Chapter 17 #2
I laughed, loving that he felt the same struggle to say goodbye as I did. I’d just spent the flight home with him, and I would see him at the office tomorrow, but it wasn’t enough. And it wasn’t the same as spending time alone together outside of work.
“See you,” I whispered.
I opened the door, and when I checked over my shoulder, Jasper was still standing there. Rosie was in his arms, her ears drooping. They both looked sad to say goodbye. It took everything in me to make myself go inside.
I closed the door softly behind me, pressing my back to it with a sigh. This wasn’t like before. This was…so much more. I took a minute to compose myself then headed to the kitchen.
“Come sit by me, Mum! I saved you a seat.” Kai smiled, bouncing in his chair.
“I would love to. Let me just wash my hands first.” I went to the sink and washed and dried my hands before joining Kai and Craig at the table.
When Kai asked me about the money, I explained the bank account solution.
He seemed disappointed at first, but then Craig pointed out how it would allow Kai to save up for a bigger Lego kit he’d been wanting or, even better, a trip to Legoland.
That seemed a bit ambitious, but I was more surprised by the fact that Craig had backed me up.
In the past, he would’ve offered to buy Kai a Lego kit to get him to calm down.
Conversation moved on to what they’d done while I was gone. And when Kai finished, he popped up and went to his room to grab something, leaving Craig and me alone.
“Mum,” Kai called from down the hall. “Granny’s calling on my tablet. Can I talk to her?”
“Sure,” I called out.
Craig leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “How’s your dad?”
“Hanging in there,” I said, not wanting to get into it. It was nice that Craig had asked, but I didn’t have the desire or the emotional energy to go into detail.
He nodded, seeming to contemplate something. And then he asked, “Does your boss often visit you at home? He and Kai seemed awfully…familiar.”
“Jasper’s not my boss. Sloan is,” I said, feeling that the distinction was more important now than ever.
“Hal,” he scoffed, “Jasper’s the CEO. He’s everyone’s boss.”
I shoved a bite of salad into my mouth to avoid responding.
This reminded me of my conversation with Jasper on the jet.
The mental gymnastics made my head ache.
He wasn’t my boss, but he was the CEO. The only consolation was that I reported to Sloan, though she was out of the office for the foreseeable future.
“Doesn’t it bother you that Jasper can just drop by your suite at any time? It seems like he’s encroaching on your personal time.”
“We’re friends,” I said. “Just like I’m friends with his sister, Sloan. They’re a family company, and they like to treat their employees like family.”
“Mm.” He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
I stood, done with this conversation. Craig had no right to butt into my life. He was here to spend time with Kai; he wasn’t allowed to judge me or my decisions.
I returned my plate to the room service tray and navigated to the Huxley Grand app on my phone. I went to the room service menu and selected the button for “finished with meal.”
“This is temporary. I’m working on finding a place for Kai and me to live. I just haven’t had much time.”
“I know, and I understand that. I just…think it will be good for you both to have some space from your work.”
“My work—or Jasper?” I asked.
“Jesus, Halle.” He stood, his chair scraping against the floor. “I’m just trying to find out more about the people my son’s spending time with. If roles were reversed, you’d be doing the same.”
That was fair. But I worried about what Craig was hinting at.
And I worried if he suspected something between Jasper and me, others might too.
I needed to shut down anything that might suggest an improper relationship, at least until Jasper and I figured out what we wanted for the future.
And only then, how we wanted to handle it.
Jasper’s words floated to me once more. We’ll figure it out.
I tried to be a little less defensive, but that was difficult when it came to Craig. I’d spent years retreating into myself or feeling the need to defend myself. I might not care what he thought anymore, but it was a difficult habit to break.
“Jasper has several nieces and nephews who adore him. Kai adores him. Him and Rosie.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me?” I asked, sweat dripping down my back. Was he insinuating that something was going on between Jasper and me?
“I don’t know. You seem…different, happier, lately. And I guess I just wondered if you’re seeing anyone.”
I jerked my head back. And here I’d been worried that he suspected something between Jasper and me. But holy shit. Was Craig…?
He held up his hands. “Not because…” He shook his head. “Not because I…” He dropped his hands. “This is coming out all wrong.”
He cleared his throat, and I wondered what the hell was going on. “I, um—” He tugged on his collar. “This isn’t easy for me, but I’m working on it. A few months ago, I started going to therapy.”
I couldn’t have been more shocked if he’d told me he’d taken a trip to Mars. “That’s, uh, that’s great, Craig.”
I wondered what had finally prompted him to go to therapy. I’d asked him to go with me or on his own many times, and he’d always been completely opposed.
“Therapy, Kai moving away, it’s made me realize how much I’ve missed with him. Not just lately, but for the past five years. And with his birthday coming up, well—” He sighed. “He’s growing up so fast.”
I leaned my hip against the counter, using it to prop myself up.
Craig had never said anything like this.
And while pretty words were empty without action, this was definitely a step in the right direction.
This was everything I could’ve wanted for Kai.
For my son—and his relationship with his father.
I only hoped Craig would follow through this time. Because he’d disappointed Kai in the past, broken promises, and Kai had been heartbroken.
Craig stepped closer, attention darting down the hall toward Kai’s bedroom. I could hear Kai giggling at something my mom had said, but I appreciated Craig’s effort to be discreet. “Ever since you and Kai moved to LA, I feel so far away from him.”
“I can imagine,” I said. “And I think it’s great that you’ve been trying to call him more regularly. That you came to visit. It seems like you spent some quality time together this weekend.”
“We did.” He smiled. “It was really nice. But I don’t want to watch him grow up through a screen. And two weeks in the summer and then a week over Christmas isn’t enough.”
A pit formed in my stomach. I was going to be sick. Craig was going to try to take Kai from me. It wouldn’t be the first time, but I’d fought like hell, and I would do so again.
I tried to remain unruffled. I needed to appear calm, cool, and in control.
“Which is why—” Craig spread his arms wide, his smile almost hesitant “—I’m moving to California.”
“Wait. What?” Surely I’d misheard him. Surely I was imagining things. Because there was no way that Craig was moving here.
“I’m moving to LA. I want to be closer to Kai. I want to have the chance to get to know my son. That’s why I was here, to meet with some of the company execs about transferring.”
I was hit by a chill that went deep to my core. “I’m stunned. I had no idea you even felt this way.”
“I know, and it’s something I’m working on. Feeling my emotions. Expressing them.”
“But…” I tried to figure out how to best word my response. “I’m glad, really.” For him, for Kai. Hell, even for me since I’d continue to interact with Craig until Kai was an adult. And this was certainly a much nicer version of my ex. “But what’s brought this on?”
Was he sick? Or dying? I didn’t want to jump to the worst-case scenario, but I honestly couldn’t imagine something short of life-altering to spur Craig to such drastic action. He’d always been a bit self-centered.
“Let me start by saying that I’m okay, but I had a health scare earlier this year.
” He focused on the table, and I sank back down into my chair.
Despite everything that had happened between us, I still cared about him.
As a person. As the father of my child. “It really put a lot of things into perspective.”
“I can imagine,” I said, thinking of my dad’s diagnosis and how much it had thrown me for a loop. I didn’t know what had happened to Craig, and I didn’t need to know the specifics. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
“Thank you. I realized that I didn’t want to be the kind of father my dad is. I realized that I had a lot of regrets.” He gave me a meaningful look.
“I’m glad you’re okay. And I’m glad that you want to be more present for Kai. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“Thank you.” Something in him seemed to ease. “I know Kai needs stability, and you do a great job of providing that for him,” Craig continued, and I appreciated his saying that. “But I’d also love to spend more time with him.”
“I’m not opposed to the idea,” I hedged. Because I wasn’t. I just knew better than to take Craig at his word. He had a habit of saying one thing and doing another.
He nodded, and he actually looked…nervous?
“I know what the custody agreement states, and I also know that you don’t owe me anything.
But I was hoping we could come to an agreement between us, no lawyers.
A weekend or two a month would be great.
Or if you were going to be traveling for work, maybe I could stay with Kai.
Or even if you just want a break, I could spend time with him instead of a babysitter. ”
“I…” I was still completely stunned by this entire conversation. “I think we’d have to try it out first. I want Kai to have more time with you, but I need to know that you’re going to show up and follow through.” I wasn’t trying to be mean; I was trying to protect my son.
Craig considered it a moment. “That’s understandable. I know I haven’t always done the best job of that in the past. But I promise, things are going to be different this time.”
“I hope so,” I said, and I meant it.
He placed his hand over mine. “Thank you, Hal.”
“Have you told Kai yet?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I wanted to talk to you first. And I figured we should wait to tell him until it’s finalized. He’s had enough changes lately.”
I blinked a few times, seriously wondering if I’d tripped into an alternate universe. But then I spied my suitcase that needed to be unpacked and thought about all the things I needed to prep for the week, and I knew it was real. Even so, things were looking up for the first time in a long time.
Kai had spent a nice weekend with his dad, and Craig seemed to be serious about stepping up for our son.
Jasper and I were going to give our relationship a chance.
I’d gotten a fantastic promotion, and I loved my job.
Dad was at his new facility and seemed to be settling in.
So instead of dwelling on what might happen in the future, I decided to try Jasper’s advice of focusing on the present. I was going to live in the moment.