I believed a center for them might be on the horizon.
I laughed at myself a little when I got to the parking lot, searching for my car.
Had that been the problem? That things had almost been too good? How curious…
Let yourself have it, she’d said. Let yourself have it.
I took a moment, letting those words resonate.
Let myself have it. I could do that.
My hand in my purse in a search for keys, I nearly dropped the whole bag when I looked up and noticed a figure by my car. It had been a tall figure, a vast one with long legs and broad shoulders. He also had these cheekbones. They were sharp, high and complimented his full lips so well. And then there was his eyes, not sky blue, no. They were nearly clear, like ice in a cool drink.
Griffin pushed off my Mini Cooper’s tire with his shoe, his brown leather lace-ups complementing his twill pants and Polo shirt so well, making him handsome. He had his glasses on today, too, a set of black rectangular frames. I’d never get over golfing Griffin, clean cut and styled. He was starting to look more and more Dad-hot these days.
Dad-hot.
I grinned to myself. He would be a dad soon, wouldn’t he?
His arm came out as I got to my car, got to him, and he closed the space before I could even get all the way there. His lips went to my neck, his wingspan engulfing me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him, but then I forgot. He kissed right under my earlobe. He made me warm, his long fingers to my hip and pulling me closer.
“The guys and I got done early,” he said, and air pulled through his nose, a heated breath pushing against my skin when he released it. His throat made a noise after he did, something like a groan as he had to be enjoying my scent.
I loved it, but I laughed at what he said. I pushed my shoulder into his side. “I’m sure Deanna loves being known as one of the guys.”
He shrugged a little, chuckling to himself when he pulled back.
“She’d have it no other way,” he said, releasing me just enough to hold my hand. “I thought I’d take you to lunch. That is unless you have other plans?”
If I had the option, my plans would always consist of him and nothing else.
I nodded, letting him take me toward his Range Rover. He said we could pick up my car later. Once in his, Griffin took my seatbelt, helping me with it. I could imagine because it usually took me three or four tries before I heard the click. The belly made it a little hard to see the buckle.
I caught his cheek on his pull back, thanking him with my lips pressed to that warm skin.
He grinned a little, taking a moment to buckle his own seatbelt before starting the car. His phone buzzed in his pocket when he did, and though he took it out after, he didn’t check it before tossing it into the cup holder. He slid his hand in mine instead, getting the car in gear with our fingers laced together on the gear shift on the center console.
He took us on the road, and I instantly went to my happy place—our hands together and him by my side.
“Your visit with the doctor go all right?” he asked me, glancing my way before switching gears. I noticed his phone buzzed again, but again he ignored it, sliding me another look as he awaited my answer.
I nodded at what he said, feeling even more at peace. Things had gone well with the doctor. She told me to be happy. She essentially told me not to worry. I guess things had been going so well that when I realized I found myself in a place of ease, it had freaked me out a little. I never recalled things being that easy in my life. I always had something on my mind. I always over thought things. I always…
I just wouldn’t do that anymore. I would enjoy my life. I would enjoy my ease and truly feel that happiness. I turned my head on the seat, smiling at my husband. I think I wanted to tell him about today, how much I really had grown. In the past, I hadn’t, but not really for any particular reason. I just never really went into detail of my sessions with the doctor and Griffin never asked. He just supported me in whatever way I needed him to. He stood by me and had since I started seeing her after my eating disorder a few years ago.
And that’s exactly what we’d determined it was, a disorder stimulated by my many years of avoidance. I used to avoid so much, my past.
I was happy I didn’t have to do that anymore.
I squeezed Griffin’s hand. “Yeah, we—”
His phone buzzed again, and sighing, he kissed the back of my hand, giving an apologetic smile before picking up the phone. We’d stop at a light, and he swiped his thumb across the screen.
“Who is it?” I asked, staring at the light. I’d tell him once it changed.
He ended up seeing the green himself and placed the phone down. He shook his head, taking off again.
“Nothing,” he said, turning the wheel. He looked at me. “You were saying? The doctor?”
“Oh, yeah. Everything went well. Fine.”
“Oh, um. So you didn’t—” When he stopped mid-sentence, he bit his lip. He ended up raising his hand.
“Never mind,” he said. “But it went well?”
“Uh, huh. No big.”
And then that phone buzzed again. We both glanced down at it and I frowned. His phone never buzzed that much, and if it did, he usually answered whoever. But again, for some reason, he didn’t. He simply asked me where I wanted to go for lunch. The question was interrupted by at least three more text messages, and by the time we pulled up to one of our favorite restaurants, or I should say mine as he’d chosen to take me to the French place that had tasty sandwiches I enjoyed, I picked up his phone, deciding he should answer whoever was trying to get his attention.
“The sooner you do, the sooner they’ll leave you alone,” I said with a laugh, but he didn’t. In fact, he seemed to want to do anything but.
He took the phone from me with a smile, pocketing it.
“It’s really nothing,” he said, getting out of the car. He came around and opened my door. “It’s just Deanna.”
“Yeah?” I asked, taking his hand, as he helped me step out. “What does she want?”
He closed the door behind me. “Nothing really. She’s just giving me a hard time about lunch.”
We’d started walking at this point, but I stopped on the sidewalk. “What about lunch?”
He pulled me in. “Nothing. Let’s just—”
“What about lunch, Griffin?”
Standing tall, he pushed his hand into his pocket. “Greg invited the pair of us out with his friend Roddy.”
“Okay. So why didn’t you go?”
His eyes lifted, but then he smiled. “I guess because I had another way I wanted to spend the time, which consisted of me, you, and our baby. Is that a crime?”
It wasn’t a crime, but I didn’t want him thinking he couldn’t do things he wanted to do just because of me. And then that phone buzz again, and I shook my head as Griffin escorted us toward the bistro. The doors opened for us via the restaurant’s attendants, and we both thanked them before heading toward concierge. Griffin actually ended up shutting off his phone by the time we were seated.
That’s how bad Deanna was trying to get a hold of him.
“That sounds more than her giving you a hard time,” I said picking up my menu. The way his phone was buzzing one would think something crazy was happening on her end. “And you can go out with your friends, you know?”
He nodded behind his own menu. “I know. But I don’t want to handle any business today. You were out today. With the doctor and I…, I figured I’d spend the time with you—”
“Wait. What? Business? What business? I thought you said this was lunch with friends.”
A breath escaped his lips. He put the menu down. “It is, but Greg’s friend is also a movie producer. Deanna thinks Greg set the golf outing up because he wanted Roddy to meet me. I guess he’s looking for an athlete for a cameo in his new film.”
I nearly choked on the water I just sipped. Eyes wide, Griffin came around to my si
de of the table, patting me down.
“I’m fine,” I said, laughing a little. And once he realized I was, his arm settled down behind me.
I pushed his side. “A film? Were you going to mention that?”
A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. “I thought it was just Deanna being Deanna. But apparently, Greg really was doing that because they’re talking about it now. That’s what the texts are about. She’s updating. Has since I left.”
Reaching to my side, I got my purse, then maneuvered to get up. But as Griffin was on my exit side I couldn’t move.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
I tilted my head, eyeing him. “You need to go to that lunch.”
“Roxie.” His hand came down on mine, lowering them both to my lap. “I told you. I’m eating lunch with you today. Deanna will handle it.”
We could eat lunch together any day, though. Things like this, things as big as this didn’t happen every day.
I looked up at him. “I think you should go.”
“And I appreciate that, but this is where I want to be.”
His fingers came underneath my chin. Using them, he tipped them in the direction of his mouth. “Now, just relax. You’re getting yourself all worked up when everything is fine. Let Deanna do her job and let me be here. Let me be here with you.”
After giving me a chaste kiss, he pulled back, then retrieved my menu for me. I tried to ignore the fact that his agent was currently handling something huge for his career, but he was determined to simply focus on having lunch with me.
Roxie
I think it was just into the start of my third trimester that I really started to feel it—the stress. However, I could safely say it had nothing to do with my pregnancy.
I jumped, the whirl of a buzz saw the accompaniment of my afternoon on the patio. I’d taken my laptop out there, trying to get some work done since I was officially on maternity leave. Though I still had the office send me any new leads for clientele. Just because I wasn’t there, didn’t mean I couldn’t have my hands on whatever was placed on our approved vendor list. Athletes came to us for referrals and Rox Inc. aka my staff and myself, had to make sure we had the best of the best to work with them. That’s what our consulting firm did.
Usually, I met with each say, new agent or lawyer before they were added to my company’s name bank of trusted sources, but with my current condition, globe-trotting what could quite easily sometimes be the world, as I had international vendors as well, wasn’t as easy as it used to be. In fact, I had stopped all that pretty much at month six, easily tuckered out with all the running I used to do. Like I said, sometimes I traveled internationally, scouting the best of the best as our clients, our athletes deserved that.
Had my job been mostly sedentary I could have stayed active longer, but unfortunately, with the effort and time I did put into this ship I ran, there was no working the sometimes sixty-hour weeks I put in. I also wanted to enjoy the pregnancy, and since I had the means to be away, I decided to do just that—be away.
I had assistants doing the meet-ups for me now, but I only allowed that for a handful of new vendors. I didn’t want to add too many new professionals on this way. I wanted to make sure these people were on the up and up, and though I trusted my staff, I needed to meet with each new professional personally.
Pushing the lists of potential vendors that I’d been emailed that morning to the side, I decided to work on charity things and where the money my company often donated was going.
That was until my friend, the buzz saw made its reappearance.
A buzz, buzz from behind me made my eyes close as I let out a breath. Turning to look behind me from my seat of patio chair, I caught the eye of one of Troy’s crew through the window. He lifted his hand, waving at me with a work-gloved hand.
Giving him my best smile, I waved back. Usually, when Troy came to check up on things, they kept the noise down in the baby’s room, but without him, as a buffer, they went to work. I’d have to get them some lemonade or something soon so they’d take a break.
It worked last time as far as the noise.
The guy lowered his hand and the buzzing hit again.
Shaking my head, I went back to work on my budget spreadsheet, typing, and clicking.
But then the hammering started.
Nails drove into whatever surface they were hitting behind me, and the once calming waves of the Miami beach before me grew to be a distance memory. I couldn’t even enjoy the smell anymore, the sand and ocean breeze pushed aside in favor of my other heightened sense—my ears.
Only a few more days. Just a few more days.
Completion of the nursery couldn’t come soon enough and I stretched my fingers out, trying to push through the noise.
“Roxie?”
Awareness pulsed through me again. I jumped and my laptop, already on the unsteady surface of my lap, fell.
With a quick hand, Ms. Harris got it, spry for what I knew to be the age of sixty-one.
Getting the device, she righted it on my lap. “I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
No, she didn’t frighten me.
She scared the shit out of me.
How is that woman always so dang quiet?
Getting my heart to calm, I turned, gazing up at her. “I’m fine. Fine.”
She folded her hands in front of her stretchy, floral printed pants. “You must have been very focused.”
I had been trying. I smiled a little. “What’s up?”
“It’s just after one. Now, that your lunch has settled it’s time for your vitamins and afternoon activity.”
Oh, Jesus.
I made sure to keep my smile, knowing this routine all too well. But I really was trying to get something done today.
I held my laptop. “Do you think we can maybe skip the activity today? Or maybe just move it to a little later today? I was in the middle of something.”
And really, I didn’t feel like getting down on all fours and doing exercises. I knew they were good for the baby and me, but still.
Ms. Harris shrugged a little. “We can move it. But you do know I leave early today.”
“Oh really?” I asked intrigued. I was a lot intrigued actually. I could get the afternoon off from schedules and Ms. Harris.
She nodded. “Griffin will be in this evening, remember? I’m not needed. If you wait, you can do the activity with him.”
Christ. If I let him, he’d have me on all fours all night, and not in the way I would want. He had last time he did mommy aerobics with me.
He’d been really anal about those things lately, keeping me happy, healthy. He wasn’t here all the time due to his busy working schedule, but when he was here, he was here. Like really, drill sergeant here.
In the back of my mind, I knew all the hubbub in regards to my health was for the same reason I went on maternity leave so early. He wanted the best for me and the baby.
A buzzing hit my ears again, and I closed my eyes, letting the sounds seep through me. This was more of his doing, the nursery, and though I appreciated the gesture, loved it and him…
I can’t do this. I can’t.
I opened my eyes. “Ms. Harris, I think you can go ahead and take off now. I can handle the vitamins and activity.”
I needed to get out of here.
Upon walking into Rox Inc. later that afternoon, I turned quite a few heads, but it had nothing to do with the fact I was seven months pregnant.
“Roxie?” One of our staff secretaries widened her eyes, her black nail-polished fingers touching her throat. “Nice to see you?”
Yes, the words came out as a question and rightly so. I hadn’t set foot in the establishment in weeks since I was technically on maternity leave.
Try telling the contractors at my house that.
Smiling at her, I simply told her I forgot a few things at my desk. I didn’t want questions. I just wanted a place to work.
Ponytail high and bang
s just above curly lashes, she nodded, letting me pass her and step down the white marble floors dusted in sparkle embellishments.
The walls of Rox Inc. were sleek, clean with a hint of black accents on the walls. The sconces were textured in that color, too, and curved at the bottom with electrical lighting. The place was modern, but also quite pretty with fresh pink flowers decorating the lobby and the desks. I used to pick them myself and bring them in until we started bringing in enough cash flow to hire a florist to handle fresh arrangements.
The thing about my business was even though Griffin provided the startup I wanted to be self-sufficient. Every dime we made went right back, and soon, the place held its own past the loan Griffin provided and then some. I was super proud of this place, so leaving even for the briefest time I had was a struggle.
Feeling at home, I waddled deep within on my short heels. Just because I was hiding out here didn’t mean I wasn’t going to look professional at my place of work. I passed a few more staff on the way to my corner office, evading questions, yes, but I also had a question of my own.
“Is Stevie here?” I asked, already starting to pull my laptop out of my shoulder bag.
In all black, Tyler, who I knew to be one of the interns here leaned out from behind his computer monitor.
“I believe she stepped out,” he said. “Do you want me to call her for you?”
Oh, God no. I didn’t need to hear it from her that I was here. My second in command would never let me hear the end of it.
Waving my hand, I told him no matter, and like a dear, he came over and opened the double doors of my office for me.
“You look great, Mrs. Chandler,” he said, giving me a small smile.
I laughed, knowing I had to look anything but good after the morning I had. That was nice of him to say so though. Joking, I told him flattery would get him everywhere in this business, and that made him laugh. He left me to my peace, and I stepped into my sanctuary.
Griffin had helped me decorate my little piece of the world, black granite desk, and large oval windows. I wanted him to have a piece of this place too. I wanted to be reminded of him whenever I was in it.
Cherished by You: A Found by You Finale Novella Page 5