Page 101 of One Bossy Date

Of course Dax would come to a business meeting on his bike. I was neither surprised nor disappointed. He was exactly who he wanted to be.

I found myself reassessing everything on the drive back home—my responsibility to Windham Construction, my incessant need to ravish Zoe’s body, my outright lies to my mom. I knew I’d made up my mind, and I knew it wouldn’t change.

I just started to wonder about what would happen after that.

Once I told her the truth, and that I was still leaving.

My mother would be devastated.

Dax would likely be under a lot of pressure if he started working at Windham Construction alone after I’d left.

Zoe would understand, of course. She expected it, but I doubted we’d be in very good standing. Even if we agreed to keep seeing each other, long-distance relationships never worked. Soon, she’d probably move on to someone who actually lived in the same city as her.

I considered the Humphries. They seemed to be a very close-knit family, with Damon Copeland as a son-in-law. When Miles had had a child, everyone had dropped everything to be with him. That was admirable. Even with Charles, seeming like he might be considering retirement soon, his sons were there, poised to take over. Standing together.

It occurred to me that it was about more than just the inheritance of the family company and wealth. It was a passing of the gauntlet, a reason to be proud, and to feel as though you belonged. Charles took pride not only in his sons but in their children too. Someday, they would be the ones sitting in that boardroom, I had no doubt.

So, the question I asked myself: What would I be leaving behind for my future children? If there were to be any. That fact on its own was daunting. My preference for South America and the life I led there came with certain sacrifices. I’d be distancing myself from Windham Construction, the company passed down to me. If Dax felt he couldn’t handle it on his own, there would be talks of selling the whole company, I was sure. Then what would be left of the Windham empire?

My thoughts shifted from money to the devotion the Humphries had shown each other. When one of them had something to celebrate—such as the birth of Miles’s child—they all came together without question or exception. I supposed my mom and Dax would do the same, but I wouldn’t be giving them much of a chance if I were in a different country. Besides, I wouldn’t ever have such a thing to celebrate unless I remained in the States and knocked Zoe up for real. It wasn’t like I had a girl waiting to marry me in Chile.

The thought of Zoe pregnant with my child was an attractive one, I knew that much, but it just wasn’t in line with my plans. Or her plans, for that matter. She had her own life.

For fuck’s sake.

* * *

When I arrived back home, I shook off those heavy thoughts, deciding to enjoy my time with Zoe and wait for the Humphries’ answer. They needed to get together and make final decisions, so I’d wait for them before leaving.

For now, I would take all the pleasure I could possibly get from Zoe.

I walked in and put my laptop case down in the entryway. My dogs ran up to me, and I dodged them expertly, letting them skid between my legs. I rubbed their ears and looked up.

Strolling toward me, Zoe was in a comfortable-looking set of skin-tight pink sweatpants and a matching jersey. It warmed my heart that she was here at all, greeting me in her “at home” clothes. It felt so intimate and caring, and it tugged at all the thoughts I’d just been having about leaving family behind.

“Hey. There you are. How was the presentation?” she asked excitedly.

“It went very well.” I smiled at her, and she beamed on my behalf.

“I knew it.Wonderful.”

“Will you join me in my office, please?” I asked.

“Ooo-kay, yes…sure?” Zoe frowned. “Eh…Anders, isthisthe ‘we need to talk’ talk? Because I don’t want this to end badly.”

“Come with me.”

“Eh…no, I don’t want a ‘we need to talk’ talk.”

“Come on. Hurry.”

I picked up my laptop case and led the way, Zoe behind me, opening the door and closing it behind her. We needed privacy, if only from the excited boys. I placed the bag next to the desk and approached Zoe, who stood in front of it. Walking toward her, I started pulling my suit jacket off. I threw it over a chair before I reached her.

“Even though it went very well,” I grumbled, “and I feel positive that the Humphries will accept my proposal…” I paused, undid my cufflinks next, setting them down on the desk behind her. When I entered her personal space, she moved her hands on the desk behind her ass, leaning back slightly.

“Yes?” She seemed genuinely concerned.

I stepped even closer to her. “I couldn’t get you off my mind.”

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