Chapter 19
PAIGE
I’m soaking in the tub in the hottest water I can withstand.
I’m covered in the bubbliest bubbles, and all the tension that was making my muscles ache has finally left my body. I’ll be a new woman when I get out. A shriveled one though, because I’ve been in here for over an hour.
I lift my wine glass from the bath tray and finish the last of it before placing it on the floor.
It’s indulgent of me, drinking on a work night while bathing in my freestanding polished concrete tub covered in expensive bubble bath foam I treated myself to last month. But it’s exactly what I needed. Bliss.
I check the baby monitor screen again before I close my eyes and lay my head against the bath pillow.
As I draw a long breath, my mind drifts to my sister.
I haven’t yet figured out how to mention Marin in my next talk with my parents.
They deserve to know she’s alive, has a place to stay, and isn’t out on the streets.
What I can’t give them is real reassurance about her safety because I don’t have that information.
When she gave Max her address earlier, I made sure to memorize it.
At some point, when I’m not with Alfie, I plan to drive by and check out the place.
I don’t expect it to ease my worries or bring me any peace; it’s more about curiosity than anything else.
Still, it might be something I can tell my parents—just a small bit of good news.
Not that there’s much when it comes to Marin.
A few more moments pass by, and just as I’m considering getting out of the bath, my cell phone rings, echoing through the bathroom, the loud chimes bouncing off the walls.
I lunge for my cell phone that’s resting on the bath tray to kill the ringer. A nervous energy buzzes through me the minute I set eyes on Max’s name, and I answer it.
“What do you want?” We can’t keep doing this. We’ve already crossed the boundaries that should never be stepped over.
“I wanted to check in, to make sure you’re doing okay after the run-in with your sister.” His smooth voice does things to my stomach I don’t appreciate because I shouldn’t want him. It’s the wrongest kind of wrong. But my body isn’t getting the memo and is betraying me from every direction.
“I’m fine.” I keep my response brief and to the point.
“Good. Good.” The silence stretches between us for longer than I’m comfortable with. “What are you doing?”
“I’m in the tub.”
“Hit accept.” He’s such a bossy bastard.
But wait, what?
I remove my cell phone from my ear and roll my eyes when I realize he’s requesting a video call. “I’m not accepting.” I press my cell phone against my ear again.
“Do it.”
“No.”
“Paige. Just fucking accept. I want to see you.”
God, he’s annoying. If I hang up he’ll keep calling me back until I accept a video call with him.
I prop my phone up on the molded cradle on my bath tray and hit the button that makes his face fill the screen.
He’s wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, and he’s covered in a faint sheen of perspiration.
It looks like he’s been working out, every muscle gleaming under the dim light of what appears to be a gym.
Handsome has never looked so sinful. He’s so tan.
And a ten; he’s a big fat fucking ten out of ten.
“Hey, beautiful.”
“Stop calling me that.” I’m not accustomed to him being nice to me; it’s weird, but also ego boosting. Still alien though.
Being careful not to flash my boobs, I sink myself lower into the water, using the bubbles to camouflage them.
“I’m just being honest.” He wipes his brow with a virgin-white towel before dabbing his face.
“Well, don’t be. I preferred you when you were being a dick to me.”
“You know that’s not true.” And there’s that devilish grin again that spreads warmth at the apex of my thighs.
This is getting out of hand, and I need to put an end to this. “Well, it’s been great talking to you. You’ve seen me now. As you can see, I’m busy.” I push my hand out of the water to end the call.
“Don’t hang up. Please don’t.” When he says please like that, all sad puppy dog eyes and downturned mouth, how can I refuse?
I let out a sigh, pretending to be bored with the conversation when what I’m really doing is eating him up with my eyes, committing every one of his sinewy muscles to my memory bank.
I give in and drop my hand back into the water, letting him know I’ve changed my mind.
“Thank you. I wanted to talk to you about that night.”
The night that changed everything between us.
I couldn’t think of anything worse. The person I initially assumed was a total stranger turned out to be the most insufferable and arrogant man I work with. Nice dick though, I’ll give him that. He’s got a nice face too, and a body I would like to spend more time getting better acquainted with.
“What specifically do you want to talk about?” I ask, acutely aware of how intimate this is. He’s practically naked, and I am completely naked beneath the water. We’re breaking rules and getting too close for comfort.
We broke protocol the minute he filled my pussy with his expert fingers that made me come so hard I almost passed out. What we had was so much more than intimacy; it was exposure combined with trust that I never thought existed.
“I want to know why you didn’t fill out the follow up form.”
I tell him the truth. “I have Alfie. He’s become my priority. I barely have time to take a pee these days; that night was the first night I’ve had off in months. I don’t know what I was thinking. I thought I was ready to have a little fun and start dating, but I was kidding myself.”
He lifts his chin in acknowledgment, and I can tell he’s itching to ask me something else as he stares at me down the camera. Eventually, he does. “The night at The Velvet Rooms, did you like me?”
“Yes.” There is no point denying it.
“Did you plan on meeting me outside?” He wipes his sweaty brow again with his towel.
“Yes.” That’s also the truth.
“But Alfie became unwell?”
“Yes. How did you know?” I scratch my head in confusion, raising my shoulders out of the water slightly in a small shrug.
“The hostess at the door told me a few things. You had blue eyes, blonde hair, your kid was sick and you took a mask by mistake.”
“All true.” The bunny mask is still lying on my dressing table, a constant reminder of our unforgettable night.
“How is Alfie now?”
That’s sweet of him to ask. “He had chicken pox that night, but since then, he’s been fine.”
“That’s good news.”
“He’s teething now though.” That’s a challenge. “The life and times of being a mom. This is all new to me.”
“I can’t believe your sister had a baby with Judge Holmes.”
“Neither can I. How do I prove that?”
“DNA.”
“But how?” My question comes out fast.
“Court order.”
“I was hoping a conversation might do the trick.”
He silently signals no, dismissing me. “The guy is practically untouchable. Have you spoken with him before?”
“Once.” At a benefit dinner. “Without his DNA, how do I prove he’s Alfie’s father?”
“I would start with CCTV from the place your sister worked. Then you could show Griffin and see if that’s enough to get him to agree to a DNA test?”
That’s a great idea. “Will they still have the footage after all this time?” Do strip clubs have CCTV? I shudder at the thought of having to watch the playbacks. That’s a hard pass.
“They will. Or someone will know if he’s a regular visitor.
All you need is one or two witnesses to confirm if he was there and you have all the evidence you need to schedule a meeting with him.
You will wait months to see him though, or I can ask Nathan to have a quiet word.
Nathan knows him very, very well and plays tennis and golf with him often. ”
“He would do that for me?”
“I would do that for you.” Why is he being so nice?
“Thank you.”
“Say the word and I’ll talk to Nathan.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.”
He does a slow shoulder roll as if stretching out his muscles. “So, you’re a mom now?”
“Yeah. Instant mom, just add zero childbirth, zero prep, and a lifetime of commitment. It’s been a whirlwind, and the scariest but most rewarding thing I’ve ever experienced. Being responsible for such a tiny person is crazy.”
“You’re a good person, Paige. There are not many people who could do what you have.”
“I’m doing what any decent person would do.” He’s a part of Marin I can hold onto forever, something I can’t do with her anymore because my sister is long gone. And Alfie is family, my flesh and blood, and he belongs with me. “I’m adopting him,” I state.
“Yeah, I heard that earlier.” His brows shoot up in surprise. “You’re an incredible woman.”
I shake my head in disagreement. “I’m not.
” He wouldn’t be saying that if he’d seen me within the first few weeks of Alfie’s arrival.
Late nights, no routine, tears, Target runs.
My mom and dad moved in for weeks until we managed to get Alfie into a routine, then they helped me hire Emma.
Poor baby was just as frightened of us as we were of him. Probably more so.
“You are incredible,” he counters. “We don’t see in ourselves what others see in us. I see greatness within you.”
“But you don’t like me.” He can barely stand being in the same room as me. He puts up with me because he has to.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth, Paige. You can be annoying as fuck, but I don’t dislike you, not even a little.”
I’m not sure if that was a compliment.
He changes the direction of our conversation. “Now you know it’s me from The Velvet Rooms, do you still feel the same way about that night?”