by Amy Brent
"Thanks, Ronnie," I said, realizing my immediate slipup.
"I would appreciate being called by my full name if you don't mind, sir," she said.
"Yes. Sorry, Rhonda. It's been a big week."
I picked up the line, wondering who it might be. Usually, Rhonda told me, but she was probably pissed because of how many times I'd called her Ronnie.
"Damon Jacobs speaking," I said.
"Damon, hi. It's Macca Fry. I've been reading all about you, you lucky dog."
Macca was an old client who'd walked away from the company about twenty-four months ago. He was unreliable and annoying. I still stayed on my best behavior despite not liking him.
"Well, hi. How is everything in sunny Montana?" I asked.
"I've moved to Seattle. I found this unbelievably beautiful Thai woman on my trip there. She's my new bride."
"Oh, well, congratulations. What can I do for you today?"
"I was thinking about Chan. He recently went in and Duffield and Rogers followed. I think if Timothy James was in, it would seal it long term for me."
I gave a laugh. "He was in before Chan actually."
There was silence at the other end of the line. "Just checking how soon I can get over there. Next week probably."
"No need. We can have the documents sent over, and as long as it's a witnessed signature, you can send it back in the mail."
"Really?" He paused. "Send me the documents, and I'll think about it this week. I think it might be a wise move."
"Yes, of course. Has your address changed?" I knew it had, but I thought I'd better be polite.
"Yes. I’ll tell your secretary if you patch me back through."
I was surprised he didn't mock my recent newspaper and TV famousness. Usually, he loved to wallow in other people's misfortunes. No sooner did the thought cross my mind, it happened. I guessed he just couldn't help himself.
"I heard you were tapping your nanny. Sounds extremely erotic. Lucky lady getting the cock of Damon Jacobs."
"This line's not great, Macca. I'll put you through to Rhonda so she can sort your address out. Talk soon."
I heard him continue talking as I put him through to Rhonda. I didn't have the patience to listen to his bullshit. If I had wanted to work with assholes, I would've stayed with Rainer Holdings. They were the biggest bunch of jerks I had ever met in my life, the clientele and staff members alike. I was done with egos for the day. I was going to lie low until I went to pick up Alexis.
I had about two hours until I needed to leave. I closed my eyes and put myself into relaxation mode. Everything seemed to be catching up with me, and I didn't want to lose my shit at work or at home. That was why I was the CEO, because I stayed balanced and in control. Everyone needed my strength to function. If it looked like rain, I would tell everyone about the blue skies ahead, and if something was doubted, it was my job to give everyone hope. I hoped the same qualities would work with Karly tonight. Whatever it was that was bothering her could be fixed. We could tackle it together as a team. That was the point of a partnership; you had one another to lean on.
My mind moved from topic to topic. There weren't too many calls I had to answer, and I refrained from calling Rhonda the dreaded Ronnie. Although I thought Ronnie suited her, I thought better of saying so. Her mood was better if I stuck to being more polite.
***
I got to Chelsea's right on time. I wasn't expecting Karly to show up, but she did. She wore a beautiful aquamarine dress and turquoise drop earrings. Her lips were painted in a gorgeous mauve lipstick, and her eyes sparkled. She was unmatched by any other woman I'd ever seen, either in person or on TV.
I stood up and helped her into her seat. The waiter came over to take our orders, and all I wanted was for it to be over. Not the relationship, but the waiting to know. I had to know.
"You look beautiful, Karly. The reason we're here is I can sense something’s wrong. Something has changed in you, and I don't know what's going on. I really need you to tell me because I've been racking my brain for an answer."
"I can't tell you at the moment. I just need some more time. It's not you. It's me."
Wow. I was dumbfounded. I'd waited all day and hadn't been able to concentrate on work. She had fed my mind all day long. Now she wasn't going to tell me. Fuck. I was upset and pissed off.
"You can't or won't?" I asked, hoping she'd give in to me.
"I just need some more time." Her eyes glowed and her beauty permeated right through me. I was in love with her, all of her, madly, deeply.
I didn't want to get mad, so I did the next best thing I could think of. I pulled out my wallet and laid down a bundle of hundred-dollar bills. There might've been two grand there. I didn't count it.
"Take the next few days off and sort it out. When you're ready, I'll be waiting." I couldn't stand being there and not knowing what the fuck was happening. I gave her a last and I left.
She said nothing as I went. We'd only ordered wine and an entree, and I paid on the way out, using my credit card. I didn't care about money. All I wanted was her, but I couldn't force the words out of her. That just wasn't my way. I'd have to wait until she was ready. I just hoped to God I wasn't going to lose her. That would not be all right.
Getting home and being alone was the worst kind of lonely. I ordered Chinese takeout and tried to watch TV. There was some weird sci-fi movie where the aliens could telepathically control humans. It was strange and satisfying and helped my mind stay somewhere other than on Karly.
After that, I had a glass of wine. I was never the type of guy to drown my sorrows and be irresponsible. I couldn't do it to my body or to Alexis. She deserved more than a disheveled man who needed a substance to fall back on. Eric had been there and done that in college, and it had been a sad mess that’d had to be cleaned up. When I’d found him lying in his own vomit, I had been convinced of the horribleness of the whole drinking and drug scene.
I'd always looked after my body, and I used to work out at the gym. Now I did it at home but mostly on the weekends. Mom had always expressed the importance of health to me from a young age, so I’d always known my body needed the right fuel to do what I wanted to do. Also, running a huge company took guts and determination, and it would never be done properly with a bad diet or substance abuse of any kind.
I opened my fortune cookie. "You will find love if you haven't already." I opened another. "Your mind needs a big rest this night."
I laughed at the fortunes, which always seemed to be on par with my life. I had opened one right before Alexis had been born, and it had said, "Things are about to get busy. A new person will soon enter your life."
I did as the fortune cookie instructed and went to bed. My mind couldn't think anymore. It was totally spent. As I drifted off, I envisioned Karly's beauty. Those mesmerizing eyes and those perfect, pouty lips entertained me. I was definitely in trouble. She had me, hook, line, and sinker. There was no going back once my heart made up its mind, and it had.
Chapter 26
Karly
I was torn. I hadn't had the courage to say the words to him. I was afraid he'd be mad at me or even reject me. I loved him more than the air I breathed, which was why I found it so hard to say my truth: a baby was on the way.
I couldn't explain how my heart had felt like it had lost him the other night when we'd met for dinner. It was as if my breath had stopped and I’d been frozen in place, unable to spit out the words he deserved to hear. He deserved everything, the truth that I was pregnant and the best love I could give to him should he accept the predicament I—we—now found ourselves in.
When I'd broken up with Keith, it had been easy. I hadn’t missed that man at all. I had been relieved when I’d finally broken free from him after all that time. But with Damon, I was terrified of losing the love he had for me. No man had ever wanted me or needed me like he did. It was new and made me vulnerable. It was the first time I'd experienced true love, real love.
Sarah knocked on
my apartment door, and I let her in. "So, how did it go?" she asked, hoping I'd told him the truth.
"I couldn't seem to get the words out. It was as if my whole body froze up in front of him."
Sarah tried to be as understanding as she could. We sat on the couch in the living room, and I listened to her words. They always seemed to make sense. Maybe she’d been a counselor in a past life. She sure did seem to know how to explain stuff to me.
She made sure she had direct eye contact with me. "Okay, so, Damon is definitely the baby's father, right?" she asked.
I gave her a sarcastic smile. "Yes."
"And you love him to bits, correct?"
"Yes."
"And you both love Alexis to pieces?"
"Uh-huh."
"And he professed his love for you in front of millions of people on TV?"
"Yep." I smiled at her. "There’s a pattern forming here with my answers," I said sarcastically.
"Exactly! I don't know why you're making this drag out for such a long time. You're only making it harder. If you were Damon, wouldn't you want to know that the love of your life was pregnant, mistake or not?"
I paused and thought about it. I imagined my bump getting bigger and bigger and not telling him until he noticed or, worse, him realizing the truth of it and coming to his own conclusions .
Sarah looked at me seriously. "Imagine if he didn't know the truth for three months or when you really start showing. The trust factor has to be your number one priority here. He's treated you wonderfully this whole time, and so you owe it to him to return that favor. Trust and communication must be at the forefront of your mind."
The words pressed deeply into my heart. She was right. I needed to get over myself and give him what he needed. This was a big thing to tell him, but it would be far worse if he found out without me saying it to him or because he noticed my future bump. An unstoppable bump that would come despite my wanting to hide it.
"Thank you," I said, hugging Sarah.
"Did I get through that thick skull of yours this time?" she asked, raising a brow.
"I think so."
"What?" she asked, raising her voice. “I didn’t hear you!”
"Yes!" I answered.
"Good." She gave me a smile. "I have to run because I have an appointment with Marcus Bortoff. He wants to use me for Tella Della Swimwear."
"No way!"
"Yep."
***
I sat in my apartment mulling over the words I'd try to say. I worked them around in my head multiple times and was interrupted when my cell rang. It was Damon.
"Hi, Damon."
"Hey. Sorry to call, but Mom has a book club meeting she forgot about. Apparently, three hundred women will be dressed to the nines and going to her place at the same time Alexis needs to be picked up. I have a few big clients that want in, and I can't reschedule because one of them has flown in from Vancouver."
"I'll pick up Alexis. I've really been missing her."
"Thanks. Sorry. I'll see you later."
"Sure thing."
My heart skipped a few beats as his voice resonated with my entire being. His sexiness permeated me, and I felt my love for him growing stronger, as if a snowball had been tumbling and caught me up in it. Yep, a big ball of snow that was sending me down and around, whirling down a mountain at full speed. That was what love felt like to me. It was a whirlwind of panic, fun, and craziness, a big heap of emotions that swept you up before you even knew what was carrying you along.
Alexis sported her usual smile when I picked her up. I heard all about Riley and their new game that involved castles and fireflies. Apparently, fireflies were in charge in the land of Chirdor, and without them, there could be no light. The light in Chirdor had so much power, it could make fairies sing and dragons fly, so it was extremely important to keep them safe from the big ugly trolls that would try to catch them.
She paused and gulped a breath of air as we entered the penthouse. "Where have you been? Nana doesn't tell stories like you do. She's always talking about big books for big people. It's been a bit boring."
I tried not to laugh out of respect for Patricia. I could only imagine the stories they’d read. They were probably slow and deep romances that were like watching a snail move a mile in a hailstorm or some western that was all about the descriptive nature of the corn in the field or how papa never came home.
"Well, I had to go check on my apartment and collect some mail. I have plants called fuchsias that needed watering too. And do you remember Sarah? I had to spend some time with her so she didn't get lonely."
"Oh, okay. I'm glad you’re back. Me and Dada missed you. Can I pick out a story after my snack?" she asked.
"Of course. What about the one about the big bear who keeps hiding behind the tree?"
"Hmm, I want the one about the unicorn because it’s got a rainbow on the cover."
"Okay. Go and take your shoes and socks off and wash your hands while I get your snack. Then we can dive in!"
"We're not going swimming in the book, silly." She laughed as she skipped to her bedroom.
When she came back, I asked her a question. "How do you know your dada missed me?"
"He told me, and he told me he loves you more than the whole world."
“That much? Really?”
“Yep. He thinks you’re a good girl like me!”
I tried not to gasp. It was the sweetest thing I'd ever heard. They both deserved to know about the baby. I needed to tell him soon. I felt more secure now after hearing her words. Alexis was great at telling the truth. The only time she ever told untruths was during story time, which was needed of course. What a beautiful thing to hear from the gorgeous Alexis. Wow.
We spent the afternoon laughing at Boris the unicorn. He was the clumsiest unicorn on earth. He would walk into doors and get his hooves stuck in potholes and drawers. He had to get help from a clever wizard. He was given the opportunity to be changed into a myriad of different creatures, ones that were half and half, like a butterfly-bee or a rhino-elephant or even a moth-horse. But he wasn't very keen on those ideas. He just wanted to be Boris, minus the clumsiness.
Alexis and I laughed like hyenas when the wizard did a spell that swapped them. His brain went into Boris’s and Boris's brain went into Midar's. The wizard became frustrated with the whole situation and ended up realizing that Boris's horn was crooked and fixed it using a big spell. They swapped back, and they lived happily ever after like all unicorns and wizards should.
I put Alexis to bed after a big roast dinner. I placed Damon's portion in the refrigerator because he was working late. I missed him, and I wanted to wait up, but I found myself falling asleep in the guest room. I was exhausted.
Chapter 27
Damon
I got home late. The client from Vancouver was picky about all the details. He liked to think about everything I said before he went to the next question, taking notes as he went. He asked about Chan and a myriad of other clients who’d also hopped on the bandwagon. He liked to watch sports, so I spent the evening watching a Laker’s game and eating takeout with him in the boardroom. I wasn’t keen on doing it, but Derringer had his hands full with other clients.
I managed to answer all the questions he threw my way. I was glad I could set him straight on a few ridiculous ideas he’d heard through the Fortune 500 grapevine. Other companies loved to gossip about great companies, including ours. He was kind and friendly and warmed up to me like we were old friends. It made me think of Eric and how I needed to see him soon. He needed me, and I needed him, but we’d both been so busy lately.
When I finally got home at eleven, I found Alexis and Karly asleep. Karly had settled into the guest room, and she looked like an angel as she slept. She’d been under the covers, but they’d slipped off, so I gently pulled the covers back over her. Alexis and Clara were dreaming about something eventful. The words “dragon” and “fairy princess” were called out in a dream.
I sat a
nd spent time on the couch for a while, a glass of Shiraz in one hand and nothing much left in my brain to muddle through. I was exhausted from the evening; the client load had been monumental. I was proud of my staff, who’d handled the workload extremely well. I had a laugh to myself about Rhonda and how pissed she got when I called her Ronnie. I didn’t mean to do it. It just rolled off the tongue better when I was in a crazy hurry. She was flustered most days lately, with the new girl driving her crazy, asking her five billion questions a day.
I’d finished the week off by sending money-bonus emails to all my staff. I’d also made a roster giving them all a few Mondays off throughout the next year. I got so many happy emails back, and they promised to work even harder, knowing I would always reward them exceptionally well. I was a fair CEO, and I liked to give rewards when they were due. Our company was going to the moon, and they were all going to come with me if I had anything to say about it.
The next morning, I showered and found myself greeted with breakfast in the kitchen, including hot coffee and omelets, which made for a nice change. Alexis sat with Clara and watched cartoons. It felt like everything was back to normal, except it wasn't. There was still that unspoken elephant in the room, and that was frustrating me. I had to let it go for my own sanity and wait patiently for her to come to me when she was ready. The suspense of it all had been driving me crazy in between clients, though.
My eyes were still drawn to Karly as I sat down at the table. We were still in love it seemed. I wasn't getting any weird vibes from her, just the secretiveness that stayed behind her gorgeous eyes.
The phone rang, and I got up and answered it, taking my coffee with me. "Hello, Mom."
"Sweetheart, I need to steal Alexis off you for the day. The local art museum is having a kids’ day, and it's interactive."
"Oh, okay. She'll love that. Does she need to wear old clothes in case she gets dirty with paint or whatever?"
"No. They'll have smocks and all the equipment there. I think her friend Riley will be there too. His mother is in the book club I belong to. She said he was going."
