“Never keep something as important as this from me again. Whatever problems we face in the future, we face together.”
Eden smiles, her whole face bright like starlight. “I promise.”
Chapter 44
Tip #44: Telecommuting is the way of the future.
Hunter
I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately. Now that Eden’s six months pregnant, I feel like I have to be prepared for every possible scenario. Between supervising the editing team on the final cuts of the film to helping Eden prepare the nursery, I’m surprised I even have the time to crack open one of the many pregnancy books she’s assigned to me. Eden’s a bit of a drill sergeant when it comes to keeping up with my reading, but I like that about her.
There’s something sexy about how domineering she can be.
I don’t go to the studio anymore. Instead, I’ve transformed my home office into my full-time place of work. What’s the point of spending two plus hours in god-awful traffic to get there, give a couple of notes, just to spend two plus hours in god-awful traffic to go home? One of the perks of being the boss is that I get to work where I want, when I want.
And right now, I choose to be with Eden.
It puts my nerves at ease, too, knowing that I’m always within earshot if she needs me. I don’t like the idea of leaving Eden home alone for even one second. Yes, Mei-Lee is always present and Samantha, the bodyguard I hired to work Eden’s security detail, is always nearby, but I’ve always been ado-it-yourselfkind of man. Who better to protect my son and the mother of my child than myself?
“What do you think?” Charlie asks me over the video call. I spot a sandy white beach and a couple of palm trees behind him. He’s telecommuting from some Mexican resort Taylor managed to drag him out to. “The final cut’s looking really good, right?”
I nod in agreement. I’m happy with how far the film has come. “If we play our cards right and stretch out our marketing budget, we’ll be ready for the premiere in two months.”
“There’s a lot of Oscar buzz for this movie,” Charlie says. The loud squawk of a seagull nearly cuts him off. “Looks like everyone’s mostly forgotten about the scandals.”
“It was a good idea to push release. Now people will be more focused on what the film has to say and not all the drama attached to it. I’ll send the editing team my final notes, but I think we’re just about polished.”
Charlie grins. “I’m excited.”
“Me too. Now, you’d better get back to that girlfriend of yours. I don’t want her complaining that I’m keeping you from your vacation.”
“She’s chill, Stride. Taylor isn’t the type to complain.”
“Toyou. She’ll inevitably tell Eden, who will then relay it back to me.”
“Oh, right. I forgot about our girlfriends like to play banana phone.”
“Enjoy the beach. I’ll call you if there’s an emergency.”
“I’d really prefer it if you don’t.”
I end the call and shut my computer down. Now that I work from home, I’m very strict with my business hours. The moment the clock strikes five o’ clock, I’m done. Besides, I have way more important things I’d rather be doing.
I climb the stairs and make my way to the baby’s room.
Eden’s done wonders with it. Before, it lay empty, unused. Now it’s awash with vibrant colors and decals and has been baby proofed within an inch of its life.
The feng shui is all wrong,Mei-Lee complains.The bassinet should go over here.
But that corner’s in the shade, Eden protests.I want the baby to have plenty of sunlight.
I lean against the doorway and watch her putter around, fluffing pillows and admiring the space-themed mobile above the baby’s bassinet. I’ve never been more impressed with Eden. She’s managed to achieve an impressive amount of fluency in American Sign Language in only a couple of months, showing as much dedication and diligence to her studies as she did for her MCAT.
Even more impressive is how big she’s getting. Her belly is nice and round, our little boy growing bigger and bigger by the day. She looks happy, healthy, and strong. I have a feeling motherhood will suit her very well.
Something territorial comes over me every time I see her. The feeling brings with it a blooming sense of pride. Maybe a hint of possessiveness.
My baby. My Eden.