Chapter Twenty-One
It was Monday morning, and Arthur had never been so sorry to have a work obligation. Saoirse had been so sweet and cuddly and pliant last night and when she woke up this morning. He wanted it to last forever. Plus he had this foolish and superstitious thought that if he wasn’t right by her side that she’d realize what she was doing—more like realize what she was allowing to be done to her—and regret it.
Although if she really did, he wouldn’t want her to be here. Yes, some of the things he wanted from her could push her boundaries and she might require coaxing or encouragement, but if at the end of the day she said no, that was it. He’d always respected his partners’ limits and he sure as fuck wasn’t going to change that now, especially not with his darling Saoirse.
Now that his princess was dressed in an outfit similar to last night—but with booties that wouldn’t be uncomfortable if she needed to stand—and settled in the nursery with a huge floor puzzle with big pieces she could handle even with her mitts on, Arthur had to get on a call. He wasn’t looking forward to it. But Saoirse didn’t need to know anything about that, so he petted her hair and then bent down to place a kiss on the part at the top of her head.
She’d thought it was silly when he suggested she work on a puzzle but he remembered her liking to do them when they went on vacation. Being an only child whose mother was benignly neglectful at best meant entertaining yourself a lot, and Saoirse was an expert—reading, crossword puzzles or sudoku, logic puzzles, coloring, all those things. But puzzles seemed to be a treat only to be undertaken while on a break longer than a weekend.
He had memories of working on them with her on the verandah of a beach house, by the fire at a ski lodge, in a penthouse in Las Vegas. It was funny that the memories he had of Saoirse on those trips were easy and pleasant and fond, whereas when he recalled the time spent with Renata it was almost always the same: dutifully carrying her bags while she shopped, looking at her over those large menus they always seemed to have at upscale restaurants…and more uncomfortably now, in the bedroom. He’d always felt like he needed to perform, beon. Be someone who wasn’t fully himself.
Renata sparkled, it’s what she did, and she’d dazzled him. And it took a year or so of marriage before he’d been exhausted by it. By her.
But that was long over, and he was caring for Saoirse now. All grown up but still sweet and sly and most pleased by quiet activities that used a different part of her mind than she’d been leaning on.
Which is another reason he’d encouraged her to choose a puzzle from the shelf to keep her occupied while he made this call. To tell her in yet another way,You are supposed to be resting, you’re on a break and have no concerns.He crossed his fingers it would work. She was a sharp girl with a quick mind that liked to keep her busy.
“Okay, princess, I’m going to be in the library for this call. If you need anything, come get me or give a shout. I’m going to turn on the monitor in here, see the camera?”
He pointed up to the corner where the little ball with the lens was. He wasn’t trying to keep it a secret, he wanted her to know he’d be keeping an eye on her. It could seem creepy, he knew, and he waited a beat for her to argue because why did a grown woman doing a puzzle need supervision for fuck’s sake? She didn’t though. Just said, “Okay, Daddy,” and went back to her puzzle.
The truth was, it was a tiny bit for her safety, but more for his peace of mind. Once his brain had latched onto a little, labeled her as “his,” he couldn’t help but worry about them all the time. If they were safe, if they needed something, if they were in distress. And being able to check a screen with a glance was easier than letting the anxiety wind around his ribcage until he could barely breathe.
He headed downstairs to the library and shut the door behind him. He didn’t want Saoirse hearing this conversation.
It wasn’t that he’d lied to her about how easy it would be for him to take time off—he did have a truly excessive amount of vacation time banked—but practically speaking, it would be awkward to issue an edict that he would be taking much of it now, with no warning and no firm plans to ease the burden of his absence.
It would be fine, and if there were difficulties he would have time to dedicate to work while Saoirse played or slept. But Nikolina and Vance wouldn’t see it that way. They were both single, neither had children or much in the way of family. The three of them had poured their lives into this firm and it was the first time one of them was taking a leave.
The prospect would not go down easy.
First he switched on the monitor program on his phone and set it beside his laptop so his partners wouldn’t see Saoirse sitting on the floor, looking precious in her outfit and fitting together puzzle pieces with a great deal of concentration. Not that they weren’t kinky fucks, but sharing Saoirse’s predilections wasn’t up to him.
He activated the teleconferencing software and was greeted promptly by Nikolina and Vance looking back at him from their offices. Nikki with her wide, deep-set eyes, long honey brown hair that hung down almost to her waist in waves and those high slavic cheekbones, and Vance with his unruly straw-colored hair, scruff that Arthur didn’t think was appropriate for the courtroom but what the fuck did he know, dark blue eyes, and thin mouth that made him look ill-humored even though he was almost eternally sunny. His partners, his friends. Their trio had built their livelihoods together through thick and thin, and now they were going to feel betrayed.
“So what’s this, Arthur?”
Nikki was never one to beat around the bush and he liked that about her. Understood it as well—she was a gorgeous woman and despite being a cutthroat and incredibly successful attorney, she had to fight to be taken seriously.
“You know Saoirse has been staying with me while taking a leave of absence from law school.”
Vance’s head tipped in that searching way he had. Made clients and other people he questioned alike feel as though he cared. And the truth was, he did. “Is she okay?”
“She’s in no imminent danger,” Arthur assured them. “But now that she’s been here for a couple of weeks, it’s become clear that she’s dealing with issues outside of basic burnout and overwhelm. I tell you this in confidence with the expectation that it won’t go beyond the three of us.”
Nikki and Vance nodded, and Arthur believed them. They all had their own skeletons and relied on each other to keep them stuffed deep in closets.
“I don’t think she’s an alcoholic but I would also say she’s headed in that direction and not so far off. I also—”
Arthur shook his head. Yes, there was something else that was troubling him about Saoirse’s state of mind but until he could put a finger on what that was, it didn’t matter so much to Nikki and Vance.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that effective immediately, I’m taking a family leave of absence because she needs more than a place to crash and a sometime-dinner companion. I’ll be available for consultation on ongoing cases but I’m leaving the heavy lifting to my associates and not taking on new work until I’m confident Saoirse is able to successfully return to school and finish her degree.”
He held his breath and waited for their reactions—Vance spoke first.
“I’m not thrilled about you walking out on your cases, particularly without any notice, but I understand she’s your family. I also know you, Arthur. I remember you were the only reason I got through law school after breaking my leg. You were the one who gathered all my homework, helped me catch up on classes, got me up three flights of stairs to take a test. So I know if you’ve decided someone is your responsibility you won’t be talked out of it. I’ll do what I can to cover your shit and make sure your associates aren’t calling you every five minutes. But yeah, I do expect you to be available some so these cases don’t tank.”
“Perfectly fair, and I intend to be,” Arthur responded, not failing to notice that Nikolina had remained stone-faced while Vance talked.