32. Sloane
Sloane
Cal: I really think you should rethink the name…Cally has a beautiful ring to it.
Sully: We’re not naming our little girl after you.
Lo: I think Tia is a perfect name. T.J. and Tia. Gah, I’m so excited!
Me: Cal, don’t you want to save Cally for your little girl?
Lo: SLOANE! You traitor!
G iggling, I lean back in my office chair. Cal has already been dropping hints about knocking Lo up, and she doesn’t find them amusing. My smile falters when I spot Will in my doorway, watching me.
Unease washes over me as I set my phone on my desk. “Hey.” I try keeping my tone casual. “What can I do for you?”
He doesn’t make a move to enter. “I thought maybe we could grab lunch. Go over what we talked about two weeks ago.”
It’s wild how quickly time has passed since he laid out his intentions. It’s even more odd that I’ve been able to mostly forget about that dinner since karaoke night.
Ignorance has been bliss.
Sully and his many dates have kept me busy.
Last night, we took T.J. and Murphy to a diner so Cal and Lo could have a kid-free evening.
Sully and I shared a vanilla milkshake and French fries while the boys played Pac-Man.
It was oddly reminiscent of the night we made our baby girl.
Though this time I didn’t shoot daggers at him.
Instead, we discussed plans for a vacation he’d been thinking we should take before the baby arrives. Our last one as a family of three.
He suggested Disney, and I almost walloped him. After making sure T.J. was nowhere in sight, I agreed to Florida. Warm weather and my husband in swim trunks? Sign me up.
Just thinking of the water sluicing down his hard chest has me licking my lips.
“Sloane?”
I blink, and Will’s frame materializes in front of me again—not my very hot, very naked husband. I jolt forward as realization dawns, banging my knee against my desk. “Sorry, yes. What were you saying?”
He chuckles, like my forgetfulness is adorable and finally steps inside. “I was saying I’d like to take you to lunch.” He dips his head a little, and his tone goes raspy. “On a date.”
I shake my head immediately, like Sully is standing beside me, palms pressed to my cheeks, moving my head from side to side. Then, in solidarity with my husband’s spirit, I grasp my stomach, reminding the man that I’m not only married, but I’m pregnant.
“I’m happy to meet with you to go over cases, but I’d prefer to do that in the office.”
He raises his brows, almost like he’s surprised that I’d say no. “That’s how you want to play this?”
“I’m married, Will. And I intend to stay that way.”
With a shake of his head, he slips his hands into his pockets. “He’s going to disappoint you again. ”
My chest pinches with a sense of fear that he might be right, but I close my eyes, fighting against the sensation.
I’m choosing to trust my husband, but that doesn’t mean I’m doing it blindly.
What we’re doing requires making choices daily, and I’m aware that it won’t always be as easy as today is.
“If you have nothing else to discuss…” I say through gritted teeth.
With a disappointed sigh, he turns and stalks toward the door. “There’s a mediation statement due on the Simpson case first thing tomorrow,” he says over his shoulder. “I’d like it on my desk by six p.m.”
As he disappears, I’m left with my jaw hanging open. I’ve never even heard of the Simpson case. That dick . It’s one thing to expect me to get my own work done in a timely manner, but by doing this, he’s going out of his way to set me up for failure.
Tears burn at the backs of my eyes, but I take deep breaths, staving them off. There’s no sense in getting emotional. If I have any chance of completing the work on time, I’d better get a hold of that file now.
I send Julius off to find it, and when he returns with two Redwelds in his arms, he looks completely confused. “When does this statement need to be complete?”
He hands me one file and drops the second one on the corner of my desk.
I sigh. “Will wants it on his desk by six.”
“Tonight?” His voice is high-pitched, like he’s been kicked between the thighs.
“Yeah, he’s being difficult, but this isn’t too bad. I’ll look through the case notes first and get the associate who worked on it to fill me in on the important stuff.”
He shakes his head. “This is just the case notes. This divorce has been going on for five years. There are three drawers full of financials alone. It has its own cabinet.”
My stomach sinks as I slump in my chair. Will really is setting things up so he can let me go, just like I imagined he would if I turned him down.
Shit.
“What did you do to piss him off?” Julius asks.
I blow out a breath. “Turned down his advances.”
“What. The. Fuck?” he says, every word dripping with dramatic flair.
I nod slowly, my mind whirling. I always thought Will and I were friends. I thought Sully’s disdain of him was unwarranted and that the guy was mostly harmless.
Boy, did I underestimate him.
“He’s going to fire me. I’ve been a disaster since I found out about the baby. He said he could let that slide if I agreed to give us a go, but if not—” I settle my hands on my stomach again, like I can protect Tia from hearing any of this.
Julius paces the office. “First of all, fuck him.”
I nod.
“Second, they can’t fire you because you’re pregnant.”
“No, but they can fire me for not doing my job.” Will found a workaround. And I’ll have to deal with the consequences.
My assistant whips around and paces back. “No, I mean they can’t fire you because you’re pregnant. It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. Document it, baby. March down to Will’s daddy’s office and tell him that you’re pregnant. Tell him what that weasel of a son is trying to do. Document it .”
For as much as I don’t believe pregnancy should be used as a weapon, that goes both ways. And if I’m going down, I might as well go down swinging.
I push my chair back and stand. “You’re right.”
With a grin, he pulls on his lapels. “Of course I’m right. And when you eventually leave this firm in the dust, make sure you take me with you, baby mama.”
Snorting, I pat him on the shoulder and head for the door. “Then you’d have to work with baby daddy, and I know you aren’t a fan of his nickname for you.”
Julius grins. “Eh, baby daddy is hot when he goes all smoldery and calls me Caesar. I could dig it.”
I’m still smiling when I hit Will Sr.’s door.
But as the implication of those last comments hits me, it slides off my face.
I may have joked about returning to Sully’s firm, and I know they’d take me in a heartbeat, but I’m not quite ready to give up on a career set apart from that safety net.
So I straighten my shoulders and prepare to fight for my right to make that choice.
I don’t want to go back to Murphy and Machon by default. If I do eventually return, I want it to be because they really want me there. Because I really want to be there myself. Right now, I’m not sure that’s the case.
Working on our marriage is vital, and I don’t know that jumping back into working together would be helpful.
I knock, and when I’m greeted by a loud “ Come in ,” I push the door open.
Will Sr.’s office reminds me a lot of Terry’s old one.
Actually, the man himself reminds me of Terry.
He’s larger-than-life, which is probably a necessity if one wants to run a firm that bills tens of millions of dollars a year.
Though Terry extremely handsome and charming, whereas, Will Sr. has a round face, barely any gray hair left on his head, and a protruding gut.
He smiles and stands when he sees me. “Sloane, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
I sit in the chair across from him and get to the point. “I actually wanted to discuss my role at the firm now that I’m pregnant. I understand that you only hired me because of Will?—”
“Who said that?” He leans forward, wearing a baffled frown.
“When I heard from your mother that you were looking for a job, I told Will to reach out. I wanted to bring you on because of your trust knowledge. Especially the special needs trusts. As you know, few people are dedicated to the niche, and we have many clients who need consults. It’s a growing market and not many understand the nuances.
But Will told me you wanted to focus on litigation.
Either way, I was happy to bring you on.
I knew you’d be a great fit no matter where we put you. ”
My heart stutters to a stop. What? My mother was the one shopping jobs for me? I truly thought Will’s timing was kismet.
To find out my mother put them up to it is less than appealing. But I’m more than thrilled that Will Sr. was interested in my skills, and not my relationship with his son.
“I had no idea,” I admit.
Sighing, he leans forward. “My son has been interested in you for quite a long time, though I’ve always believed him to be respectful. If he’s done anything to make you uncomfortable?—”
I shake my head. I don’t want to get into that right now. “Is the trust position still available?”
He sits back, surprised. “Yes. There are still very few people who know much about that area of the law.”
“I’m a little rusty,” I admit. “But I would love to get up to speed and help.”
Will Sr. smiles. “I’d love that as well.”
I nod, relief rushing through me. “Thank you, Mr. Higgins.”
“Congrats on the baby. Nothing is more important than family. I hope you and Sully enjoy this special time.”
I walk out of his office in a daze. Did I really just get everything I wanted?