Chapter 16
“ONLY A FEW MORE DAYS and you’ll be back here full time.” Ahri snuggled Cass’s infant. Every time she saw her, the baby seemed to have grown even more. “I don’t know how you can leave her behind.”
“Didn’t you know?” Cass asked, scanning through the final plans for the Midsummers Eve Cosplay event. “Rafe’s letting me do up that little office as a nursery.”
No one had mentioned that to Ahri, but she shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d agreed to do something like that.
They already had an in-house daycare center.
He and the guys spent a lot of time making REKD Gaming a good place to work.
When her brother had talked about his part in the business, she hadn’t paid that much attention.
However, since working here, she’d been reading articles about the company online and was impressed, especially since they had such good employee candidates.
REKD was listed as one of the best companies to work for, and lots of talented people vied for positions with them.
It came as no surprise that Rafe had made sure his assistant, who faced leaving behind her first child, had someplace for the baby until she was big enough to go to the daycare.
Ahri’s rescuer crush hadn’t eased off at all since that first incredible moment in the garden. If anything, it’d gotten stronger. The more time she spent with Rafe, the harder she was falling. He’d been gone more than a week, and she couldn’t believe how much she missed him.
Sunday’s dinner hadn’t been the same, and the weekday evenings felt flat without him there to play board games, or garden, or go hiking with. Since he’d been gone, the guys hadn’t had their Friday game night. He’d return on Thursday, and the big event was Saturday.
And then she wouldn’t work here anymore.
Rafe had become such a good friend. Her best friend, if she was honest. She hadn’t had one of those in a very long time.
Before he’d left, his behavior had confused her, touching her tenderly one moment and then pulling back.
She’d caught him watching her a few times.
If she’d seen that look on the face of a man she was dating, she’d know he wanted to kiss her. But she wasn’t dating Rafe.
“You seem a little preoccupied.” Cass left her chair to stand by Ahri and said in the high-pitched voice adults tended to use with babies, “Is my little precious distracting you?”
“Not exactly.” It did drive home to Ahri how unsettled her life still was, and she was sick of it.
“What’s troubling you then?”
“I’m not sure where I’m going when you return.”
The baby started to fuss, and Cass took her back. “I think you should stay right here in Boone.”
“I’ve been checking for positions at the university.” Ahri went to stand by the window with a view over the REKD campus. She recognized most of the faces now.
“Why not take another job at REKD?” Cass, rocking the baby in her arms, came to stand beside her.
“The competition is fierce, and there aren’t that many openings.”
“Before I left, Rafe and I were discussing the possibility of hiring a third assistant. You’ve done a great job.” Cass kissed the baby’s forehead. “You should apply.”
“I don’t want to work for Rafe.” Ahri’s whole body flushed with frustration that threatened to burst from her.
“Hasn’t he been nice—” Cass blinked. “Oh.”
Ahri turned from the window.
“It’s like that, is it?” Cass’s expression had clouded. “That’s unfortunate. Do you know how he feels about you?”
“I don’t know.” Ahri words came out too loud.
She started pacing, fighting the words that wanted to explode from her.
Cass watched her sympathetically. Over the weeks, she’d become a dear friend.
Ahri let out a deep breath. “Sometimes when he looks at me . . . it takes my breath away. What if I’m imagining it because I want it to be real? ”
“What if you’re not imagining it?” Cass pointed to the chair she’d been sitting in before. “Sit down.” She put the baby in her carrier and took the desk chair. “You’re staying at his mother’s house. Do you ever see him away from the office?”
“Until he left on this trip, I saw him almost every day.” Ahri crossed her arms over her stomach, as though that would calm the butterfly dance festival going on in there.
“After the launch, he’s come after work to help with the garden.
On Saturdays he takes the kids somewhere, and they always invite me to come along.
We’ve been hiking and biking and mining.
We went on a zip line tour. I thought I was going to die, by the way. His parents came on that one.”
“It sounds like a wonderful summer so far. I’ve been here since almost the beginning, and I’m going to be honest with you. Rafe loves his family, and he’s really attentive. But he’s never been that involved.” Cass grinned. “I don’t think you’re imagining it.”
Ahri held her stomach tighter, afraid she might throw up.
“Well, I need to get this little one home before she wants to eat again.” Cass leaned over and squeezed Ahri’s hand. “He’s needed someone to draw him away from work. I’m glad to hear this.”
“Glad to hear what?” Rafe asked, striding into the office. He looked delicious in his blue jeans and REKD T-shirt. His normally well-styled hair had a mussed look to it, as though he’d been running his hands through it.
Ahri’s heart leapt into her throat, and she shot a panicked look at Cass who merely returned an encouraging smile.
“Nice to see you, Cass,” he said to his assistant, though he continued to look at Ahri. “You look better.” He came over to the carrier and squatted down.
Cass grinned, her eyes wide as she nodded to Ahri and mouthed You’ve got this.
“Go ahead and pick her up,” Cass said to Rafe.
He gently slid his hand underneath the infant and lifted her. For a second, his gaze met Ahri’s again. That draw to him spiked, followed by something warm and luscious. She recognized it as a fulfilling sense of peace, and she had to remind herself that he was her boss.
As she watched him coo at the baby, bouncing her as he tried to tease a smile from her, Ahri’s heart twisted.
Someday, when he married, he’d hold his own baby like that.
A powerful longing to share that with him hit her.
With it came something she hadn’t felt in weeks: fear.
She’d thought she and Zed would share a family and look where that had led.
Her father hadn’t wanted her. Zed hadn’t wanted her. Why should she think that Rafe did? Cass hadn’t been here all these weeks and had simply said what Ahri wanted to hear. There was no basis for it. He was her boss, her friend. Nothing more. The thought sat in her throat like a rock.
The baby started to fuss, and he handed her to Cass.
While they talked, Ahri wondered what she was going to do when she didn’t see Rafe all the time.
She had to find another job soon. She didn’t want to be so far away from her brother again.
Maybe she could find work in Charlotte. It was a larger city but still close enough to see Kayn frequently.
Between the federal government and the Phoenix Police Department, the case of Zed’s murder was at a standstill.
After her talk with Kayn about Zed, she’d wondered more and more if her late husband had known what he was involved with.
If he’d been seeking money, she could imagine him convincing himself that helping a drug cartel to launder money would be an easy way to get it.
But what could he possibly have that they wanted so badly?
She’d been in such a hurry when she’d packed that she hadn’t looked at their things closely. Now it was too late.
She thought back to the promising jobs that had just opened up, one at the university and one with a local tech company. At some point, she’d get her life back. Ahri’s gaze met Rafe’s, a soft smile pulling at his lips. It made her heart thump hard. Yes, she would especially miss him.
“Ahri has everything ready for Saturday,” Cass said. “I’m planning to drop by.”
“In costume?” Rafe asked.
“Of course.” Cass picked up the baby carrier. “I just wish I had the figure now to wear the one I wanted. None of your champions has a matronly look about them.”
“I know.” Rafe heaved out a breath. “Ahri’s always giving Darius and his artists a hard time about their clothing choices for our female champions.”
“And lack of armor,” Ahri couldn’t help adding.
“Well, now that I’ve had a baby, I feel sorry for a couple of your lady champs.” Cass patted her chest above her large bosom. “If those women were real and ever had a baby, they wouldn’t be able to hold themselves upright.”
Ahri burst out laughing, and Rafe gave a grudging and embarrassed chuckle.
“It’s a fantasy game,” he said.
“That’s what you always say. Bye.” Cass waved as she left, and Ahri returned to the desk.
“What am I going to do with you two?” Rafe asked as he headed to his office.