Chapter 23
Cici
“Thanks, Cici,” Uncle Parker smiles as he tucks the paper back into a folder on his desk. He sits back in his chair and watches me carefully. “How are you doing?”
There’s a twinkle in his eyes, something that says he knows about Covey. Of course he does. I'm sure Dad ran to tell him and Uncle Luke right away. That man wouldn’t know how to keep an ounce of information to himself if you paid him.
“Ugh, are we really going to discuss my dating life?” I throw myself back into the chair and stare up at the ceiling.
“No, we’re discussing you.” I don’t need to look at Uncle Luke to know he’s grinning.
“You really told your dad you’d encourage Covey to sue him if he fired your boyfriend?” Uncle Parker arches a brow, but there’s amusement in his tone.
I narrow my eyes on him, but he isn’t intimidated in the least. He’s not afraid of anything and we both know it.
“My favorite was how she told Owen she’d never speak to him again and Cord would have to pick between them.”
I glance over at Uncle Luke to find a smug grin on his face. I swear, sometimes I hate working with my uncles. They can be so annoying.
“I’m glad the two of you find so much amusement in this. I was angry and I stand by everything I said. He doesn’t get to make any decisions where my dating life is concerned. If I want to date Covey, he needs to step aside and let it happen. I'm not letting someone else dictate my future.”
I fold my arms over my chest and glare at both of them. Uncle Luke chuckles softly, but Uncle Parker’s watching me with… Is that pride?
“I'm proud of you, Cici,” he says softly.
“What? Why?”
“I'm not going to lie, I wasn’t sure you’d be able to handle your place in this company.”
“Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence. Am I really doing that bad of a job?” My scowl deepens. I can’t believe he had no faith in me.
“Just listen to me.” He leans forward and rests his elbows on the desk.
He steeples his fingers, letting his chin rest on the top of them.
“I had no doubt you could do the job. You’re smart and driven, you can definitely handle the workload.
I didn’t think you could handle being a boss.
You don’t like to be mean to people or put them in their place. ”
“Why is it so bad I want to be a boss people are comfortable around?”
“It’s not… I guess. But it’s important for people to fear and respect you as well.”
“And you don’t think I can do that?”
“I didn’t… Until I heard how you put Owen in his place.
You threatened his relationship with his entire family.
You made him realize you weren’t messing around and he couldn’t take advantage of the situation because you put clear boundaries in place.
You were the boss in the situation and he knows it.
He either needed to obey, or he was done. That’s what you need to do here.”
“I didn’t boss him around,” I grumble under my breath.
“Oh, please! You practically sucker punched that man, and then came back for more. He called us right after and told us he wasn’t sure who he was even dealing with. He had never seen that sort of fight and stubbornness in you.”
“I'm sure he loved it.” I roll my eyes. Sometimes I hate how close dad is to Uncle Parker and Uncle Luke. They always know everything Cord and I did or said. It’s almost like having three dads.
“He did,” Uncle Parker murmurs softly. My attention snaps to him and I stare at him with furrowed brows.
“He was so incredibly proud of you for fighting for something you wanted. For fighting for a relationship you believed in. For making sure you put your dreams and wants above what other people want.”
“Why?”
“I think one of our biggest fears is that our kids won't stand up for themselves and go after everything they want in life. We want to know they can overcome every obstacle in their way and get their dream life. It might’ve hurt, but you did that and he knows it.”
“So, I should keep putting him in his place?” I grin.
“Nope. Please don’t,” Uncle Luke murmurs.
“Yes,” Uncle Parker says at the same time.
“I swear you’re the only person that can and he doesn’t fight back…
as hard. You’re his little girl. He still sees you as the little five-year-old with pigtails and tears streaming down your face because you skinned your knee.
He could make your life turn around with just a hug and a kiss on your scrape.
Now, he’s trying to figure out how to be the dad of a full-grown woman.
One who has her own dreams and aspirations.
One who will eventually make him come second in her life. ”
“Do you know how hard that is? Knowing another man will replace us as the most important man in your life? I swear it guts you like nothing else can.” Uncle Luke shakes his head. “Put him in his place, but also give him some grace. He’s never been in this position before and it’s hard.”
“Cord getting married and starting a family isn’t hard for him.
He’s a boy. He’s supposed to do all of that.
But your little girl… You just want to hold onto her forever.
I'm sure your mom was a mess when Cord pulled away because that was her little boy. It’s just the way it is.
Man, I'm going to bawl like a baby when Mia gets married, aren’t I?
” He grimaces and I can’t help but laugh at him.
“You’re going to ugly cry,” I chuckle.
“One of those silent cries where no one’s quite sure if you’re laughing or crying,” Uncle Luke adds.
“Tears will be dripping from your nose and we’ll all be praying it’s tears and not snot.”
“You’ll be shaking so hard we won't be sure if you’re having a seizure.”
“You’ll curl up in the fetal position and start sucking your thumb.”
“People will just step over you and glare like there’s something wrong with you. It will embarrass Mia forever.”
“You’ll lose all respect.”
“I get it,” Uncle Parker growls, making Uncle Luke and me laugh even harder. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“I'm going.” I smirk as I rise from my chair. After saying goodbye, I head down the hallway in search of Bethany. I need to get a file from her before I can finish this report.
I round the corner and run straight into someone. I stumble back a step as a gasp breaks free from my lips.
“Sorry! I wasn’t paying attention,” I murmur as I stare up at the man I bumped into. A groan of frustration bubbles up in my throat before I can stop it.
Out of everyone in this office, I had to bump into Josh. I’d rather fall down a few flights of stairs and break a couple ribs than deal with him. I’ve done such a good job at avoiding him every chance I get.
“Cici,” he murmurs as a slow smile spreads across his face. He takes a step towards me and I take one back, trying to maintain our distance. It makes his smile spread even further.
“Hi, Josh,” I say through gritted teeth. My back hits the wall and I want to scream in frustration.
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot.” He plants a hand on the wall next to my head, basically caging me in.
“Josh,” I hiss, wanting to push him away, but also not wanting to touch him. “This is inappropriate for work.”
“Well, I’ve been trying to get you to meet me outside of work for weeks and you won't do it.”
“Because I have a boyfriend,” I growl, wishing I could sucker punch him.
“You’re just saying that. You don’t have a boyfriend. I'm sure if you did, it would be splashed all over the tabloids. You’re in there pretty often for someone who isn’t very famous.” He smirks as he steps even close.
“Get away from me, Josh!”
I'm about to shove him, when a hand gets placed on his shoulder. I glance up to see who’s stepping in and helping me, when I come face to face with Covey and I want to weep in relief.
“Are you ok?” His concerned eyes meet mine as tears gather.
I shake my head, unable to form any words. Covey removes Josh’s arm from the wall and gently pushes him aside, never taking his eyes off of me. He gathers me into his arms and cradles my head against his chest.
His touch is gentle, but firm. It’s soft, but protective. It’s everything I didn’t realize I needed in a man and I'm so happy to have him as my boyfriend.
Covey doesn’t say a word as he sweeps me into his arms and carries me away from Josh. He doesn’t even ask where my office is, he just seems to know. A few minutes later, we settle onto my couch and he holds me even closer.
“What can I do for you?” The concern and emotion swimming in his gaze has me feeling like the luckiest woman in the world. He doesn’t shy away from being there for me no matter what’s going on.
“You’re already doing it,” I murmur as I cuddle even closer to him.
“Does he… Is he always like that?”
“No,” I whisper softly. “He’s in charge of one of the departments I'm head of. He’s always flirted and tried to get me to go out with him outside of work, but he’s never done anything like that.”
“Do you want me to talk to him?”
“No, I’ll handle it.” My hand shakes as I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “What are you doing here?”
“I brought you some lunch. I wanted to see if we could eat together before I have to go to work. I know you skip lunch a lot and that’s not good for you.”
He lifts the bag of takeout I didn’t see before. My eyes fill with tears as I think about how amazing this man truly is. He cares about me more than anyone else ever has. He goes out of his way to do sweet things like bringing me lunch because he knows I’ll forget to eat. He’s… perfect for me.
“Thank you. That’s very sweet of you.” I take his face in my hands and don’t hesitate to press a soft kiss to his lips.
Covey wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer. He tilts his head to the side and deepens our kiss. I get lost in him and the feel of his lips against mine. I forget all about Josh and what an awful human he is.
After a few minutes, I pull away and breathe out a sigh full of contentment and happiness.
“You can stay and eat with me?”