Chapter 3 Rebecca
REBECCA
God, why did he have to age so well?
It doesn’t seem fair.
Maybe if he went bald or something, then I wouldn’t be so attracted to him anymore …
Nope.
He looks even better than he did five years ago.
I’ve spent most of the morning keeping myself busy, so I didn’t think about him.
I even took my time filing, even though I could’ve been done two hours ago.
It’s easy work, I’ll give him that.
The difficult part is having to be around him all day long, five days a week.
I tried to stay away from him for all these years, and for what?
The attraction that was once burning between us is still apparently smoldering, because when I sat in his office earlier, I could barely look him in the eyes.
“Hey, Becca. Can you come here a sec?” I hear Steven calling for me from down the hall, and I freeze.
Once I can move again, I quickly put the last piece of paper in the correct folder and put it back in the filing cabinet. I look down at my watch, seeing that it’s already 3:30 p.m.
With the day almost done, what more does he want me to do?
I wanted to finish the paperwork filing and then gather my things to clock out and go home.
With a sigh, I close the drawer and head toward Steven’s office.
My nerves are on high alert the moment I step inside, and he smiles at me.
Instantly, my knees feel weak.
I’m nervous to be alone with him because in the past, I wasn’t very good at keeping my feelings at bay … or my hands to myself.
I’ll have to get over this fear if I want to stack quick cash and get out of my parents’ house.
Damian deserves a better life.
“How was your first day?” Steven quizzes, closing his laptop to give me his undivided attention, which only makes me sweat more.
“Great,” I mutter.
He chuckles, and his gorgeous green eyes practically sparkle.
His dark brown, shaggy hair bounces along with his head as he laughs.
I can’t help but stare at him.
Steven is the definition of tall, dark, and so extremely handsome.
Even his arm muscles threaten to rip through his jacket.
My mouth waters, like a dog in heat.
Damn … why am I so pathetic?
“So?” he asks, and my cheeks heat up. I saw his mouth moving, but I was far too distracted staring at him to actually hear anything he said.
Shaking my head, I look into his eyes.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I was asking if it was easy work.”
Letting out an awkward laugh, I shake my head yes.
“Yeah, it was all easy work. To be honest, I didn’t know if I could do the job. I know nothing about technology, unless it’s my phone.” I hear myself rambling, but I can’t seem to turn it off.
He feeds right into it, changing the subject to how he didn’t either, but after years of trial and error, he mastered it and was able to build this company from the ground up.
Suddenly, the nerves that fueled me disappear, and it feels like no time has passed.
This is how we used to talk, for hours on end.
Although back then it was about nonsense.
The conversation now is deeper.
I love to see how his bright eyes light up and his killer smile flashes when he talks about something he’s passionate about.
I miss this part of us.
Hell, I miss it all.
It’s always been easy to talk to Steven.
Leaving five years ago tore me up, but the hardest part was losing my best friend.
It’s one of the many reasons I fell for him so fast.
“So what about you? I haven’t had the time to stop in and see Russell, so I haven’t heard anything about how you’ve been,” Steven questions, and dread fills my stomach.
I’ve been trying to avoid this all day. “Oh,” I begin, trying to find a good place to start. “I’ve been alright. When I moved to Ann Arbor, I got a decent job, but when I got laid off, I had no choice but to move back home to sort my stuff out.”
Obviously, I skip over the large secret I’ve been keeping from him. Our child …
I’m in no position mentally to lay that out on the table, at least not yet.
Steven nods as he listens, but it’s clear that he has something on his mind, and I have a feeling I know what it is.
Five years ago, I left without an explanation or even a message telling him why.
It wasn’t fair to him, but it wasn’t fair to me that his parents gave me no other choice.
Having Damian was the best thing that ever happened to me.
It’s heartbreaking to think that Steven and his parents are missing out on knowing an incredible little dude.
“I’m sorry,” he says, cutting me off as I start to describe how pretty Ann Arbor was. “I can’t dance around the obvious anymore. What the hell happened all those years ago? Why did you skip town and not even tell me why?”
The pain in his emerald globes twists my heart. He has every right to be pissed at me. I broke his heart.
I let out a sigh, wishing that I were anywhere but here right now. “I …” I pause, unable to find the right words.
The silence that surrounds us is deafening. “I got cold feet, okay?” I blurt out. “I didn’t want to hurt my dad. If he’d found out, it would’ve killed him. You guys are best friends. When a job opened up in Ann Arbor, I jumped on the opportunity. It just made things easier. Clean break.”
“It wasn’t easy on me …” he adds, and sadness drapes over him. “In all honesty, it fucking wrecked me when you left, Becca.”
I wish I could just tell him the real reason why I left.
I hate lying to him, especially when he’s innocent in this whole thing.
My mouth opens as my face softens.
I want to tell him that I’m sorry for hurting him.
That I regret leaving and messing up what we had.
But before I’m able to get a word out, Steven’s office door opens and a man closer to my age steps inside, sporting an all-black name-brand suit with a red button-down shirt.
He resembles Steven, but his hair is shorter and slicked back with piercing bright blue eyes.
While he has some nice-looking features, he’s not my type at all. Too prim and proper.
He seems like a man who would be way too into himself for my liking.
“Hey,” Steven greets him as if they’re old friends. “Becca, this is my little brother, Camden.”
“Everyone calls me Cam,” he chimes in, holding his hand out for me to shake.
As much as I don’t want to, I entertain the idea because Cam coming into Steven’s office is my chance to get the hell out of here before Steven tries to press the issue further.
Nodding, I shake his hand before standing from the seat and heading for the door.
“Hey, I’ll see you in the morning,” I tell Steven before practically running out of his office.
It was nice to catch up with Steven, but it’s been a long day, and I can’t wait to get back home to Damian.
After grabbing my bag from my locker in the break room and clocking out, I rush to the elevators and hit the button.
The door slides open as a bell sounds, and I step inside, hitting the G button for the ground floor.
As the doors start shutting, a broad hand slips between them, causing them to open again.
Cam smiles, flashing his perfectly straight, white teeth at me.
“Going down?” he says coyly. “Mind if I catch a ride?”
I shake my head no but stay quiet in the far corner away from him.
As we hit the third floor and then the second, Cam clears his throat. “I gotta say, it’s nice to see my brother hire someone who isn’t completely unfortunate looking.”
Although it was meant to be a compliment, it still makes me feel uncomfortable.
I don’t say a word back to him.
The last thing I need is to be wrapped up with another Ricci brother.
And to be completely honest, I really only have eyes for Steven.
No one else could ever live up to him.
The elevator door opens, and I let him go first.
Something about Cam just doesn’t sit right with me, and I want to keep my eyes on him as much as I can.
I practically run to my car and then drive out of the parking lot toward my parents’ house.
It’s been one hell of a day, and I can’t wait to spend some time with my son. I hate being away from him.
Being somewhere strange for too long makes me appreciate everything I have, even living with my parents.
As I walk inside, I find my mom in the kitchen, washing up a few dishes from dinner.
I immediately spot Damian sitting at the table, already bathed and in his pajamas, writing on a piece of paper with his markers.
“Hey, how was your first day?” Mom asks, drying her hands on the hand towel hanging on the oven handle.
“It was good,” I say shortly. “Just tired.”
Damian sees me as I walk over and take the seat beside him.
“Mommy!” Damian exclaims, his dimples showing as he gleams, and his green eyes sparkle, just like his father’s do when he’s happy. “I’m writing Santa my Christmas list.”
“That’s great, kiddo,” I reply, looking down at the scribbles on the paper and giggling. “You’ll have to tell me later what you ask for.”
Mom walks over, taking the seat across from me, and slides me a plate of dinner she saved for me.
“He’s been fed and bathed. Figured you’d be tired. And I saved you a plate.”
Smiling, I thank her.
It’s times like these that living back at home doesn’t feel so terrible.
“So, tell me about your first day.”
I take a bite of the baked chicken with a parmesan crust and close my eyes.
I missed my mom’s cooking when I moved away. I’m in heaven.
“Well, it was a lot of filing paperwork, honestly. Nothing exciting. But it’s a good job, and I think I’m really going to enjoy it.” I leave the biggest part of it out, working with Steven Ricci.
I’m sure Dad has already told her.
Besides, the fewer questions, the better.
As I finish my food, she takes my plate for me, and I put my arm around Damian, hugging him tightly.
A big part of me starts to regret not telling Steven about his amazing, intuitive, intelligent son.
I know he would fall in love with him instantly.
He’s such a great kid, and if I’m being completely honest with myself, he’s just like Steven.
Maybe one day …