18. Locke #2
“We’ll be able to see your little fingers,” Isla whispered to her belly.
“They’re probably clutching a tub of ice cream.”
“Hey!” Isla complained.
“Kidding.” I kissed her. As I pulled away, there was a strange pang in my chest at the thought of doing all of this separately starting tomorrow. I wouldn’t be here to review the app with her or press my hand to her belly in the mornings or make sure she rested.
I swallowed hard at the thought of the changes distance would bring. Did I want that? Was going back to Edinburgh right now actually the best decision?
Isla tucked herself in against me, and I inhaled the scent of her hand lotion, letting her presence soothe me.
It wouldn’t be that bad if I stayed. Sure, it would take some extra coordination with work, but it wasn’t impossible.
Frankly, if anyone had the ability to move heaven and earth as needed, it was me.
And I didn’t really want to miss any of the pregnancy. I wanted to be around for all of it. Especially the soft, quiet moments like this one.
My phone buzzed in my hand, and I spotted a new text from Alistair.
Got a second to chat? he wrote.
I leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of Isla’s head before moving to get out of bed.
“Where’re you going?” she murmured sleepily.
“I’ll just be a minute.” I made sure she was fully covered by the comforter—she didn’t like her feet sticking out—then snuck out to the kitchen. Ranger padded after me, tail wagging, and I knew he was angling for treats.
I grabbed him one off the counter as I dialed Alistair. “All right?” I said when he answered.
“Didn’t wake you up, did I?”
“Nah, I was still awake.”
“Isla okay?” he asked. He’d been completely chuffed to hear about the baby, and he’d been checking in regularly to see how Isla was doing.
“She ate her weight in pie tonight and just passed out from a food coma. But right now, I want to know how you are.” Alistair exhaled sharply, and I took that to mean his day in court had been rough.
I had no idea what it would be like to have my own board sue me because the woman I cared about embezzled millions from my company, but I imagined it was the most stress he’d ever experienced. “How’d it go?”
“Honestly, court was shite. Then Kenna had a meltdown at dinner. The nanny was frazzled.” He sighed. “I only just got the kid to sleep, and it all feels like a bloody mess.”
“I don’t want to pry about what’s going on in court, and I don’t know how much you’re allowed to tell me. But I’m here if you need to vent.”
“It’s just got really personal today,” he said. “The board’s attorney presented a whole wealth of evidence.”
“What kind of evidence?”
He laid out for me the latest round of testimony.
It all sounded horrendous—information being tilted every which way to make it look like Alistair had done something wrong.
The greedy arseholes just wanted someone they could rake over the coals, and since Jessica wasn’t around, Alistair was their scapegoat.
The only mistake he’d made was trusting the wrong person, but his board members seemed intent on painting him as either the mastermind behind the whole thing or else a moron so completely clueless that he was criminally negligent.
“I know it sounds bad,” I tried to reassure him, “but you just have to remember that you have the truth on your side. You did nothing wrong, Alistair.”
“I gave her access to my home. Which gave her access to my computer. Which gave her access to the company’s accounts,” Alistair replied, his tone wooden.
“She was pregnant with Kenna—of course she had access to your home. No one can fault you for caring for the mother of your child. Just keep that at the forefront of your mind and the law will catch up. Then this entire case will be a bad dream.”
“Aye,” he muttered. Defeat flared inside me.
I clearly wasn’t doing a very good job of cheering him up.
“I just want this nightmare to be over. I hate that my personal life was used to tear my company apart this way. And with the board on this crusade to make me pay…even if I win the case, I don’t see how things can ever go back to how they were.
” He groaned. “Maybe the company can’t be saved at all. ”
I had nothing to say to that, and I felt useless as we finally said goodbye. Ranger stared up at me, head tilted. I gave him a pat, then dragged myself back to the bedroom.
Isla’s deep breathing echoed before I’d even reach the bed.
I slipped in next to her and stretched out on my back, careful not to jostle her.
As I lay there, staring at the ceiling, I thought about my earlier doubts.
I didn’t want to miss out on things with Isla and the baby, but after listening to Alistair speak, other worries were at the forefront in my thoughts.
Worries about what it might do to my business if I put my personal whims first over what was best for the company.
I couldn’t let my personal life derail my professional goals.
Going back to Edinburgh was the right decision. I needed to prioritize Fraser Developments, not because I didn’t care about Isla and my baby but because I did. The company’s success was what would let me provide for them—it was how I’d secure the best future for the baby.