by Lexi Wilson
The voices inside the walls of the office grew louder briefly, then they went silent, and I shot a look over to Molly. Her gaze met my own, but she quickly looked back down at the files in front of her when the door opened. We expected Anthony to come out, but Jace was the only one who emerged. The look on his face was a mix of triumphant and angry, but he didn’t make eye contact with anyone as he walked back toward my desk.
I didn’t know if he was going to keep going or not, but I kept my eyes on my computer. He stopped right in front of my desk once more, and I stopped typing to look up at him.
“I wouldn’t forgive him if I were you, either. He’s been an arrogant prick.” He shook his head with a look of disgust written in his eyes, then he turned and walked back to his own desk. I hesitated, looking over my shoulder as he dropped into his chair with another sigh. He spun it around a couple of times, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. I felt my heart pounding in my chest, and it was hard for me to breathe.
There were few times I had been so angry in my entire life, but this was one of them. I wanted to scream and throw everything from my desk to the floor. I wanted to tell everyone in the office how I felt about the entire situation, and I wanted to curl up in the corner of the room and just let the tears flow. I was a strange mix of being angrier than I could ever remember being and unbelievably sad.
I didn’t want things to fall apart between us like they had, and there was a part of me that would do anything to be able to change the past.
Suddenly, I felt someone watching me. I glanced up, and I saw as Anthony disappeared into his office once more. I realized he had been standing in the doorway watching me, and though I didn’t know why it happened, a thrill rushed down my spine. There was something so predatory about him, it excited me.
I wanted him to want me. It filled me with a lust that was almost more than I could bear, and I wanted to tear his clothes from his sexy body and show him how I felt.
But another thought was soon to follow, and though I had promised myself I wasn’t going to think of the woman as long as I could help it, Maisie’s face flashed through my brain, and I felt the sensation vanish.
I hated the fact he had dumped me for his ex-wife, and it didn’t matter how sorry he was about it now. He had made his decision, and now he had to live with it. He might still think I’m hot — and I was glad he did — but I wasn’t going to go running back to him. I had work to do.
I turned back to my computer screen, typing with a new fierceness. Let him look, I thought. Let him wish to have me back. Let him live with the decision he made, and leave me to live my own life my own way.
I wasn’t going to change my mind.
Chapter 35
“Okay, Mr. Miller, you’re going to sign on the line here and here. I’m going to make some copies, and we’ll be all set!” Mr. Grogan pointed to a few papers on the desk in front of us, then he looked up at me with a smile. I smiled in return, though there was no feeling in it. I was far from happy; I just wanted to get this over with.
I wasn’t too thrilled about getting through the paperwork involved with gaining full custody of Kellie. Of course, when it was all said and done, I would be relieved that I had gone through with it, but getting to that point was proving to be a real pain in the ass.
It still didn’t make sense that the judge was being so reluctant to give me full custody right away, but I knew I had to work with what I could. I would get it with time, but getting to that point was going to be more difficult than I wanted. I was still stressed about what was going on with Stella, and I wanted to focus my attention on getting her back.
I signed the papers and handed them back to Mr. Grogan, and he smiled as he slipped them into his briefcase.
“When do you think we’re going to make more headway with this?” I asked impatiently. He rose from his chair and sighed, sliding the bag under his arm and looking down at the table.
“You know, I wish I could give you a definite timeline, but there’s really no way to know for sure. It all depends on what your ex-wife does with her lawyer, how much she plans on fighting you, and really, how bad or good of a mood the judge is in when you go in to present your case.” He gave me another cheerful smile, but it didn’t make me feel any better.
“As long as you keep doing the talking, I feel like I have somewhat of a chance,” I replied. He laughed once more, but I didn’t have it in me to join him. I was glad he was optimistic about the situation, but it didn’t give me the same hope that it once did. Apologizing to Stella and hearing that she didn’t wish to forgive me was enough to throw me into a new level of depression.
“Keep your chin up, and things will work out,” Mr. Grogan said as he put his hand on my shoulder. I was looking down at the floor, lost in thought. I nodded slowly, trying to put on a brave face as best as I could. He gave me one final pat, then he turned to go, taking his briefcase with him. I heard the door close, and I sank into my chair, trying to ignore the defeated feeling that had risen in my chest.
I could hear the sound of the office buzzing outside the door, but I hoped no one would bother me. I had too much on my mind to deal with any of the drama that had been in the office recently, and I didn’t want to add more to how I was already feeling.
It didn’t bother me that Jace had come in to see what was going on between Stella and me. I had seen the two of them grow close since she had moved in with him, and though I found little comfort in the fact he was fucking Molly, it was enough for me to see that he cared about Stella as a friend and only as a friend.
At least, that’s what I wanted to believe. I hoped for the life of me things would continue to work out between him and Molly. As long as they were happy with each other, I didn’t have to worry that he was going to do something with Stella.
I braced myself as there was a brief knock on my door before it opened. I didn’t care who it was — there was no one on the shift that I wanted to see. A feeling of relief rushed over me as Mrs. Jane walked in through the door. She had a basket on her arm and a scarf on her head, and I thought she looked like the Queen of England.
“Mrs. Jane! What’re you doing down here? I told you I didn’t need you to bring me lunch,” I said as I rose. I had to admit; I didn’t mind she was there. I had grown to like the old woman, and I was thrilled with how things were working out between her and Kellie. She was one of the only nannies I had ever hired whom Kellie had openly liked, and I had managed to convince her to stay on full time for a few more months.
Kellie had finally been let out of school for the summer, and I hadn’t known what I was going to do with her for the few months she would have free days. Thanks to Mrs. Jane, I wasn’t going to have to worry about it any longer.
“I know what you said, but you need to eat something. I’ve seen what happens to people like you when you get depressed, and though I’m not going to butt into your affairs, I can see you’re clearly depressed. I’m not going to take no for an answer. You’re going to eat this sandwich, and you’ll find you feel a lot better.” She pulled a sandwich out of her basket as she spoke, and I laughed as I shook my head.
“You’re more of a mother to me than you are a nanny to Kellie,” I teased. She looked at me with a mischievous grin, but before she had the chance to reply, a laugh from the other room caught my attention. It was a laugh that I knew well, but it was also a laugh that I hadn’t heard in a while. Peering around Mrs. Jane and looking into the main room of the office, I could see Kellie talking to Stella.
Kellie was moving her hands around, sporting her neon green wig. I wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying, but I could imagine she was telling one of her stories. Stella was laughing and clapping her hands, then Kellie made a bow and walked over toward the door.
“Daddy!” she announced cheerfully as she burst into the room.
“Pumpkin! I’m so glad you stopped by to see me!” I said with a laugh as I got down on my knees and held my hands out to her. She hugged me, then turn
ed to Mrs. Jane.
“We brought you some lunch and whatever. Plus, Mrs. Jane said we could get some ice cream on the way back, to celebrate me getting out of school.” She rolled her eyes as though it was no big deal, and I smiled.
“I’m glad to hear it. Sounds like the two of you are going to have a good time,” I said.
She looked over her shoulder. “Stella was happy to see me. It’s been so long since I’ve seen her, I was afraid she would forget about me.”
“She loves you too much to ever forget about you,” I said quickly. I didn’t know why I felt the need to defend her so strongly, but I didn’t want Kellie to ever doubt that she was loved by Stella.
“I want her to come back and live with us some more,” Kellie continued. She turned back to me. “Mommy left; why doesn’t she come back?”
“Well, sweetheart, I’m trying to figure out a good way to bring her back. You see, I think she’s a little mad at me right now about what happened, and I need to figure out a way that’s going to make her happy again.” I didn’t know how to explain it without going into too much detail, but I had the slight hope Kellie might have an idea of how to win her back.
“Why don’t you try to woo her?” Kellie asked with raised eyebrows.
I looked at her with surprise in my eyes. “What do you mean, woo her?”
“That’s what they do in the movies. You have to show her that you love her and make her fall in love with you. Then, she will want to come back and live with us again. That’s how you woo someone.” Kellie tossed her hair over her shoulder, and I shook my head with an amused laugh.
“What kind of movies are the two of you watching?” I asked Mrs. Jane. Mrs. Jane laughed and shook her head, but she didn’t answer my question.
“I’m telling you, Daddy, you’ve just got to show her that you still love her. I just think you hurt her feelings, so you need to show her that you’re sorry,” Kellie continued.
“Oh, is that all I need to do? Well, Kellie, I think you are absolutely right, and that’s what I’m going to do. How about that?” I scooped her up in my arms once more, and she threw her hands around my neck. She swung her legs as I hugged her, then I set her down and turned her toward the door.
“You guys better go get your ice cream before it gets too close to dinner,” I said cheerfully. She reached out and grabbed Mrs. Jane’s hand, and the two of them started for the door.
“I won’t spoil dinner. You promised we’re going to make something awesome!” she said over her shoulder.
“And, that we are!” I called after her. I winced as I spoke. I had forgotten that I promised her a nice, homemade dinner that evening, but I wasn’t going to back out on her. She had been doing so well lately, but there was still something in the back of my mind that worried she was going to relapse once more. I hated the thought, and I did everything I could to make her life as good as I could before anything like that happened.
I’d stop by the store on the way home and make sure I got the stuff to make her favorite. Either pizza or spaghetti.
I walked the two of them over to the door, but I waited as they walked the rest of the way out of the office. Kellie yelled out her goodbye to Stella, not bothering to lower her voice in the office. She didn’t care if others in the office were looking at her. She thrived on attention, though she was a sweet girl and didn’t need to be the center of attention by any means.
Stella was on the phone, but that didn’t stop her from covering the mouthpiece and telling Kellie to have a good afternoon herself. It was a sweet moment that both warmed my heart as well as caused a rush of pain to wash over me. I hated that things weren’t well between the two of us, and the more I saw her interacting with my daughter that way, the more I wanted things to be better.
Kellie vanished out the door with Mrs. Jane in tow, and I stood for another moment, crossing my arms and glancing around the office. Everyone was busy at work, and I knew Stella was making a point not to look up from the phone as she talked with the client. I smiled, but I shook my head.
Kellie was absolutely right. I had to figure out a way to woo Stella. I had to win her back.
It was going to be difficult, I had no doubt in my mind about that, but it would be worth it. I loved that woman more than I loved anyone else in the world except for Kellie herself, and I was going to prove it. I didn’t care how hard it was or how long it took. I knew this is what I needed, and I would make it happen.
I would win Stella back.
Chapter 36
“It’s for you?” Jace took a step back from the door, and I stepped forward. We were getting ready to head to work, and I was surprised to hear a knock. Jace, of course, had been the one to answer it, but I was surprised to hear that the person outside was there for me.
I was even more surprised at the size of the bouquet of flowers he handed me.
“I wasn’t expecting flowers,” I said as I took the vase from the man. He looked at me as though he didn’t care at all, and I laughed. I felt embarrassed, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. He just pointed to his clipboard for me to sign, and I did so quickly.
“Have a good day,” he said as he tipped his hat to me. I disappeared back inside the apartment with the flowers in my arms, only to meet Jace with a surprised look on his face.
“There’s a note,” he said as he reached forward. He picked it up and read it aloud. “I’m sorry; please forgive me.”
“Sounds like someone is still at it,” I said as I put the flowers on the counter. I had felt my heart skip a beat when I saw they were for me, and there was no doubt in my mind from the beginning who they were from. But, there was something about them that still made me feel angry. I couldn’t believe what he had done to me, and It wasn’t going to be easy for me to just forget about it and forgive him like it was nothing.
“Oh, well. It’s the end of the week. You aren’t going to have to deal with him for a couple days, and maybe by the time Monday rolls around, you aren’t going to have to deal with him, at all.” Jace was grabbing the last of what we needed for the workday, and within a few minutes, we were walking out into the hall.
“What do you mean? I’m going to work for the man for the foreseeable future, of course, I’m going to have to deal with him,” I replied.
“Well, yes, to an extent. But I mean he might get the hint and leave you alone about things after a while. You know? I mean, a man can only take so much rejection before he gets the hint.” He was walking slightly in front of me, and I looked down at the ground. I hated the thought that I was rejecting him, and even consoling myself with the fact he had been such a dick to me wasn’t enough to really make me feel any better.
I didn’t want to reject him. I wanted to teach him a lesson. I wanted to show him I wasn’t going to just come crawling back to him because he told me he was sorry. He had fucked up majorly, and I was going to make sure he knew it. I didn’t have time to think about it for long, however, as Jace continued to talk.
“You know, if you hate the flowers, I can always send them to Molly. I think that would get your message across,” he said with a laugh.
I rolled my eyes. “Do you really think your girlfriend is going to like you giving her flowers that were meant for me?”
“I don’t think she’d care. And what do you mean, girlfriend?” He looked over his shoulder, and I punched him in the arm playfully.
“Come on, she spends more nights out of the week here than not, and I know the two of you aren’t playing cards in your room in the dark.” I gave him another look, and he shrugged.
“Okay, okay, but I have issues, so don’t tell her that she’s my girlfriend, or I might have to break up with her for my ex-wife.” He gave me another look, and I rolled my eyes again. I knew he didn’t like to be teased about Molly, but that never stopped me. At the same time, I hated it when he would tease me about what Anthony had done.
I was healing from the situation, and I was able to laugh about it to an extent, but th
at didn’t always mean I was in the mood to hear about it.
“Well, if you have an ex-wife, I’m going to tell her that you’re already living with one woman and shacking up with another. How do you think that’ll make her feel?” I teased back.
“Wow. I was joking! You don’t have to be that way about it. Of course, I don’t have an ex-wife, anyway.”
“Yet,” I teased.
“I’m telling Molly you said that!” he scolded with a laugh. I joined in. It felt good to laugh with him, and I was amazed at how much he was able to bring the laughter out of me. It was almost like being with Anthony again, in a way. Or, perhaps it was the hope that Anthony was still in love with me. I felt confused with the flowers. Happy, curious, excited, angry… It was a mix of emotions that were running through my mind, and I wasn’t sure how to handle them.
It was the definition of being in love.
“What’s this? What’re these?” I asked as we walked back up the hall. The same man from that morning had caught up with us in the hall, and he promptly handed me another bouquet of flowers.
“There has to be some mistake. You delivered flowers this morning,” Jace said.
The man gave him a look. “Mister, I think I know how many times I’ve been here today. Now that you’re here, why don’t you sign for the rest of them?” He pointed to his clipboard, and I looked at it in surprise. There were three deliveries that needed to be signed for, and the other two bouquets of flowers were on the floor in front of the door.
“What the hell?” I said as I quickly signed my name. I could feel Jace’s eyes on me as I bent down and grabbed the third bouquet, and he laughed as he picked up the fourth. We walked through the door and set them on the counter; then we realized they all had the same card on them. Every single bouquet had a note which pleaded with me to forgive Anthony, and told me how sorry he was.
