Page 109 of Forgotten Desires

twenty-five

BRYNLEE

This last week has been a whirlwind. We had Layla for the weekend, took her out to Sugarloaf and she had the best time. Layla loved getting to play with Elodie and Jett, and I loved watching Grady chase them, as the three of them were menaces.

Yesterday, I had my final bloodwork drawn and a meeting with the surgical team to make sure everything is good to go.

Neither of us have talked much about the weekend in Sugarloaf where things shifted. I’m not really sure what to say. Why did we make love? Why did he call it that? Why does he keep doing things to show he loves me, but he hasn’t said it since that slip in Paris? Was it a slip?

You know, real conversation starters—things every girl is dying to ask.

So I keep my mouth shut.

He’s in Colorado now, but hopefully he’ll be home sometime tomorrow afternoon. So I’m doing as much work as I can because he wants to spend the day tomorrow together before my surgery.

Thea and I hired Aarabelle Dempsey, a family friend of Catherine’s, as a new publicist. She’s going to work with Thea while I’m recovering. She was in California with Catherine the last year, working with celebrities, and wanted to move back to the East Coast where her parents live.

“So you’ve never really done corporate PR?” Thea asks.

“No, but Catherine did for years and when I went to her about being closer to home, she started to train me a bit on the other side of public relations.”

Aarabelle and I are about the same age, she might be a year or two younger. She’s smart, pretty, and eager to dive in.

Thea smiles. “All of it sounds great, Aarabelle. We definitely need the help right away, so the fact that you’re willing to move to New York is imperative.”

She nods. “Absolutely. I already have an apartment lease ready to sign. I just need the job first.”

I glance at Thea and she nods. “Welcome aboard,” I say to her.

“This is great. I also have a lot of contacts here thanks to my parents. I already asked for a few names that I can reach out to see if we can onboard as well,” Aarabelle informs us.

“That’s great,” I say quickly.

“Absolutely,” Thea agrees. “We’d love it if you have time this week to sit with both of us to go over some stuff. Next Tuesday is Brynn’s surgery so we’re trying to get everything done before then.”

“Of course. Also, please call me Aara, everyone does.”

We spend another hour with Aarabelle, signing paperwork, and then Thea calls Catherine to tell her the good news.

I’m working on a proposal I want to send today in the hopes they’ll accept, and we can sign them on as well. The more people we get before Tuesday, the easier it’ll be to have them meet Aarabelle prior.

My phone rings and it’s Crew.

“Hey.”

“Brynn, are you home?” he asks with a panic in his voice.

“I’m at the coffee shop right next door, what’s wrong?”

“I just got a call from the police, they need me to come get Layla, she’s . . . Jacqueline was drunk driving and hit a fucking cop car, so they’re taking her to the hospital to be checked out, but I’m hours away. The nanny is visiting family. I can’t . . . they said they’ll have to put her in foster care until a family member can get there.”

I’m already standing, gathering my stuff. “I’ll go. Where is she?”

He tells me the hospital they’re taking her to and I’m out the door. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Listen, call your lawyer right now. I need her to meet me there so we can get Layla released to me. I’ll keep her safe until you get home.”

I head outside and climb in the car with Cliff, instructing him to head to the hospital.

“That’s not even . . . I know you will. I know you’d do anything for that kid. Fuck, Bee. I just . . . she was fucking drinking with my daughter in the car!”

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