Page 31 of Loved By You

“Ria, baby, please tell me you have good news because Harley has just called in as well, and she’s quote, ‘shitting through the eye of a needle’. We’ll have to close if we don't have enough staff. Brad's coming in too, but we have two bookings for the VIP area and...”

I've never heard him sound so stressed.

“Jack, you’re rambling.”

He lets out a long breath. “Shit, I am, aren't I.”

“Yeah, you are, and yes, I can come in. Ali is going to have them but can't get there till six. Is it okay if I start a little later?”

I can hear him banging around, likely preparing the bar for opening. “Bring them,” he says casually.

“Bring them? To work?” I ask, surprised by his suggestion.

“Yeah, if you can get here as early as you can, we can juggle the girls between us. We don't open till nine, but we are six staff down, so there is a lot to do.”

“Erm, sure. I guess I can bring Elle’s pack and play and put her in that,” I say, mentally calculating everything I need to do and pack.

“I don't know what one of those is, sweetheart, but if it gets you here as soon as possible, bring all the stuff you need.”

I look at my phone. It’s 3 pm now.

“Okay, give me a couple of hours. We’re in the park. I’ll go home now, get the girls packed, and then drive up.”

I hear him let out a sigh of relief. "God, I could kiss you right now," He declares.

Sorry, what?

"I mean, I'm grateful for you. I-I didn't mean, I'm not..."

I laugh. Rambling Jack might be my favorite.

“Drive safe, Ri,” he tells me before he hangs up.

“Lex, change of plans. Do you want to come to work with Mommy?”

Her little face lights up. “Yeah! Will Jack be there?”

“He will,” I tell her with a smile.

“Let's gooooo.” I lift her out of the swing and do the same with Elle, putting her in her stroller as Lexi starts to run in the direction of our house. It seems she’s just as excited as I am about seeing him.

Chapter Thirteen

Ria

Two hours later we are pulling into the parking lot of The Boardroom and as I step out of the car, I see Jack exit the staff entrance and stroll towards my car like he’s been waiting for me to arrive.

I can tell by the tension in his jaw and the way his shoulders hunch, he's stressed, but he still looks like he's walked off the set of a GQ magazine shoot.

His black dress shirt bunches at his elbow, revealing the tattoo on his left arm. I watch with awe as he raises it to run the hand through his messed up hair. God, looking stressed has never been sexier.

His long strides reach me in no time, those thighs flexing with each step in his black pants.

Ria, honey, you're drooling.

“Ri, you’re a life saver.”

I step out of the car, and without hesitating, he pulls me into his arms and something inside me settles. His heart thumps beneath my cheek as he splays his hands over my back, the warmth of him seeping into my bones. My arms slowly return the hug and I whisper, "It's no problem." He releases me with a kiss to the forehead and I’m already missing his closeness. I'd stay in his arms all day if I could.

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