Page 13 of Love Notes & Lifelines
Will he even remember anything I tell him? His glassy eyes and dazed expression point to no. He must be in shock.
Maybe I’ll write down notes for him in addition to the emergency numbers.
I lift my head to find him staring at me in the mirrored walls, and my entire body flares with heat.
“Thank you,” he mouths. The sincerity in his expression hits me like a kiss in a rainstorm.
I simply nod. Whatever the heck is going on with him will take a whole lot of help and patience.
Two things I haven’t seen Beck excel at since I’ve worked here—but my body knows he’s capable of.
Ruby snuggles into my side at the same time that Emmy tightens her grip around my leg, and we make the rest of the ride to the top floor in silence.
CHAPTER FOUR
BECK
I’mthe last to step off the elevator and I do it with a heavy heart. My sister died. Alone. And she expects me to raise her girls? Does she even know me?
She doesn’t know you because you locked the door on your relationship and threw away the key,my conscience spits.
Guilt gnaws at my lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
“Ah, what’s this?” Elijah asks, moving around his desk to take some bags from me. Thank God it’s only Caleb and me at this end of the building. The next few weeks are going to turn my life upside down and inside out.
Caleb sticks his head out of his door. “There you are,” he grumbles to Stella, but stops short when he finds her carrying both girls. “What’s going on here?”
Stella stands still and hitches Ruby up higher with an impressive little hop that lifts her blouse to show the tiniest sliver of bare skin.
Dog prances around them and the girls squeal in delight. One point for Dog.
“Beck?” Caleb asks.
“Stella’s helping me out,” I say, then hold my breath as the woman in question lowers herself to one knee in front of Dog.Emmy rests against her knee while she holds Ruby at her side. She’s like a fucking octopus.
“Whatever you have scheduled for her, cancel it or do it yourself.” I ignore Caleb’s huff. “I need her help with the girls right now.” My tone is unforgiving, but I don’t regret it. The more I listen, the more I really hear how he speaks to his assistant, and it irritates me more now than ever. I’m fully aware that nothing concerning Stella should matter to me, but I’m at the very limit of giving a fuck today and, whether I want to admit it or not, Stella matters. Whatever magic she wields has lodged itself like an ice chip you didn’t mean to swallow.
“Shit,” I curse. If I don’t ask for Stella’s help, then I’m no better than Caleb. At least I remembered my damn manners before it was too late. “Ah, is that okay, Stella?”
The beautiful woman who prefers to navigate life in the shadows narrows her eyes and glances at the girls. “Unless you want little girls who get kicked out of preschool for having potty mouths, you need to watch yours.”
Caleb, Elijah, and I all stand up a little straighter. Her tone was hushed, but I’m surprised by the steel in her delivery. Good for you, Stella!
Caleb scoffs indignantly—presumably at Stella’s tone—and takes a step forward. He’s a dark cloud amidst a sea of rainbows. Ruby throws a plastic toy at him, and he retreats as though his ass is on fire. The great Caleb Fairfax is afraid of children, and it almost makes me smile.
When Caleb opens his mouth, I hold up a hand before this can get out of control, but I can’t contain my smirk. “She’s right. Miss Anderson, would you mind,please, helping me with the girls while I sort out this…stuff?”
Her lips move but no words come. Eventually, she releases a long sigh and angles her head toward the ceiling. “Sure,” shesays. “But I can’t stay later than five. I have other obligations and I can’t be late.”
Tilting my head, I study her, allowing my face to relax when she stares back. “More rides to give?”
My words conjure a vision of her riding my dick, and Elijah elbows me in the side. What? I was talking about her rideshare job. Could they hear my thoughts too?
“Something like that,” she says, then turns away from me and ushers Emmy to the far corner where an armchair and ottoman sit.
“Caleb, you’re dismissed. Elijah, my office. Now.” My attention is drawn to Stella in the corner with both girls in her lap and Dog splayed across her feet. Something about that scene pulls a “please” from my lips which causes Elijah to outright laugh.
I shove him through the door. This is what I get for allowing him to believe we’re friends. I should have fired him a long time ago.
