Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Walker
Iwake up feeling unsettled. Something isn’t right, though I can’t name it. Sunlight streams through the window, painting my room in soft gold, but unease clings to me, heavy and insistent. Then it dawns on me. I jolt out of bed when I realize Eli never woke me up, but she’s not in her bassinet.
My stomach churns as panic rises in my throat until I remember Jessie spent the night. She slept, tucked under my arm.
Everything in my life that had once felt like it was falling apart felt like it was coming together.
I walk out of the bedroom and instantly catch a whiff of something amazing. Then my whole world turns on its axis as I watch Jessie, wearing my college shirt, with my daughter in a sling resting on her chest, while she cooks breakfast.
Her hair is up in a messy bun. She shimmies around the kitchen, and I notice her earbuds are in.
She doesn’t notice me at first, her hips swaying as she flips something in the pan, quietly mouthing the words to whatever song she’s listening to. Eli makes a little squeak from the sling, and Jessie grins down at her before swaying side to side.
I pause at the entrance of the kitchen, taking in how natural it looks for Jessie as she hums under her breath, one hand steadying Eli without a second thought. My chest aches with a warmth I have never felt, like this is what mornings were always supposed to be.
When she finally turns around and sees me, she pulls one earbud out with a mischievous smile.
“Caught me,” she says, cheeks pink. “I promise Eli doesn’t hate my singing as much as you probably will.”
I walk into the kitchen with a lazy smile, running my hand through Eli’s baby hairs. “Were you singing? I was too busy focusing on the dancing and wondering if you’re wearing any panties under my shirt.”
She huffs a breath of frustration, though I see the hint of a smirk as she turns back to the stove. The smell hits me again, and my stomach rumbles with excitement.
“What are you making?” I peer over her shoulder.
“French toast. I had such a craving. I had the ingredients sent to your door. What kind of person doesn’t have cinnamon?”
“People who clearly need someone like you,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to her messy bun before reaching for a mug and filling it with coffee.
I place my coffee cup down and set the kitchen table. As a New Yorker, I’m used to breakfast on the go. These quiet mornings with Eli, and now Jessie, are becoming the best part of my day.
I take Eli from Jessie and secure her in a bouncy seat on the floor in between our chairs. Jessie sits at the end of the table with me diagonal from her, Eli in the middle.
“I don’t remember the last time I had French toast,” I admit as I smell the aromas. “I’m looking forward to this. Thank you.”
She winks. “Just returning the favor.”
“You don’t need to do this, but I appreciate you getting up with her. I’m sorry I missed it. Was she crying long?”
“No, I woke up before her. I wanted to let you sleep in, so I just told myself to get up early.”
“You set an alarm? I didn’t even hear it. It must have been soft.”
She laughs. “No, I just told my body before I fell asleep that I wanted to get up early.”
I nearly choke on my coffee. “You told your body? That is not a thing.”
“Yes, it is,” she says over her big bite of toast. “I do it all the time on the weekends. If I want to sleep in, I just tell my body it’s time to get some good rest and not worry about getting up early.”
I stare at her for a beat, waiting for her to tell me she’s joking. But she is completely serious.
“Normal people set alarms, Jessie. You’re out here living like a Marvel character.”
She covers her mouth as a boisterous laugh breaks free while she chews. “A Marvel character? It’s not that big of a deal. Anyone can train their body.”
I shake my head. “You’re something else.”
She takes a sip of her coffee. “So, what’s on the agenda for you today?”
I look down at Eli, who is currently content in her seat. “What do you do with an almost eight-week-old? I suppose just hang out here.”
Her face softens. “You can still go out. Why don’t we do something fun?”
“Like what?”
“Oh gosh, Walker. Do you not remember what fun is? You used to have a lot of it back in the day.” She taps her chin as she tries to consider our options.
My cell phone buzzes in my pocket. I reach into it and pull it out to find a text message from my assistant.
Bradly: Emergency! Mr. Walthorn has been accused of breach of contract by several suppliers. They are threatening to go public and ruin the deal unless rectified immediately. I’m running into the office now. Meet you there!
My head drops low, and a heavy weight presses down on my chest. Just seconds ago, I was planning a day with Jessie and Eli, and now I’m ditching them to go into the office for a scumbag who can’t keep his word and screws over his vendors.
Jessie’s face drops. It’s as if she knows what’s about to happen before the words leave my mouth.
“Work,” she says faintly.
I nod my head. “I need to go into the office.”
She chews a bite of her French toast slowly. “For how long?”
I pull at the tension mounting behind my head. “I don’t know. Could be awhile. I’m sorry. I really wanted to spend the day with you.” I sigh and look down at my phone. “I need to see if Eva can take Eli.”
“I’ll take her.”
“No, I’m not asking you to do that.”
“It’s fine,” she replies, though not with a lot of conviction. “I’m here, and we were planning on hanging out anyway. I’ll spend the day with her.”
I feel like if she could finish that sentence, it would be, Because you won’t.
My mind is being pulled in a million different directions. I want to spend my free time with my daughter. I don’t want to miss these moments of her growing up. But I also do have a career. One that is needed in order to give Eli the life that she deserves.
But is the life she deserves one with more dad time and less money? A less demanding job doesn’t mean you go broke. You have a ton invested in stocks.
The thought nudges inside my brain and won’t leave. Even after I thank Jessie and get ready to go into the office. But it’s a ridiculous thought. I’m not going to walk away from what I’ve worked so hard for. I’m a partner at one of the largest firms in the city of New York.
Who the hell walks away from that?
Bradly and I spend five hours looking through all of the contracts our client signed and what the claims against him are.
It’ll cost him nearly three hundred thousand to square up with all of the costs he screwed his suppliers out of.
But that’s nothing compared to losing this deal with his competitor.
It’s in his best interest to pay the money and get this deal made before any whiff of this gets out.
After I make the call to him, he bitches and moans for another hour, but I finally convince him to pay the damn money. All of this could’ve been settled by him not being a prick and honoring his contract, but here we are.
He’s stealing my weekend away from me, and he couldn’t care less. All he cares about is the money he’s losing. He wants my sympathy for having to cough up three hundred thousand dollars today, but he isn’t going to get it.
When I open the door to my place, I find Jessie lying on the ground with Eli next to her. Eli is babbling on the floor as Jessie holds up a musical toy above her head. Jessie smiles and talks to Eli, encouraging her as she works to make sounds.
“That’s right, Eli,” she says with a smile. “You are such a good talker.”
I take a step closer, and Jessie turns her head.
“Oh, hi,” she says, her soft smile for me not as bright as it was for my daughter. “How did it go?”
She stands up and picks Eli up, and she places Eli in her swing.
I undo my tie and toss my briefcase onto the ground with a thud. “Crisis averted.”
“That’s why they pay you the big bucks.”
I get the feeling there’s sarcasm and resentment in that comment. I know she thinks I sold my soul for the money.
“Are you hungry for dinner?” I ask as I lean down and kiss Eli’s forehead.
She watches me intently. I wish I knew what she was thinking. I want to know all of her thoughts and feelings.
“I should get back to my place. I’m tired, and I have some errands to run. Groceries to buy.”
Guilt gnaws at me. She put everything off so she could watch my daughter.
“I’m sorry, Jessie. I really wanted to spend the afternoon with you. I hate that it ended up this way.”
She shrugs. “Work comes first.”
Ouch. I guess I know how she feels about what happened.
She grabs her purse and offers a small kiss to my cheek. “See you later, Walker.”
I stare at the door long after it clicks shut, guilt clawing at my chest. Jessie shows up for me, for Eli, in ways I don’t deserve.
And yet the ongoing thing she doesn’t know—the secret I’ve buried deep—hangs between us like a ticking time bomb.
I don’t doubt my love for her anymore. That’s been solidified.
I doubt her ability to handle what could destroy her if she knew the truth.