by Lila Bella
He sat back down and stared at the floor for a moment, like he was either trying to figure out the next thing he wanted to say or thinking again about the way Marie had left him. His whole body reflected how troubled he felt. He ran a hand down his face, shaking his head.
“When you came along and I finally had someone to watch her, I tried to get out, you know? I went out that one night, but all I could think about doing was getting home and enjoying you. The more they teased me about trying to get with the waitress, the more I wanted you. And then, I went out with them a couple of times when I was supposed to be working late. We had a few drinks, and it turned into a few more. And you were already in bed those nights.”
“Why are you telling me this, Jude?”
He was making it sound like he was ditching his friends because he was really into me, but at the same time, he was talking like he really missed hanging out with his friends.
I couldn’t tell if he was trying to guilt-trip me or stroke my ego, and it felt like he’d waited until the worst possible time to try to explain it all to me. Had he had that much to drink?
“I want you to understand why they might feel threatened by you. That’s all.”
“I think you need to go to bed.”
“Cut me some slack here, okay? I’m trying. This situation is completely new to me.”
“And what situation is that, Jude? Please tell me how you see what’s happening between us.”
I didn’t even know what we were fighting about anymore. It felt like we had moved from the original issue to something else entirely and he argument was being propelled by its own momentum.
“I don’t know how to see it. One minute you’re on my arm. The next, you’re acting like it’s just you and my kid, like I’m not even a factor in your life. So I don’t know, Hollie. Why don’t you tell me how you feel? Why don’t you tell me why you were acting like a hurt girlfriend today?”
He cocked his head to the side.
“Goodnight, Jude.”
I opened the door and left him standing in the family room, his face red with anger. I went upstairs, fighting back the tears of frustration I felt from our pointless argument.
That was the whole reason I didn’t want to stay down there too long and start talking about the whole thing.
His comment about acting like a hurt girlfriend really hit me. I didn’t know if it was because of the baby or the isolation, or what, but I’d found myself wanting more out of our relationship.
I’d found myself looking forward to the dinners and breakfasts together. I wanted to hear about his day.
On the nights when he didn’t come home from work in time for dinner, I still caught myself staring at the door, waiting for him to walk through it and greet us.
Everything felt like it was falling into place, exactly the way I had always imagined. The three of us were a family, whether we were supposed to be or not.
And then I realized what it was. We were playing house. We were doing things as a family, which was why his secretary had addressed us as a family. She’d spoken to us together as if we were a couple. Were we a couple?
I brushed my teeth and got ready for bed, stopping by the nursery to check on Kaylee. She slept soundly in her crib, her blanket pulled up around her, the stuffed animal Violet and I had bought her sitting in the corner of the crib like it was watching over her.
Watching her sleep always calmed me down. Maybe it was the peaceful look on her face, or the fact that she was just so damn precious, but she made everything else in the world seem so insignificant.
She was really what it was all about in the end. I was there for her more than I was for Jude or myself, so I could toss my ego out the window; it didn’t matter in the face of that baby lying in the crib, sleeping peacefully without a care in the world.
There was no need for her to worry about anything. She had two people watching over her who cared for her very much.
And on top of that, she had Violet and other members of an extended family that included people like Janet and Lane, people who absolutely adored her for no other reason than the fact she was there.
“How’s she sleeping?” Jude stood in the doorway, looking in the room.
I held my arm out, beckoning him to come look at her. He came and took me in his arms, holding me next to her crib.
I didn’t know what it all meant, but I knew now was not the time to try to analyze every little thing we did. We were there, and we were enjoying the moment together.
That was enough, wasn’t it? Should it have been?
I sighed.
“She’s so beautiful,” I whispered. “You’re lucky.”
“No, she’s lucky.” He kissed the top of my head, and I could only assume he meant she was lucky because she had me, but after everything we’d said to each other downstairs, his compliment fell flat.
“I’m ready for bed, Jude.”
“Come on.” He pulled me with him. I’d been planning on going to bed in my room instead of his, but it seemed like he had his own idea about how the night was going to go.
I climbed into bed while he got ready. I slid under the covers while he undressed and went into the bathroom to finish getting ready.
A few minutes later, the light from the bathroom switched off, and I felt the bed sink down next to me as he climbed under the covers. He pulled me close to him and kissed me.
Our bodies pressed together, and he put an arm around me, holding me close. He didn’t try to go any farther than kissing and holding me.
He let me roll over, putting my back to him, and he only held me. He kissed my shoulders and my back.
“I’m sorry,” he said, in a low voice that was barely more than a whisper.
I squeezed his arm around me. Soon, we were drifting off to sleep together. We both got what we wanted.
Neither one of us was going to bed mad. And it was all thanks to Kaylee.
6 - Jude
“I’m thinking of taking Kaylee to the park today. Is that okay?”
Hollie had called me at work to ask. I didn’t mind that she hadn’t asked me about it that morning, since hearing her voice offered a great distraction from the monotony of work.
I sat back in my chair, chuckling, amused that she would have called to ask permission in the first place.
I knew why; she was thinking about our conversation about taking Kaylee out after Marie had called that day awhile back, but I hadn’t heard any more from her.
It didn’t seem like a big deal anymore as long she was careful. Still, I felt like I needed to ask her a few questions to make sure she was being as safe as possible. I knew if I took their safety for granted, things could have turned ugly.
“Who all is going?”
“Of course Kaylee and I are going, but we’re bringing Violet with us.”
“Good. Yeah, Violet can definitely go.”
I’d met Violet that one night at the house when I’d asked her to stay for dinner. I liked her. She seemed like she was a good friend to Hollie, and she was good with Kaylee as well.
That meant a lot to me. I liked the idea of her being there with Hollie and my baby.
“Great. We’ll probably leave as soon as she gets here. I’m letting your driver take us so there’s also someone else keeping an eye out” she added.
She was starting to learn. She knew exactly what I was going to say next, and I liked that. We were becoming a team in looking out for my daughter’s safety.
“Also, make sure one of my security guards goes with you.”
“Okay. I’ll get your driver to grab one of the guys. Is everything okay?”
The prospect of taking a security guard along seemed to bother her. She sounded worried, and a bit paranoid all of a sudden.
“I can’t explain it, but I feel like you should have someone with you in case she tries anything.”
I had a feeling in my gut. It was almost strong enough for me to tell her not to go, but I wanted Kaylee to be able
to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather with her nanny and Vi.
“Are you thinking we shouldn’t go?”
“No, you should go. It’s probably nothing, but you can’t be too careful, you know? Make sure someone is with you, and that’s it. Have a good time. Let me know if anything comes up or whatever. I’ll be here at the office, I’m not going anywhere today.”
“Okay. I’ll call you when we get home.”
“Thanks. Oh, and before you go, the driver has the card for my expense account. If you need anything while you’re out, let him know. He can get it for you, whether it’s food or whatever. Cool?”
“Sounds good to me. So, I’ll see you for dinner tonight?”
She sounded hopeful, like she really wanted me to make it home in time to eat with them. I realized that I was looking forward to it as much as she was.
We’d started eating meals together again, and it had dawned on me how much I’d missed it for those two weeks I’d been staying at work late or going out with the guys.
“I’ll be home in time, if not a little early.” I didn’t have a busy day lined up, so it was entirely possible I could finish up early.
“Great. See you then, Jude.”
“Have fun at the park.”
I had a smile on my face when I hung up the phone. Hearing from her made my whole day brighter, especially knowing that she was working so hard to bond with my daughter.
Things were still looking up between them, and her friend seemed to be helping them along.
“Is everything okay?”
It was Janet, poking her head in my office door. I waved her over and got up to grab a drink from behind my desk. She approached and took a seat in one of the armchairs.
“It’s a little early for a drink, don’t you think?”
“Never too early, unless you plan on drinking all day long. I only want one. You?” I grabbed a bottle of Scotch and poured a glass over ice. I turned to her to see if she wanted one.
“Sure. Do you have any vodka or anything?”
“Oh, you want a mixed drink or something. How about a glass of wine?”
“I can do that.”
I poured her a glass of white wine and passed it across my desk. I sat down in my chair and held my glass up to hers, clinking the two together. We both sipped our drinks.
It was pretty early for a drink, like she’d said, but so much had changed over the last month or so, it was all too much to process without a drink sometimes.
“So, how are things going?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“As great as these drinks.” I winked.
“Fair enough. She seemed nice at the party. You two would make a beautiful couple.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, we talked about that after the party. I think she was overwhelmed by everyone there, especially the guys.”
“Oh, you mean Lane and them?”
Janet met them at another party a while back. They’d ended up getting her drunk, and things had gotten out of hand pretty quickly from there. She didn’t talk to them after that.
“Yeah, and I think you, too. She thinks everyone looks at her as the help or something. I don’t know. She feels out of place, and I don’t know how to make her feel like she belongs, like she’s more than ‘the help’ without making her think there’s something going on between us, you know?” I took a sip of my drink so I’d stop rambling.
“Can I shoot straight with you, Mr. Black?” She stared at her glass, swirling her wine.
“Only if you call me Jude while you’re doing it.” I looked at her over my glass.
“Well, Jude, your boys can be pretty overwhelming, for one. You remember what they did to me, or what they made me do. But you two look like a couple. You look at each other like lovers. You stand together like lovers. If I didn’t know better, I would think you were actually together. I wouldn’t look at you and think she’s your nanny.”
I nodded. “Noted.”
I asked myself if I thought there was any way I could fix that, or if I even wanted to. Even treating her like another member of my staff led to wanting her and sleeping together.
She was irresistible, and I didn’t have any interest in trying to.
The phone rang, and we both groaned. Janet downed the rest of her wine and handed me her glass. She got up and hurried to her desk.
“I’ve got it,” she said as she stepped out of my office.
I watched the light on the phone while she talked to whoever it was. A moment later, the light on my end was blinking as she was transferring the call to me. I didn’t want to take any calls.
That was the problem with drinking Scotch in the office. All I wanted to do, all of a sudden, was sit around and take my time with my glass.
“Yeah.”
“It’s Marie again.”
“Make sure you log this call, okay? Did she say what she wanted?”
“Only that she needed to talk to you about what you discussed last time.”
“Okay, patch her through,” I groaned.
About that time, my phone dinged. I checked, and she’d sent me a picture. I opened it, and it was a shot of Hollie pushing the stroller, with Violet next to her.
“Who the fuck is that with my baby?” she snapped when she came on the line.
“What?”
“You heard me. Who is that with my baby? Or do you even know who those skanks are? Oh my God, Jude, what are you doing?”
She was shouting at the top of her lungs into the phone. Her voice was pushing all of my thoughts aside so I couldn’t even think of how to respond to her.
“Whoa, calm down, Marie.”
“Calm down? Calm down? Did you see the picture? There are two skanks walking my baby through the park, and you don’t even know who the hell they are, and you want to tell me to calm down? Next you’re going to tell me that Kaylee is at home in her crib. No, Jude, I will not calm down.”
“It’s not what you think.” I pulled out my phone and tried to text Hollie, but I couldn’t even concentrate on that. My hands were shaking, and she kept shouting in my ear.
“Not what I think? Oh, so now you’re in my head? Now you know what I think. I’ll tell you what I think. I think someone kidnapped my daughter and you don’t give a shit. That’s what I think. Some piece of shit dad you are, leaving your daughter at home so someone skank ass hooker can walk her right out of the house like it’s nothing.”
“Oh my God, Marie, will you listen to yourself? You sound fucking crazy.”
“Oh, I’m crazy now?”
I wanted to throw the phone through the window. I couldn’t have picked a worse thing to say to her. Note to self: never call a crazy bitch crazy.
“I would tell you you’re going to lose Kaylee, but it looks like you’ve already lost her, Jude. But I guess it’s a good thing I’m at the park. I’m going to take her back. No random bitch is going to walk around with my daughter like she’s trying to use her to attract customers. No way.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Marie? Don’t do anything rash, okay?”
I rested my head in my hand and talked with my eyes closed. I knew that whatever was about to happen, it was going to be bad.
“All I’m doing is protecting my daughter, Jude, since you seem incapable of doing it. There’s nothing for you to worry about. I’ve got it under control. Go back to work, keep ignoring your daughter, and everything will be fine. Why are you pretending to be so concerned now anyway? You never cared before.”
Make sure security is near you, I texted Hollie.
Once he’s there, get out of the park, I added in a separate text.
“Do you know these skanks, Jude? Did you send them out with our daughter? Did you give them permission to basically kidnap her?”
“She hasn’t been kidnapped. Please listen to me.” I felt like I was listening to someone have a psychotic breakdown on the phone.
“I’ve been listening to you, and you can’t tell me who has my daughter o
r why she’s with these two skanks at the park, but that’s okay. After I take her back from these prostitutes, I’m coming after you, Jude. I will have my daughter back.” The line went down.
“Janet,” I called.
“Yes, Mr. Black.” She was at my door.
“Cancel all of my appointments this afternoon. I probably won’t be back in the office today.” I was already up, throwing my coat on over my shoulders, and heading for the door.
“If anybody asks?”
“Family emergency.” I rushed past her, hurrying down the hallway to the elevator.
“Is everything okay?” she called behind me.
I looked at her and sighed. “I don’t know, Janet. I don’t know.”
I looked down at my phone while I waited for the elevator. She hadn’t said anything back yet, and I didn’t know if she’d read the texts or not. I called her, finally, and it rang through to her voicemail.
“Hollie, call me or text me when you get this message. Let me know you and Kaylee are alright. Get out of the park. Now. Marie is there, and she’s about to do something stupid.”
I hung up and stared at my phone, as if it could tell me what was going on. I hated not knowing. I hated going into any situation blind.
7 - Hollie
“You two seem to be doing better.”
“Thanks.”
I kept my answer short because I couldn’t tell if Vi was talking about my relationship with Kaylee, or with Jude. I hoped her comment could apply to both, but I wasn’t going to assume too much.
“I take it you’ve been holding her more, acting more motherly toward her?” She looked at me with a knowing grin on her face, like she knew exactly what I’d been thinking.
“Yeah, I’ve been doing what you suggested, and it’s really helping. I don’t have to deal with too many days like the one you saw.”