Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Mummy!” Kai ran down the hall and threw himself into my arms. Rosie wasn’t far behind. Her little nails clicked against the floor, and I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the two of them coming to greet me. “You’re home.”
I held him close, using my hand to measure where the top of his head came to on my body. It felt as if he’d gotten taller in just the few days I’d been gone.
My trip to New York had been quick, but so much had happened in such a short time. The stairwell incident. The… My cheeks heated as I thought about what Jasper and I had done on the jet. With his family not far away. Yes, it had been a soundproof room with a locked door, but it was reckless.
And yet, I couldn’t quite find it in me to care. Maybe it was the oxytocin, the dopamine, or the endorphins. Hell, maybe it was the adrenaline from having sex on the jet. And while I wanted to blame it all on the orgasms, I knew that wasn’t it. At least, not entirely.
I was happy.
Jasper wanted us to be together, and I wanted that too. More than I’d wanted anything in a long time. I had to believe we’d find a way to make it work.
“Halle, hey,” Craig said, rubbing the back of his neck. He seemed more relaxed, and it wasn’t just the casual clothes he wore.
“Hey.” Rosie was jumping at my ankles, so I picked her up and gave her a cuddle. “Hey, Rosie girl.” She licked my hand, and I laughed.
“Wait till I show you the new trick I taught her!” Kai said.
Rosie squirmed to get free, so I set her down on the floor. “I can’t wait.”
Kai ran off with Rosie, leaving me alone with Craig. “I’m glad the timing worked out for you to stay with Kai while I was out of town. Seems like he had fun.”
“He did. We both did.” Craig leaned forward, pressing a kiss to my cheek. I stood there, frozen in shock. “Did you have a good trip?”
“I—” I swallowed hard, taking a small step back. “Yeah. Yep.”
Act normal, Halle. Jesus.
I grabbed the handle of my suitcase, eager to escape to my room. I probably still smelled like Jasper. Like sex. And my ex was kissing my cheek, acting like this doting partner.
“I should get unpacked.” I took a few steps, but then there was a knock at the door. “Did you order room service?”
“Oh, right.” Craig bypassed me to answer it. “Kai was getting hungry, and you know I can’t cook.”
I laughed. No joke about that. But it was nice to see him admitting he wasn’t perfect for once. Nice, but also…strange.
“Plus,” Craig continued. “I figured you might be hungry when you got in, so Kai helped me pick something you might like. We added it to the order in case you wanted it.”
“Oh. Um. Thank you.” Who the hell was this considerate man, and what had he done with my ex?
“Let me just get changed, and then I’ll come eat with you and Kai,” I said, rolling my suitcase behind me.
Craig swung open the door, and I nearly tripped when I heard Jasper’s voice coming down the hall. I dropped my suitcase and spun back toward the door, trying not to panic.
Be calm. Act normal. Be…
“Who are—”
“Jasper, hey.” I forced myself to smile, wishing I could’ve avoided this confrontation even as I inserted myself into their conversation. “Is everything okay?”
Did my voice sound weird? High-pitched and breathy?
Be calm. Act normal.
“I came to get Rosie.” Jasper smiled, charming as ever. Though his eyes kept darting between Craig and me.
“You’re Jasper?” Craig asked.
Oh right. They’d never met because Craig had never attended work functions with me, even when we were still married. Despite expecting me to accompany him to his.
“Yes.” Jasper held out his hand. “And you must be Kai’s dad.”
I laughed nervously as they shook hands, sizing each other up. “That’s right. Okay. Great.” I turned back toward the living space, eager to put an end to this awkward situation. “Kai,” I called. “Jasper’s here to pick up Rosie.”
“Jasper’s here?” Kai called before bounding in, Rosie at his heels.
Jasper smiled, and this time, it was a genuine smile. “Hey, kiddo.”
Kai threw his arms around Jasper, and I could practically feel Craig’s eyebrows rise as they lifted to the ceiling. I shifted from one foot to the other, trying not to freak out. Trying not to do anything that might spark unwanted questions.
But it felt as if it didn’t matter what I did. Craig was certainly taking it all in. Jasper. Me. Kai. Rosie. Crap!
Jasper picked up Rosie and gave her a cuddle. “Thanks for taking such good care of Rosie.” Jasper opened his wallet and held out some cash to Kai.
Kai’s eyes went wide. “Whoa!”
I frowned at Jasper. “What are you doing?”
“Paying him for dog-sitting.”
“You don’t have to pay him anything. It’s a win-win situation. He got to hang out with Rosie, and you had someone to take care of her while you were gone.”
“Exactly,” Jasper said. “If Kai hadn’t volunteered to watch Rosie, I would’ve had to pay someone. He earned this money.”
This wasn’t a conversation we should be having in front of Kai, let alone my ex. But before I could say anything, room service arrived. The guy did a double take when he saw Jasper standing at my door. “Mr. Mackenzie.”
“Ethan, hi.” Jasper smiled, stepping aside so Ethan could roll the room service cart through. I’d always been impressed by Jasper’s memory for names and faces. It was part of what made him such a great leader. He made everyone feel important.
“Let’s go eat, Kai,” Craig said, turning our son toward the kitchen. Then to me, he said, “Join us when you’re ready, Hal.”
Kai’s shoulders slumped. “But what about my money?”
“Come on, mate.” Craig clamped his hands on Kai’s shoulders and steered him away. “Lunchtime. Your mom will sort it out.”
“Hal?” Jasper mouthed.
I shook my head. Not now.
I stepped into the hall, letting the door close behind me. I pinched the bridge of my nose, a headache forming.
“I’m sorry,” Jasper said. “I didn’t realize paying Kai would cause an issue. I should’ve talked to you about it first.”
“I get why you wanted to offer it to him, but I don’t want your relationship with Kai to be based on a foundation of money or expensive gifts.” Like Craig. “Besides, are you going to pay him every time he dog-sits?”
“I should,” Jasper said. “Don’t you think it’s important for him to value his time? To be compensated for providing a useful service?”
What Jasper said made sense, but still…
The door to my suite opened, and Ethan stepped out. I smiled politely and thanked him before he rolled his cart down the hall toward the service elevators.
“We really shouldn’t—” I said at the same time Jasper said, “This isn’t the place—”
We laughed.
He made sure the coast was clear then leaned in, careful to keep his voice low. “Can I see you later?”
“I wish, but...” I frowned, thinking of all the things I needed to do to get ready for the week ahead. Let alone the fact that, “I need to spend some time with Kai.”
“I understand,” Jasper said. “I’d never want to encroach on your time with Kai. Maybe after he goes to bed?”
I laughed, wanting so badly to touch him. “Craig’s staying with us, and—”
Jasper jerked his head back. “Your ex is staying at your place?”
“Just for a few nights. I booked him a room here, but we thought it was more important for Kai to be comfortable while I was out of town.”
“But you’re back now,” Jasper said.
“And Craig’s only here for one more night. He’s staying on the extra bed in Kai’s room.”
Jasper shook his head, his displeasure clear. I understood where he was coming from. I wouldn’t be pleased about the situation if our roles were reversed.
“I’m not happy about it either,” I said. “But I want what’s best for Kai. I moved him away from his dad, and Craig made the effort to be here. I want to give them time together.”
Jasper frowned, and Rosie wiggled in his arms, letting out a yip.
“I should get going,” I said. “Before someone…”
“Right.” Jasper straightened as if suddenly remembering where we were. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I nodded, feeling there was so much left unsaid. “See you…tomorrow.”
I hated that we had to stand here and pretend we were nothing more than colleagues. I hated that I couldn’t invite him into my apartment and ask him to join Kai and me for lunch. At the very least, I wanted to hug him, kiss him goodbye. And I couldn’t do any of that.
It hadn’t hit me until that moment how much I wanted to have that with Jasper.
Sure, sometimes it was fun to sneak around.
But there were situations—like now—when I just wanted to spend time with him.
And I didn’t want to have to come up with a cover story.
But I also wasn’t ready to blow up my entire world and everything I’d worked so hard to achieve.
I sighed, shoulders curving inward. “This sucks.”
He glanced around then linked his pinkie finger with mine. It was so subtle no one would’ve noticed, and yet that simple touch lit me up inside. Gave me hope.
“We’ll figure it out. Okay?”
I hesitated a moment, then nodded. I trusted Jasper, and I wanted to have faith in us and our future. I might not see how it would all work out, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t.
It was a big part of the reason why I’d ultimately agreed to this. Because Jasper made me believe that it could. Because I wanted to find a way to be with him. He made everything better, brighter.
“Okay.”
His shoulders relaxed. “Also, I know you don’t want me to give the money to Kai, but he earned it. So what if we gave him a small amount each time and put the rest into a bank account for him?”
I considered it a moment. Jasper was right—Kai had earned that money. And giving him some now while putting the bulk aside would teach Kai about delayed gratification and saving. It was an elegant solution.
“Okay.” I nodded. “Thank you. That seems like a good compromise.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, lingering.
“Tomorrow,” I echoed, thinking it sounded so far away.
“You have to go inside,” he whispered. “Or I’ll never be able to leave.”