by KB Winters
“Mama, not going?” Her little face twisted into worry, and I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face.
“Nope, this is just you and your daddy’s family.”
“Okay,” she sighed as we pulled into the driveway and her smile brightened once again. “Unca Jax!” She hopped from the car and ran full speed at the former pro footballer, who tossed her in the air, caught her and cuddled her giggling body.
“Hey, squirt, you missed me?”
She gave an exaggerated nod of her head wearing her best serious expression. “I did. Did you?”
“Yep. That’s why I offered to pick you up, I needed some Lily time.”
She graced him with another smile and smacked a kiss against his cheek. “You’re funny, Unca Jax!”
“That’s what they tell me, kiddo. Abby,” he gave me a small nod with considerably less enthusiasm.
“Jax.” I unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Let’s get washed up, honey, so you can go with your uncle.”
“Be back,” she shouted over her shoulder and stomped down the hall.
“Such a cutie,” he smiled down the hall before taking a seat. “So how are you, Abby?”
“Just peachy.” I just needed him to be gone. Like now. The absolute last thing I wanted to deal with today was a Mahoney now that my anger had fled, leaving pure exhaustion in its wake.
“Roc wanted me to let you know you’re invited today.”
I’ll just bet he did. “No thank you.”
“Suit yourself.”
I wasn’t ashamed to admit I abandoned Jax. I left him alone in the living room and sought refuge in the kitchen, mixing up a batch of peach iced tea and looking at my options for dinner. But after ten minutes came and went, I knew I needed to check on my daughter. “Lily, are you about ready?”
“Mama, my hair,” she pouted adorably and handed me the sparkly new clips her father had given her.
“Let me fix it for you, baby.”
“Okay, but I’m not a baby, Mama.”
“You’ll always be my baby. Now sit still.” She obeyed while I brushed her curls and pushed them back with the sparkly clips. “There. Now you look beautiful.”
“You sure do,” Jax said from the doorway, winking at the enamored little girl.
“Thanks, Unca Jax!”
“Have fun, sweetie, and listen to your uncles.”
“I will.” Skinny arms wrapped around my neck and squeezed the life out of me. “Later, Mama.”
“See ya later, pumpkin.”
“Offer stands,” Jax told me as he scooped his niece into his arms.
“Enjoy yourselves,” I said in lieu of an answer. I didn’t need a pity invite and after what Roc had done, I couldn’t be sure that I’d make it through an entire evening without doing serious bodily harm to him.
When the roar of Jax’s engine disappeared, I turned back to the kitchen, added some rum to my tea, prepped some fish and vegetables for the grill and got down to the business of sorting out my life.
Our future.
Eleven
Roc
I had never felt so helpless as I did in the days after Abby kicked me out after we made love. I couldn’t believe she could be so cold or callous and though I wanted to compare her behavior to Eve’s, I knew I deserved it. If not for the chemistry between us she never would have fucked me again after the way I treated her the last time. As much as she seemed to hate me, I hated myself more.
When Jax had shown up at Noah’s with Lily and not Abby, I knew things were bad. It was the first time I had our daughter without Abby’s supervision and I was certain the invite would give her the permission she wanted to show up. Supervise. But he said she wasn’t interested in the invite. I knew we needed to talk. To clear the air, so I tried to get a word with her when I brought our daughter home but Aunt Melanie answered the door.
“I’d like to speak to Abby,” I told her as Lily kissed me goodbye and ran into the house.
Melanie’s body filled the small space between the door so I couldn’t even see inside. “She doesn’t want to talk to you.”
“Too bad,” I’d growled with my most intimidating stare.
“Yeah it is. For you,” she spat out and shut the door in my face.
I knew I’d see her at work on Monday. In fact, we had a meeting scheduled first thing tomorrow morning and that’s the only reason I let her get away with avoiding me. She could run, but she couldn’t hide. Not from me and not from this thing between us. It was powerful and special and rare. I knew that now, so I just needed to apologize and make things right so we could move forward.
Easy.
Inside my office the next day, I tried to focus on work for a few hours, dictating notes to my assistant, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. My gut instinct had taken me far in my life, could be seen as the source of much of my success so I couldn’t ignore it. I stood abruptly and strode to the door.
“Mr. Mahoney,” my assistant called after me and I froze, hoping she hadn’t finally gotten up her nerve to make a move.
“I don’t have time, Anisa.”
“Yes but—” my cold look stopped her. “Yes, Mr. Mahoney.”
I hoped I wouldn’t have to replace her but I prepared myself for that inevitability. Dammit, she was such a good assistant. Brushing that aside I took the elevator down, not slowing down to answer any questions as I made my way to Abby’s office. I pushed the door open with more than a hint of impatience, ready for a fight. “Abby, we need to talk.”
Clear grey eyes stared up at me but Abby didn’t have grey eyes. “Mr. Mahoney,” she pushed up to a standing position and rounded the desk. “Abby isn’t here but I’m sure I can help you.”
“Clara Bradshaw,” I said as realization sank in, quickly followed by a more desperate sensation. “Shit. I totally forgot you were coming this week.”
“Obviously,” she said dryly. “Abby hadn’t been informed either so I have to ask, is this job offer real?”
“Yes, it is, definitely. It must’ve slipped my mind. Where is Abby?”
“I don’t know. She said she knew this was coming when I showed up and left me with a few preliminary instructions before leaving.” Clara waited expectantly but my mind raced. “The event person has refused to meet with me because she has no clue who I am.”
“I’ll deal with this, Clara, I promise but I have to deal with something else first. Talk to Cecelia, she was Abby’s assistant and she can get you caught up.”
“It would help to have a formal introduction.”
“Soon,” I promised and backed out of the office. “Talk to Cecelia,” I told her as I made my way down the hall.
“You called?” Cecelia popped her head out of her office, rewarding me with a scowl.
“Cecelia, meet Clara, the new manager. Help her out.”
“Right,” the angry assistant said and shut the door to her much smaller office. Loudly.
I couldn’t be bothered to deal with workplace drama right now. I’d fucked up big time and I needed to fix it before Abby left the island and disappeared with our daughter. It took less than ten minutes to get to Abby’s house. Hell, I probably could have floated there under the force of my will alone. “Abby, open up.” I pounded on the door, working hard to keep calm.
The door opened forcefully but it wasn’t Abby’s angry stare that met it but Aunt Mel’s lethal one. “What do you want?”
“I need to talk to Abby.”
Arms crossed, she leaned against the door frame. “Well, she’s not here so try calling next time.”
Obviously, Mel knew what had happened. “I tried that and she didn’t pick up. I need to explain some things.”
“Things like how it was always your plan to sleep with her and fire her? I think she figured it out without any explanation.”
“No, she didn’t. I just…I need to speak with her.”
Mel pushed off the wall and shook her head. “She isn’t here
and if she were, I promise she wouldn’t want to talk to you.”
“Nana, look!” Lily ran to the door with a heart shaped sandwich in her hand and held it up towards Melanie. She noticed me with a wide grin. “Daddy!”
“Hey, sweetheart,” I picked her up and enjoyed the feel of her small body in my arms, her cool lips against my skin. Nothing had ever felt as good as this child’s love and I was so close to losing it. Losing her.
“We going out?” She seemed so excited at the prospect of spending time with me that I had to kiss her again.
“Maybe later, kiddo. I need to speak with your mom.”
She frowned. “Mama’s gone to find us a new home.” Lily flung her arms around my neck and held on tight, fighting tears.
Melanie sighed and untangled the little girl from my grasp. “Honey, your mama is doing what she has to in order to take care of you, alright?”
Lily nodded and Mel set her down, pushing her into the house. “Bye, Daddy.”
“Bye, baby.” When she was out of earshot and the sound of children’s music started playing, I turned to Mel. “I forgot that I hired someone else but I admit I had planned to fire her.”
Mel’s head bobbed up and down, her dark hair swinging with the motion. “Why? For leaving a cheating bastard who knocked her up?”
“For leaving me.” I could admit now that Abby’s desertion had done more than bruise my ego. More than stung my pride. It fucking hurt.
“Seems like she didn’t run far enough considering what you’ve done since you found her. She’s gone to find work so she can take care of her precious girl.”
“Our precious girl,” I corrected but Melanie gave me a disgusted scoff and shook her head.
“Because you were thinking of her when you blindsided her mother like this? Save your lies for someone else, asshole. Goodbye.” Again, she slammed the door in my face. No one ever treated me this way, but Aunt Mel was less impressed with me than anyone I’d ever met.
“Dammit!” I smacked a palm against the door and stalked away, pulling out my phone as I went. “Noah, have your investigator meet me at the penthouse in thirty minutes.”
***
“You fucked up, brother.” Jax leaned back against the wall, swirling the ice in his drink and wearing that insufferable smug smile.
“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.” We’d been locked up in the suite for two hours as my brothers and Noah tried to help me figure out how to win Abby back.
“Here’s something you obviously don’t know about women, they hate it when you sleep with them knowing you’re going to fire them. That goes double when they have a kid to feed.” Ethan’s dark blue eyes held no malice just as his words didn’t, and somehow that struck me harder.
Jax rolled his eyes. “It’s not like she has to work considering she got knocked up by a millionaire.”
A bitter laugh escaped me at his words. “Yeah right. She hasn’t asked me for a dime. Not for her or for Lily. At this point she wishes I’d just go away.” As bad as it is to be wanted only for your money, I hated that Abby seemed to have no use for me.
Jax’s face wore an amused grimace. “Then yeah, totally fucked, bro.”
“Yeah thanks,” I grinned at him. “Still not helpful, Jax.”
“She’s leaving Chicago in a few hours and heading to South Africa,” Ethan added nonchalantly.
I frowned. “South Africa?” She couldn’t go that far with Lily, I couldn’t bear being a world away from my kid when I’d only just found her. “I can’t let that happen.”
“Don’t stop her just because you want to keep your daughter close. You can live anywhere you want. She needs to work.” Ethan’s dark gaze looked through me, making sure I understood what he was saying.
“I want them both.”
“Then what the hell are you doing still sitting here like a damn bump on a log,” Noah yelled and pushed me off the chair with more force than a man his age ought to have. “The jet is ready to go with enough fuel to get you to Johannesburg and if you move your ass you might get there right as she does.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. Standing and patting my pockets for my wallet. “Passport,” I requested absently, reaching out my hands because I was used to things just being there when I needed them.
“And your bag,” Jax grumbled and put them both in my hand. “Princess.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Thanks, guys.” I looked around at my brothers and uncle Noah, smiling. It was good to have family who had your back when you needed them. “Wish me luck.”
“You’ll need it,” Ethan said.
“Don’t fuck it up,” Jax offered.
“Go get your girl,” Noah offered with a smile and a shove out the door.
Yep, they were my family. There when I needed them and ready to give me shit just to keep me grounded.
Twelve
Abby
Continent hopping was not an activity for the faint of heart, at least that had been my experience after hopping a midday flight from the site of my first interview at a mid-size resort in Chicago to the interview Sonya set up for me in Johannesburg. A long-ass flight filled with me researching the Cannassas Beach Resort. The hotel had more than one hundred rooms, two dozen bungalows and it was one of the best hotels in the country. Hell, on the whole damn continent.
The flight had landed twenty minutes earlier and navigating through the large airport was easier than I thought, even exhausted. The interview wasn’t until tomorrow morning but I wanted to be well-rested and refreshed when I met with them. I needed to be at my best and that meant, not jet lagged, not sleep deprived and not looking like a woman desperately in need of a job. Even if all those things were true.
So I’d gotten a full eight hours of sleep and had a good chat with Lily before I left for the interview, enjoying the long walk leading in to the cavernous lobby. The place looked like the perfect respite from the heat, decorated in colors to mimic the beach, sky, and water. I wouldn’t mind having this place as my office. Fixing a welcoming smile on my face, I headed towards the administrative wing but a woman in a crisp white dress waylaid me.
“Excuse me, miss?”
I stopped and shot a quick glance at my watch. Eight minutes until my interview. “Yes?”
“The check-in desk is this way,” she said in accented English.
“Thanks, but I’m not here for that. I have an appointment with Crispin Talegaon.”
Big brown eyes widened further and she nodded before stepping aside. “Right, ma’am. Sorry for the bother.”
“No bother,” I smiled. “Better to check than not, I always say.”
Her smile flashed genuine and grateful this time. “Of course. Good luck, miss.”
“Thank you,” I flashed a look at her badge, “Sela.”
She gave me a smile and I went on my way, marching toward the guillotine, at least that was how it felt. I realized as I waited alone in the conference room, that I’d never been so desperate for a job in my life. Not even when I found out I was pregnant did I feel such an urgent need for employment and I knew why.
Roc.
Without a job to support myself and Lily, I knew that any court would view him as the better parent because he came with oodles of cash and an army of staff ready to do his bidding. Based on the callous way he’d sacked me, I prepared myself to receive some sort of court summons in the next month. I hated him.
But silly me, I also still loved him.
And that made me hate myself more. So much more.
What kind of example could I possibly set for Lily, still loving a man who’d treated me the way Roc had? I needed to get my shit together so I didn’t raise a codependent little girl who didn’t know her worth.
And I needed to put my game face on because Crispin came in with the rest of the hiring committee and after just a few pleasantries the firing squad began.
“Why are you leaving Azurel?”
“It was recently purchased and the new
owner wants his own people in key management posts.” I wanted to tell them all about my new wedding initiative but the time wasn’t right.
“How soon can you start?”
“Immediately,” I smiled. “I confess that I waited longer than I should have to start looking, but I have a small child who tends to take up much of my free time.”
They seemed appeased by my answer but not blown away. “And why would you make a good manager for Cannassas?”
“I notice that you don’t take advantage of the buildings on the outer edge of the property, same as my former employer. I would recommend the same solution I recently instituted there, become known as a wedding destination spot. People love turning wedding festivities into a short holiday and this place is gorgeous. Those buildings can serve as rehearsal dinner venues, wedding venues, not to mention bachelor and bachelorette parties. Or stag parties as you call them.”
“With outside wedding planners trying to do it all over the phone?”
I smiled because I knew I had them. “No. The resort will have a planner on staff who cultivates relationships with vendors we cannot provide to ensure our guests are always satisfied with the turnout.”
Crispin smiled at me while the other two did their best to maintain an air of objectivity but I could tell they were impressed. “And how do we increase our bookings?”
“That’s easy. Allow the online travel sites to offer discounted rooms on a certain block. With a hotel this size, I’d say maybe a dozen or two rooms should stay reserved for them.” I’d never been so glad that I passed up a few hours of sleep in my life.
I kept a professional smile while they thanked me for my time and promised to get back to me within a week. Crispin stayed behind. “Sonya said you were good and you’re better. We have one more interview, Tara’s daughter fresh from hospitality school, but you should expect our call. Soon.”
“Thank you, Crispin. You really do have a great resort here. Everywhere I look I feel like I’m on the beach.”
He looked immensely pleased with the compliment and beamed a grin at me. “Thanks. Be sure to tell my wife that, she was certain I’d overdone it.”