Chapter 67 Jada
At work, I sat in a rocking chair with a twelve-week-old baby while he nursed on a bottle of formula. His little white cheeks were round and looked perfectly squishy. His pale brown eyelashes fanned out over his cheeks. And his tiny little nose let out soft breaths as he drank.
He was so precious, and it was hard to believe that soon, I’d be holding a baby of my own in my arms. There was so much to do before she was born. Hopefully, the couple of weeks after the wedding would give me enough time to nest in our new house.
The pretty yellow home with white shutters and a place for my grandma. The same grandma who was meeting with Dr. Martins any minute now. It was hard to focus on that, though, knowing Bryce was upstairs, fighting for his role in the company.
The baby in my arms finished his bottle, so I propped him up on my shoulder and patted his back. He didn’t burp right away, so I used all my typical tricks until I heard the sweet little burp.
With a satisfied smile, I shifted him back to my arms and paced around the small nursery until I was sure he was asleep and gently laid him in the crib.
Then I picked up the seven-month-old, who had been happily lying on his back on the playmat, batting at the twisting toys above her.
“Time for some lunch. Let’s see what Dada packed for you today. ”
I set her in the high chair and carefully buckled her in before moving to her cubby on the side of the room. She was a more adventurous eater, and I loved seeing what her lunches were each day.
It made me wonder what I’d be packing for my little girl when she was that age.
I pulled the first container from the lunch box and opened the lid. “Looks like a pasta salad? Noodles and chicken.”
She bounced in the chair like that was really good news.
“Sweet girl,” I hummed. I pulled out the other container, holding a mix of soft fruits. “Are you sure we can’t trade lunches?”
She burbled in response.
A chuckle came from the doorway. “You’re so good with them.”
I looked over, realizing that my boss Esther was standing there.
Her curly hair was pulled back into a high ponytail.
Flyaway curls pulled out from her head, catching the light to form a halo.
Little Miss Evie looked there too, and Esther waved at her.
The baby lifted her hand, clenching her fingers in and out.
It was so cute, my heart melted.
“Everything okay?” I asked Esther as I started wiping Evie’s hands with a baby wipe. Once her hands were clean, I put her food on the tray.
The twelve-week-old whimpered, so Esther picked him up and brought him to the chair. “I wanted to talk with you about your future here at the daycare.”
My eyebrows drew together as I looked over at her. The baby in the farthest crib started crying, and I went to pick her up. “Is everything okay?” I hoped she wasn’t upset with me for taking off this morning. I was working through my lunch break to make up for it.
“It’s fine, but we both know marrying a man like Bryce means you won’t need a job. Is that something you still want?”
My heart twisted because I wasn’t planning to quit the job because I got married. “There is something I need to tell you, Esther.”
Baby boy lifted his head for a moment and then fell forward against her chest, losing the fight against sleep.
I took a breath as I brought the baby to the changing table. Freshening her up gave me something to do with my hands while I spoke. “Esther, I’m pregnant. It came as a surprise, but I’m due in about a month.”
Esther gasps. “What?”
“I know,” I muttered. “The doctors told me it was impossible, and I believed them.”
I could feel her examining my body. “But you don’t look pregnant.”
“I know,” I repeated again. I buttoned the baby’s onesie and pulled her ruffled leggings back up before returning her to the play mat. Then I washed my hands and went back to check on Evie. “I was planning to tell you after the wedding, but I know there’s not a great time to lose an employee.”
My nervous system was on red alert, remembering how the administration reacted to losing me as a teacher midyear, even though I’d left to help my grandfather. This was just as good a reason, I reminded myself.
“Wow.” She ran her fingers through her blond hair, breaking up the curls. “Jada, you’ve been carrying a lot.”
I nodded in agreement, surprised at the emotion stinging my eyes. Just telling her had lightened some of the weight from my shoulders. I wasn’t so alone anymore, thanks to my colleague, my friend.
“Will you want to come back?” she asked. “You know childcare is free for employees, and you’d be working in the newborn room.”
“I need to discuss it with my...”
A knock sounded on the door, and Esther glanced over her shoulder, seeing what I was seeing: Bryce Madigan waiting in the doorway.
“Speak of the angel,” she said.
My brows pinched. “That’s not the phrase.”
“Can’t call a man that handsome the devil.” She stood up, bending to put the baby back in his crib. She gave me a hug, whispering, “Congratulations on your new family.”
I held on to her hug, realizing maybe I wasn’t as alone as I thought.
When Esther exited, she exchanged a friendly and quiet hello with Bryce. Soon, though, it was just him and me in the nursery. Silence blanketed over us, weighty as the unspoken question: Do you still have your job?
Evie banged her hands on the tray, snapping us out of the quiet, demanding more food.
“Hungry girl,” I cooed softly, scooping more fruit onto her tray. I could feel Bryce’s eyes on me as I did, and when I looked up, I saw a small smile on his lips.
Inside, I was dying to know what had happened in that boardroom, but I also trusted Bryce to tell me in his own time. After all, I was convinced it was my fault the board had voted to oust him in the first place. Jude didn’t want me or my baby anywhere near him.
The thought made me angrier than I’d ever been. My perfect little girl deserved to be seen and adored, especially by the man who helped create her.
I went to hug him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist. With a deep breath, Bryce pulled back so he could look me in the eyes. “I’m still CTO,” he told me. “One of the board members flipped at the last second.”
A relieved breath whooshed out of me. “Really? That’s amazing.” Then sadness came back in with a swiftness. “I’m sorry, I feel like this is all my fault.”
He shook his head. “It’s better to have your enemies in plain sight than hiding behind your back.”
I’d never thought of it that way, but he was totally right. “What are you going to do about Jude?”
“The bylaws state we can only have one vote of no confidence per year, so getting him out of the company is out of the question for now. I have to work with him.” He spoke the words in a bitter, regretful whisper.
The thought of my husband going to work every day with the biological father of my baby made me sick to my stomach. But Bryce hugged me again. “The only bright side I could think of while I was standing in that room was you and our child.”
My heart swooped at the words. Our child.
“On the way down here, I kept thinking how great it would be to come here during the day and see my girls.”
I swallowed down the unexpected lump of emotion forming in my throat. “It sounds amazing,” I agreed.
He glanced around the center. “It would be. But if you ever wanted to stay home full-time instead, that’s fine. Don’t feel like you have to work outside the home if you don’t want to.”
I blinked back tears because Bryce was tugging at every one of my heartstrings.
Instead of answering with words, I held his face in my hands, bringing his lips to mine.
I kissed him slowly, softly, wanting to show him just how grateful I was that he chose me.
That I was going to build a life with a truly good man.
As he kissed me, I felt something vibrate against my back. I pulled back at the strange sensation, reaching behind me to see what was there. But Bryce chuckled low. “Sorry, it was my watch reminding me about my next appointment.”
“Ah,” I whispered back. “What’s next on your calendar, CTO?”
He smiled at the title. “I’m having lunch with your grandma.”
My jaw dropped open, even more surprised than if he’d said he was having lunch with the president or the star of my favorite TV show. “My grandma?”
He nodded. “We’re going to be family soon.”
“Is she making you do this? Blink twice.”
He widened his eyes, making me laugh.
“Really?” I asked. “You and Glamma, out to lunch? How did she make that happen?”
“I suggested it,” he said, surprising me even more. “Something about me—I have at least one meal with my family a month. Glamma now included. Besides, I want to ask how her appointment went.”
“Wish I could tag along,” I told him. In fact, nothing sounded better than sitting at a restaurant with Bryce and Glamma, forgetting the struggles of the day and enjoying their company. But I’d already taken the morning for the board meeting.
All of Evie’s food was gone now, so I got a baby wipe and started cleaning up her hands and feet. “Are you sure you have to go out of town tonight?” I asked him. “It feels like a bad time for you to be gone with the coup and all.”
“I have to so I have time for the wedding. I’ll see you Thursday night?”
I lifted Evie from the high chair and put her on the rug for playtime. After getting her set up with her favorite rattling toy, I turned to Bryce. “Are we really getting married this weekend?”
“According to the wedding planner,” he replied with a chuckle. “Dad has also informed me that the property has been freshly mown and the primary suite is all yours to use on the big day.”
The care his father took for our big day touched my heart. “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon.”