“I have been here a lot lately,” I agree.
He nods. “You have been. You need to get out and enjoy your free time until the baby comes.”
I smile. “I’ll swing by there tomorrow.”
He laughs and hugs me. “Good.”
I wake in the morning and Callan has already left for work. I’m so used to sleeping in now that I don’t wake when he kisses me goodbye. I yawn and stretch before climbing out of bed. I walk directly to the bathroom for a shower. When I get out, I pull on my robe and head downstairs to get a cup of coffee and find something for breakfast while I look over my schedule for today. Most days, I have nothing, but I’ve been trying to get myself to do things more often now that I’m starting to feel better. Some days, I schedule a mani or pedi, others I’ll tell myself to shop for baby clothes or diapers. Really, just anything to get out of the house for a little while.
I pour a cup of coffee and take a sip, scrunching my nose when I taste the decaf coffee Callan switched us to. While I try talking my taste buds into accepting the gross coffee, I open the fridge and find something to eat. I warm up a waffle and top it with whipped cream and strawberries. Taking everything to the breakfast table, I have a seat and open my calendar. I skim through the month until I find today’s date. It looks like I have an appointment with an interior decorator for the nursery. Excitement washes over me. The appointment is at two, so I’ll have plenty of time to swing by the gallery beforehand.
I’m climbing into my car an hour later. I hit the interstate, and of course, I’m stuck in lunchtime traffic. I turn the radio up louder and sing along as I move forward inch by inch. It takes me almost thirty minutes to hit my exit, but when it’s in my sight, I stomp the gas and shoot across two lanes, until I’m free of the traffic jam. I glance down at the dash, finding that it’s going on one already. The interior decorator is only a few blocks away from the gallery, so I will swing by the gallery and then walk to my meeting down the road, so I don’t have to worry about traffic and finding parking again.
Stepping out of the car, I pull my purse up over my shoulder as I glance around at everyone busy walking and riding bikes through the city. I breathe in deep, remembering the feeling of being young and broke but living what was then my dream life. I worked around beautiful art all day. I had the most intellectual conversations with people that had the same interests as me. It’s something that I didn’t even realize that I missed this much.
I push through the door, and a small bell above it rings.
“Be right there,” someone calls out from the back. I know that voice. It’s Krista.
She comes rushing out, and her eyes grow wide as her mouth drops open. “Val? Look at you,” she says, motioning toward my expanding belly.
I laugh. “I know. How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while.” I lean in and give her a hug.
“Good. Keeping busy around here. What are you doing here?” She takes my hand and pulls me over to the counter and nearly pushes me to sit down.
I wiggle myself up onto the stool and place my purse on the countertop. “I’m doing good. I no longer work at the office.”
“What? Why? Are you and Callan still together?” Worry paints her face.
I laugh. “Oh, yeah. We’re great. I was just having a lot of morning sickness. But that’s mostly passed now, and I was thinking about coming back to work here. I mean, it’s not like I need the money, just something to do.”
“I’m sure Jack would love to have you back, but he’s not in right now. He just ran out to deliver a piece and to pick us up some lunch.”
“Mention it to him, would you?”
She nods. “Of course. Gina just quit last week, so I’m sure he’s wanting to fill her spot.”
“What? Why did she quit? I never thought she’d leave this place. Did they break up?” Gina and Jack had been together for nearly ten years, and they’ve run this place together since they opened it.
Her eyes grow wide as she nods her head up and down. “It was a big mess. I guess Gina walked in on Jack. He was in the backroom, showing a customer a piece. Well, he was showing her more than a piece… more like the piece. And she was down on her knees admiring it, if you know what I mean.” Her lips turn upward at the corners.
“What?” I feel my eyes stretch wide as my mouth drops open.
She nods. “I know. So crazy.”
“I always thought they were so in love. How could he do that?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I think they must have been having problems at home. She wanted to grow up, get married, and have children. But you know Jack. He didn’t want to conform to social standards. He wanted to live off the land, make art all day, all that hippie-dippie crap. Apparently, he also wanted an open relationship, and Gina wasn’t having it.”
I shake my head, feeling a little let down. I’d always thought they were perfect for each other.
I look down at my watch and see that it’s nearing two. I stand and pull my purse back over my shoulder. “I’m sorry to rush off, Kris, but I have an appointment down the street, and it will probably take me an hour to walk there with this waddle I have going on. Talk to Jack for me?”
She smiles and nods. “Of course. I’ll call you later.”
I wave as I push myself forward out the door.
I’m walking into the building at two on the dot. I’m shown to a back room where a woman is already sitting at a black glass-top table with pictures scattered around.
She looks up with a smile. “Hi, I’m Simone. You must be Valerie.”
I shake her hand before sitting. “I am. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Are you ready to design your new baby’s room?”
Excitement washes over me as she beings showing me pictures and ideas of how we can design it.
I’m walking back into the house two hours later, and Callan is already home and in his office. I stick my head in to make sure he’s not with a client.
“Hey,” I say, walking in deeper. “Why are you home so early?”
He looks up at me, and I can see the seriousness on his face, but it falls quickly as he stands to give me a kiss. “I just decided to work from home today. Where have you been?” he asks, sitting down and pulling me onto his lap.
“I went by the gallery and found out that they’re needing to fill a position, but Jack wasn’t there for me to talk to. Kris is going to talk to him and give me call later. And then I went to the meeting I had with the interior decorator for the baby’s room. She had some really good ideas, and I think I’m going to hire her, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay,” he says with a smile.
I lean in and give him a quick kiss. “I’m going to go upstairs and put on something a little more comfortable. What are you feeling for dinner tonight?” I ask, standing from his lap.
He loosens his tie and shrugs. “Whatever. Do you want to go out or stay in?”
“Either,” I answer, moving toward the door. “I think I’m going to go for a swim.” I smile at him from over my shoulder as I leave the room.
I go directly to the pool and start stripping out of my clothes. When I’m completely bare, I walk down into the heated pool slowly. I dip under the water to get my hair wet and to keep it back out of my face. When my head breaks the surface, my eyes open and land on him. He’s standing off to the side, eyes locked on me as he strips out of his clothes.
I smile. “Joining me?”
He smiles and nods.
“What about all that work you had to do?”
“Fuck it,” he says, just before he runs and dives into the pool.
When he comes up, he’s directly in front of me, pulling me closer. I wrap my legs around his hips and my arms around his neck, pulling him in for a long, slow kiss. He walks me backward until I feel the concrete wall of the pool against my back. His hands move up to cup my cheeks as he deepens the kiss.
I can’t help the small whimper that leaves my lips when I feel him h
arden and press against my core. His lips break free as he begins kissing down my jaw and across my chest.
“I love you, Valerie,” he whispers against my skin.
“I love you, Callan,” I reply, eyes closed, enjoying the way his mouth feels against my skin. We hold one another, kissing and touching until it all becomes too much.
“I need you,” I whisper, breaking our kiss.
His jaw tenses and his Adam’s apple bobs as he closes the distance between us against with another kiss. He picks me up against him and walks us out of the pool, but we don’t go far. Instead of him carrying me up to the bed, he lays me back on a deck chair. He covers my body with his, and he fits against me perfectly. I open my legs wider, needing to feel him, and he rolls his hips, sliding into place.
It only takes seconds of him moving inside of me before I’m shattering into a million pieces. Moments later, he follows along behind me until we’re melting into a puddle and mixing together.
24
Callan
THREE MONTHS LATER…
* * *
“Are you sure you’re feeling up to going to the gallery today?” I ask Val as I dress for work.
“I’ll be fine. It’s nothing serious. Just my back and hips—all normal pains when you’re thirty weeks pregnant.” She pulls on a long, loose skirt and then pulls on her white lacy top that she hates so much.
I watch her as she stands back and looks herself over in the mirror.
“Ugh, I look like a fat cow!” She scrunches up her face when she sees her reflection.
I chuckle but move up behind her, kissing her neck as I rub her belly. “You look beautiful.”
“No, I look like I just won a hotdog eating contest. I mean, look at this.” She spins around to face me. Her stomach is touching mine, but she’s still a good distance away from me. “To kiss you, I actually have to lean over.”
I laugh. “Ten more weeks, Val. You can make it.” I lean forward and kiss her long and hard. My hands find her ass, and I squeeze, causing a part of myself to come alive.
“How can you even get hard right now?” she whines against my lips.
I chuckle. “You’re breathtakingly beautiful. When I see your stomach, I don’t see its size. I see us, our love, our passion, our determination to be together. I love every inch of you. If I could, I’d spend all day worshiping this body.” I place my hand on her stomach and rub it gently, feeling the baby kick against my palm.
She offers up a sad smile. “Please, never stop talking to me like this. I don’t know how you do it, but you turn even the worst things into something beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful, and your stomach is beautiful, and this baby, she’s going to be beautiful too.” I offer her one last kiss. “Now, let’s finish getting dressed so we can get to work.”
“Don’t forget, we’re meeting Simone for dinner tonight to finalize the plans for the baby’s room.”
“I won’t forget,” I tell her, pulling on my jacket.
“Do you want me to meet you there, or should we ride over together?”
I shrug. “Whatever you want to do. I should be off work in time.”
“Okay, I’ll call you later and let you know how my day is looking.
I lean over and give her a kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she says, kissing me back.
I grab my briefcase and head out. When I get to the office, Joy is at her desk.
“Good morning, Mr. Gregory,” she says, standing and rushing to get me my morning coffee.
I shrug out of my jacket and take my seat just as she’s coming back into the room with my cup. “Here’s your coffee, and I’ve already checked the messages. Anything important I wrote down and set right here,” she says, reaching across my desk to touch the paper. The only problem is, her low cut top falls slightly, giving me a straight shot down her shirt.
I lean back. “Thank you, Joy.”
She smiles and nods, proud of herself. “Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?” She places her hands behind her back, causing her chest to stick out a little more.
I clear my throat. “No, I’m fine. Thanks.”
She smiles and nods her head, but then retreats to her desk.
When lunch rolls around, I give her my order, and she rushes out the door to get it. Bennet walks in and sits down across from me. “How’s my sister and niece?”
I smile and nod. “Baby is good, growing like she should be. But your sister is getting extremely annoyed by nothing fitting and all the aches and pains.”
Bennet laughs. “Valerie has never weighed more than a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet, so I’m sure this is a big change for her. She’s almost done though.”
“That’s what I keep telling her. I’d do it for her if I could.”
The door opens, and Joy walks back in. She places a bag on my desk, then starts digging through it. “Good afternoon, Mr. Windsor,” she says, pulling my food out.
Bennet and I both watch her as she unwraps my sandwich and lays it flat on my desk. Next, she pulls out my fries and spills them onto the paper next to my sandwich. Finally, she opens each ketchup packet and squeezes it out next to the fries.
“Um, thanks?” I say when she finishes and stands back, waiting for approval.
She nods and leaves the office to enjoy her lunch.
“She always do that?” Bennet asks, motioning toward my lunch.
I feel my eyes stretch wide as I shake my head. “I really miss having Val here. Hell, she’d just throw me my lunch from across the room.” I laugh.
“Other than this weird lunch thing, is she good at her job?” he asks, stealing a fry.
I take a bite of my burger. “She’s good, but almost too good. It’s annoying how on top of everything she is. And…I think she likes me,” I confess.
“What do you mean?” he asks, leaning forward.
“I mean, she’s always doing that crazy laugh, the fake one women do when they want to make a guy think he’s funny. She leans over so I can see down her top. She wears extremely short skirts and then bends over to file papers in the cabinet. Once, I even saw her look over her shoulder at me to make sure I was watching. Then once, she sat where you are, and we were talking. But her knees kept getting further and further apart until I could see clear up her skirt.”
His eyes nearly bug out of his head. “What? Fire her! Especially if this is getting to you. I don’t want you seduced into hurting my sister.”
I scoff. “I see nobody but your sister, Ben. I’m not touching that woman.” I motion toward the door. “I thought maybe I could stick it out, but…” I shake my head.
“Fire her. Today. The last thing we need is for Val to come in here and see this woman flirting with you. My sister is a little unhinged normally, but with all the amped-up hormones she has right now…” He doesn’t finish his sentence; he just shakes his head like he’s imagining it.
I nod once. “Okay. I just didn’t want you to think I was firing her for no reason. I don’t have the best track record with assistants.” I laugh.
Five o’clock rolls around, and I shut down my computer and start gathering my things. I pull on my jacket and pick up my briefcase as I head toward the door. I pause in the center of the room.
“Joy, I’m afraid I’m going to have to let you go,” I say, causing her to freeze.
“I don’t think this is working out. I’d like you to gather your things. Don’t come back tomorrow. We’ll mail your last paycheck.”
I turn to leave, but the sound of her crying makes me stop and turn back around.
“I don’t understand. I’ve been trying so hard. Why does this always happen?” she asks, walking closer to me.
I hold up my hands, palms facing her. “I…umm.” I shake the panic from my head. “You’re not…you don’t…” I’m not sure how to put it. “I don’t want to deal with you flirting with me every day. There, I said it.”
She freezes. “Flirting with y
ou?”
I nod. “Yeah, you know. The short skirts, the low-cut tops, bending over so I can see directly down your shirt or up your skirt. I mean, this is a workplace, not a club. You need to cover up, not show off your goods. I’m an engaged man.”
“Engaged isn’t married,” she says, tears now gone as she comes to a stop in front of me.
“It is to me. I love my fiancée. We’re about to have a baby together. I’m happy, and I don’t need this,” I motion between us, “to be misconstrued. Understand?”
She wets her lips. “Why are the good ones always taken?” She looks up, and her green eyes lock on mine.
I open my mouth to excuse myself, but the next thing I know, she’s closed the distance between us. Her mouth is pressed to mine, and her hands are on either side of my face. I’m frozen in shock and fear. My eyes are wide open, staring at her eyelids as she kisses me. My hands are up in the air at my sides, palms facing her.
“Sorry I’m late,” Val says, pushing through the doors.
Suddenly, I’m no longer frozen. I step back and turn toward her. The hurt on her face is evident. Her wide, glassy eyes move from me, to Joy, and back. Her lips are parted, but no words are coming out. Her right hand lays protectively on her stomach.
She shakes her head and turns, running form the office.
“Valerie!” I yell after her, but she doesn’t stop.
I turn back to Joy. “Get your shit and get out. I never want to see you again,” I tell her, marching toward the door.
I see the elevator doors close, but I don’t have time to stop them. I rush to the elevator and start punching the buttons, needing it to stop, to open up. But it doesn’t…not until she’s on the ground floor and it has time to come back up.
I jump inside the elevator and hit the button for the ground level. When the doors open, I run from the elevator and into the lobby, out the main doors, and into the parking lot. But she’s gone.
Cursing under my breath, I rush to my car and get behind the wheel, driving straight home, but she isn’t here. Surely she didn’t go to the dinner without me. Instead of going by the restaurant, I go straight to her mom’s, but her car isn’t in the drive. Next, I go to Bennet’s. Turning onto his street, I see her car parked in the drive. I quickly pull in behind it. I shut off the car and open the door in the same instant. I slam the door to the car closed as I push myself forward, toward the house.
My Boss’s Sister: Make Her Mine Series-Book 3 Page 16
