …” Jacob started.
But I completely zoned out when I lifted my gaze and saw Heather s mother walking into the office from the elevators. Dressed in a gray suit jacket and a briefcase slung over her shoulder, she headed straight for our conference room.
What is she doing here?
When she made eye contact with me through the glass wall, I cursed under my breath. A moment later, she knocked on the door and opened it like she owned the place.
Jacob stopped short and glanced over quizzically. “What are you doing here?”
Evelyn sat up taller and looked between them, jealousy on her face.
But I knew that Heather’s mother wasn’t here for Evelyn. She was here for me.
“I need to talk to Hector,” she said firmly, her eyes locked on to me.
I shifted in my seat, not wanting Jacob to think that anything was going on between me and his ex-wife. What a goddamn mess that would be. I straightened out the cuffs on my suit and sucked in my cheek. This feeling of uneasiness around a woman s parents was unfamiliar.
“This isn’t the best time,” Jacob said, glancing at the documents spread across the table.
“It’s important, Jacob,” she said, not backing down. “Please, just a moment with Hector.”
After Jacob shot me a puzzled look, as if to ask what this was all about, I nodded and stood because I really didn t need any questions right now. Especially not in front of everyone. Jacob stepped to the side, gesturing for me to leave.
I followed Heather’s mom out into the hallway and made sure to shut the door tightly behind me. While the meeting continued without me, I could feel Jacob’s gaze on us the entire time I stood there.
“If you break her heart, I will break yours,” she snapped. “You understand me, Patton?”
“Heather told you?” I whispered.
“No.” She crossed her arms. “I overheard her talking with her friends.”
Sighing softly to myself, I ran a hand over my face, trying to find the right words to explain myself. She probably thought that I was taking advantage of her daughter, using her for some sick reason.
Do you realize the gravity of this? You re dating your business partner s daughter!
“I know,” I said, taking her elbow and leading her farther away from the conference room so Jacob didn’t overhear anything that neither of us wanted him to know. “It’s complicated. I never intended for things to turn out this way, but … I …”
She crossed her arms. “You what?”
I dropped my gaze to the ground and smiled softly. “I love her.”
While I could tell she had just been about to give me hell for dating her daughter, she paused and stared at me with an unreadable expression on her face. Then, she nodded.
“I have no intentions of hurting her,” I said honestly. “She is the sweetest woman I know.”
“She is,” she said with a curt nod. “So, don’t hurt her, whether it’s your intention or not.”
I won t. We have a contract.
“I know. I read it over.”
Another long pause.
“Of course,” I said. “So, you know she can leave whenever she wants.”
My chest tightened when the words tumbled out of my mouth because it hurt, just thinking about Heather leaving me at this point. I fucking loved her, and I wanted to make her the happiest she could ever be. I didn’t want to see any more of those tears.
“I’ve accepted it, but … Jacob won’t,” she said. “So, he must not find out. Not yet.”
I let out a relieved breath. “Heather and I will figure out how to handle things properly.”
She nodded and looked through the glass wall. “Is that the girl that Jacob is dating?”
My eyes widened. “What?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. I know that you know what I mean.”
“If you’re speaking about Evelyn and Jacob, then …” I sucked in a sharp breath, not wanting to give away all of Jacob’s secrets, but also not wanting Heather’s mother to out us. I didn’t think Heather—or I—was ready for that. “Yes.”
After looking into the glass wall to the conference room at her ex, she nodded and walked off. I stared at her retreating figure, wondering what would happen next. For as long as I had known her, she always kept a level head. She was a lawyer after all.
But what did this mean for her daughter and me?
A couple of moments later, the door behind me swung open, and Jacob cleared his throat. “Everything all right out here?”
I nodded.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
I walked back into the conference room. Nothing for you to worry about.
And, God, please don’t ask about it either.