She burstinto laughter and hit my chest playfully. "Jordan is a nice guy. Stop calling him names."
I scoffed. "I bet he is."If he was given a chance, I was sure he would show her just hownicehe could be.
"I'll be donein a couple of weeks anyway, and then you never have to see Jordan again."
I sighed."Weren't you supposed to be done already, though?"
"Just a few extrathings that came up and needed my input, but I promise you have nothing to worry about."
I nodded eventhough I wasn't happy about it. If I had my way, she wouldn't be working for Jordan. But when it came to Jade, I couldn't control everything, which was usually okay as long as it did not involve ex-boyfriends. I kissed her quickly and took her hand as I led her to the kitchen.
"I'd made dinner plans,"I said, earning one of my favorite Jade smiles.
And with that,we ate and enjoyed the rest of the evening together.
25
Jade
The next morning seemed to come way too quickly. I woke up and groaned to the sound of the phone ringing. It was Jordan.
"Good morning," I answered gruffly.
This response was very different from how I normally answered Jordan's phone calls, so he knew I was still slightly irritated about the confrontation between Jordan and Michael.
"Hi. I just wanted to call and apologize to you for what I said to Michael," he said.
I could tell by his voice that the apology was sincere. However, I was also positive that he wasn't sorry for what he said to Michael but was sorry that he upset me.
"I appreciate your apology, and of course, I forgive you," I assured him.
Accepting his apology and forgiving him didn't mean I wasn't still annoyed.
"We've been good friends for a long time," Jordan reminded me. "Even if we aren't dating, I still care about you and will always be here for you."
"I appreciate that. However, I am really happy with Michael. The best way to be there for me is to avoid saying anything like that to him. I need you to respect his place in my life," I told him.
There was a brief awkward silence. "I understand," Jordan said slowly. "Let me know when you are ready to finish up the menus. I'll talk to you later."
Once I hung up, I sat on the side of the bed for a few minutes, trying to sort out my mind.
Michael had a way of charming me, so I had no idea which way was up. I fell into his arms so easily.
I tried to tell myself that it had nothing to do with love, but deep down, I knew I was lying. I had already fallen in love with Michael the first night I met him – the night we conceived Robin. That was why I couldn't fall in love with Jordan, no matter how great a guy Jordan was.
Judging by his reaction to Jordan, I was pretty sure that Michael had strong feelings for me, and it happened to be more than simply because I was his "baby mama."
This was too much introspection for the morning, so I decided a shower sounded good. I made the water as hot as possible to clear the fog from my brain.
I was still whirling around what kind of relationship Michael and I had. Everything had happened so quickly. Michael and I were certainly good together in bed. He was a great father and cared about me. However, we hadn't taken the time to sit down and put an official label on our relationship.
Taking advantage of my day off, I stretched out on the couch and read one of my favorite books. After I dried my hair, I put it in a simple ponytail. My soft t-shirt and a pair of old sweats completed the deal.
"Go put your clothes and other things away," Michael gently told Robin.
Robin blew by me without even a kiss.
"Wow. That is certainly new," I said.