He’s going to embarrass me; I just know it.
“Leighton is on her cycle and not feeling well.”
Not exactly what I thought he was going to say, but embarrassing enough, even as a thirty-year-old woman.
I give her a weak smile.
“Oh, sweetie. Do you need some painkillers? A heating pad? You can go lie down in Gaige’s room.”
“I’ll show her where it is,” Gaige offers helpfully. “Come on, sweetheart.”
“I’ll be fine,” I assure her, digging my heels into the plush carpet and staying locked in place. Gaige glares at me playfully, eyes wide like I’ve popped his balloon.
We chat with Caroline a little longer and the crowd begins to thin out. At some point, Gaige disappears as well, but I stick to Caroline and help her carry dishes to the kitchen.
“How is he doing?” she asks once we’re alone.
“He seems to be doing okay,” I tell her honestly. “Deacon has been kind enough to give him some time off from work.”
“And you guys are doing okay?”
“We are. You’ve raised an amazing man.”
She wraps her arms around me. “He’s lucky to have you. Please remember that. We’re lucky that you’re a part of this family.”
Ah! Cue the waterworks.
I’m crying on his mother’s shoulder when Gaige walks into the room.
“I leave for ten minutes, and you make her cry? Way to go, Mom!” Gaige teases as he tugs me away from his mother. He hands me a tissue, and I swat at his chest before pressing it to my eyes.
I mouth thank you to her as he wraps his arms around me. Everett, Gaige’s dad, hugs his wife to his own chest.
“We need to get going,” Gaige tells his parents. “Are we still on for dinner Saturday?”
“Yes,” his mother confirms. “Don’t forget to bring the wine.”
“We won’t,” Gaige says before turning us around.
We hold hands on the walk to the car and on the drive to the office. Gaige has a few things he needs to take care of since he’s been out for the last week. He’s not returning to work until Monday but there was something Deacon needed taken care of that required an attorney so Gaige told him earlier that he would swing by on the way back to the condo.
“Come up with me?” he asks when he parks.
I don’t hesitate. He’s kind of sexy when he works.
Most everyone is back at the office, still in suits from the funeral, and they greet us when we walk in.
“Leighton, do you have a moment?” Deacon asks when he notices me.
Gaige presses a kiss to my temple before walking toward his office.
“I do,” I tell him, an apology on my lips for the way I ended things with Blackbridge. It was hasty and unprofessional. “I want to say I’m sorry for—”
“I want you to work for BBS.”
“—the way I just emailed—Excuse me? What?”
“You and Gaige are together, right? He mentioned you not returning to New York. Please tell me if I’m mistaken, but if you’re staying in St. Louis, I’d like you to consider working for Blackbridge.”
“The team you’re trying to build isn’t going to work, Mr. Black.”
“I don’t want a team, Leighton. I just want you. I need someone who can herd cats.” He tosses his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the men arguing animatedly over the news on the television mounted on the wall. “I need someone with a good memory and organizational skills.”
“I have those.” Is it too soon to be excited?
“I know.”
“I’d love to.”
“We haven’t discussed salary.”
“I’d love to.”
He chuckles.
“Let me show you your office.”
I’m light on my feet as I follow him down the hallway, stopping in front of Gaige’s office.
“Not in there,” he says. “That’s Gaige’s office. You can use the one you used before.”
My eyes narrow as he walks deeper down the hallway and flips the light on in an empty office.
“You can personalize it however you’d like,” he says. “Can you start on Monday?”
“I’d love to,” I tell him.
“Perfect.” He shakes my hand. “I’ll have Gaige draw up the paperwork.”
I stand in my office long enough to give Deacon the time to relay that message to Gaige, then go to look for him. He lied to me. It wasn’t the first, and it wasn’t the last if I wanted to count all the omissions as lies as well, but I’m glad he had me work in his office that day. I had an amazing time that night after I stalked his dinner plans which I didn’t know at the time included me.
I don’t bother knocking on his door, but my smile falls from my face when I enter. He’s on the phone, face worried.
“What?” I ask when he hangs up the phone.
“We need to go see Wren.”
He grabs my hand, pressing his lips to the back, but he doesn’t immediately pull me from the room. He turns me, his other hand tilting my face up, so I have to look him in the eye.