Chapter 45 Jonah
JONAH
The presentation screen dimmed to black behind me, and sunlight flooded the fortieth-floor boardroom, illuminating the chairs arranged around the oval table. A few days had passed since Lexi’s illness, and I was back at work for a strategic board meeting.
All the chairs were occupied except one, which was already pushed back and abandoned mid-meeting.
The board members stood and filed out slowly, several stopping to congratulate me. “Brilliant results, Jonah.”
I glanced down at the quarterly report showing a 15% increase in revenue. The numbers should have made me feel accomplished. Instead, I nodded and shook hands while my eyes kept drifting to Dad’s empty seat. He’d left halfway through without a word.
Derek Wei clapped me on the shoulder. “That was exceptional work.”
“Thanks,” I said automatically, but the praise felt like it was bouncing off glass.
Why did everyone else’s approval feel like white noise compared to the silence from the one person whose opinion shouldn’t matter most?
The board was thrilled. The finance team was celebrating.
But none of it felt real until Dad acknowledged it.
And I hated that it did.
That evening, I lingered at Lexi’s apartment door. The Friday night had been unexpectedly nice, more than making up for my difficult workday. I’d had dinner with her and Evie, we’d laughed, and it had all felt comfortable and easy. But as I prepared to leave, Lexi stopped me.
“Listen, Jonah. Can I please meet Chloe and Sean? I’d like to thank them for their help when I was ill.”
I went still, caught off guard by how much the offer meant, and how much it terrified me. I’d always kept these parts of my life separate, never let anyone I was dating get close to my friends. But with Lexi, that old rule suddenly felt meaningless.
“I’d love for you to meet them.”
Her smile lit up her whole face as she stood on tiptoe to kiss me.
My gaze lingered on her, as I stood there, reluctant to leave.
She was someone I could fall in love with if I didn’t watch out.
And that would be bad. She deserved someone younger …
with years ahead of them. Many powerful men like me had gone for the younger woman, including my dad.
I hated repeating the same mistakes, even if the two of us made perfect sense together otherwise …
I wanted to understand every flicker behind her eyes. I wanted her to trust me with the quiet, dark things she didn’t tell anyone else.
A strange feeling spread out through me as I looked at her.
I’d always told her that I didn’t do love.
I didn’t do relationships. Yet I was here, spending all my free time with her and Evie.
I couldn’t ignore the fact that I was investing my time and emotion in a woman and her child.
This, from a man who never wanted a relationship.
I was more than just Lexi’s backup for Evie.
And the worst of it was, sex wasn’t even on my mind. All I could think about was that I didn’t want to let her go. I wanted her to be completely mine.
I turned to leave, when I was reminded that there was something nagging at me.
“Why haven’t there been any purchases on the black card I gave you?” I asked as Lexi paused by the door.
She looked up at me, a slight smile playing at her lips. “Because I haven’t needed anything expensive or extravagant,” she answered lightly.
“Well, use it for something silly then, but use it.”
She huffed in indignation before an idea seemed to occur to her. “I might need to purchase a new vibrator,” she informed me solemnly, and I could tell she was baiting me.
“Don’t for a second joke about that, Lexi,” I said, moving closer and bringing my lips close to hers. “I’ve only held back because you’re finally getting better. And I don’t want you worn out.”
“Well,” she said, her fingers running up and down my arm. “I’ve told you more than a few times that I’m ready. I’m back to normal now, and more than ready for—” She turned around to check that Evie wasn’t listening before dropping her voice. “For sex.”
I grinned, and kissed the tip of her nose, and her cheeks before giving her a deep, sensuous kiss. “Alright then. I’ll make it happen next time.”
An hour later, I was on my way back home from Lexi’s apartment, driving my Bugatti, when I made a phone call. Alex answered, a surprised tone in his voice.
“Hello, stranger.”
I understood the hint, and I knew my next words would only make it worse.
“About that skydiving plan for this weekend,” I began.
“It’s already booked. We fly out on—” Alex started, but I cut him off.
“Yeah, I’m not free this weekend anymore.”
“What?” He sounded taken aback.
“I’m staying put in New York this weekend, and it’s going to be a lazy one.”
“You’re kidding me, right? Getting out of the city is the only way we deal with our stress, Jonah.”
“Not anymore. At least not for me.”
“New workout plan?”
“New sex life, more like,” I muttered, remembering Lexi’s request.
“Oh God, not the intern,” Alex groaned.
“Watch your tone,” I warned him.
“Aha. It’s getting dangerous already,” Alex quipped.
“Look, look, I promised her I’d take her and her daughter out to the zoo this weekend. Her kid’s wonderful, by the way. A complete laugh riot, and I like my weekends with the two of them. For now.”
“For now?” Alex asked skeptically. “You’re not getting serious about a woman, are you, Jonah? We’ve already lost Desmond and Sean to their wives.”
“For now,” I said firmly. “I’m not falling in love, Alex. I just made a promise, and I intend to keep it. That’s all.”
It had been a week since Lexi came down with the flu, and I was just starting to appreciate what Lexi and I had.
Alex snorted. “You’ve never made promises like that to anyone you’ve dated before. Be careful. And if she’s a single mom, you’d better watch out especially if the ex is in the picture.”
I cut him off, but his words lingered.
He wasn’t wrong. Dylan had always been a complication. Lexi rarely spoke about him unless it was necessary, and even then, her voice tightened in a way that made me want to punch something. There was a possessiveness in the guy’s history that didn’t sit right with me.
“I’m serious,” Alex said, his voice sounding heavier. “You’re not just spending time with a woman; it’s a mom. Which means you’re in the kid’s orbit, and that changes the whole dynamic. You’re stepping into something the ex sees as his territory.”
“Lexi isn’t his,” I said, too fast. My voice sounded too defensive.
“She’s not,” Alex agreed, “but that doesn’t mean he won’t act like she is. Or that he won’t make things ugly if he feels threatened.”
I rubbed a hand over my jaw. “You think he’ll come after her?” I asked.
“Maybe not directly. But guys like that? They don’t like losing control. And nothing makes them spiral faster than another man stepping into the picture.”
“I’m not falling in love with her,” I repeated, more to reassure myself than him. “I’m not marrying her or settling down.”
“Thank goodness,” Alex said wryly.
But my words didn’t comfort me. Why did it feel like a loss? To never have those things with Lexi? I shook my head, trying to clear the thought. What was wrong with me? Neither of us wanted anything more than a relationship.
“For a minute, I thought I should be worried,” Alex continued.
I chuckled. “You don’t need to worry about me, Alex. I’ve got it under control.”
I looked out the window, at the busy city we passed. I would never be the man Lexi deserved. A husband, and a true partner for forever.
I shoved that thought out of my mind immediately, feeling uncomfortable. Why was I thinking these things?
I needed to focus on the practical stuff. Dylan was a problem for our future. I needed to keep an eye on him.