Chapter 15: Chapter 15

ODETTE

“No. I’ve always wanted children, and this child is a part of you. Anything that’s a part of you is something I’m going to cherish.”

I was speechless. I hadn’t expected him to accept my situation, but here he was, telling me that he liked me and wanted to be a part of this.

“This isn’t going to be easy,” I reminded him. “I’m going to be fighting for custody, and I’ll be connected to Tyler for life.”

“I know, and I’ll be there with you through it all if you let me. Believe me when I say I’m all in. I want you and everything that comes with you.”

If we weren’t in public, I probably would have been ripping his clothes off right now. This was more than I could have hoped for.

“Let’s change the subject,” I suggested.

For the rest of dinner, we talked about our likes and dislikes. Apparently, Reece was still into outdoor activities; he liked to hike and fish. The fishing surprised me.

“Thank you for dinner,” I said.

“You’re welcome. Are you ready to check out of the hotel?”

“I am. Even though I feel bad, it will be nice to stay in a house on a bed I know is clean.”

“I’ll wait for you, and you can follow me back to my place.”

Reece left the car and jogged to the passenger side to open my door and help me out.

“I won’t be long; everything is already in my car. I have to drop off the hotel key, and then we can leave.”

***

Reece’s house was not what I expected. I had expected a small bachelor pad, but he lived in an attached townhome with three bedrooms—one was converted to an office.

“This is a nice place, and it’s not what I expected,” I said.

“What did you expect?” Reece asked.

“I expected it to be bare, very masculine, maybe not as clean.”

“Do I come across as someone who keeps a messy house?”

“No, I didn’t mean to offend you. I was only basing it off other places I’ve seen.”

“I’m joking, Etta. I’m not offended. It was a bit messy, but I took care of it before dinner. Anyway, feel free to use whatever you want. Please don’t feel like you have to ask me to eat or to use something.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate this, Reece. My life has been chaotic, but you seem to keep me grounded.”

Reece walked over to me and held my face in his hands.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t even have to think about it. I didn’t care about anything other than being with Reece. His kiss was something I’d been craving since he first kissed me.

When his lips touched mine, I felt my body instantly relax. I felt safe with Reece; a part of me wholeheartedly believed he would take care of me and be there with me through it all.

When Reece broke the kiss, I let out a sigh. He placed his forehead against mine and closed his eyes.

“Kissing you is one of the best things in this world.”

I let out a snort.

“No need to overplay it. I already let you kiss me.”

“Shut up and take the compliment.”

He gave me one last kiss before pulling away.

“I’ll help you bring your stuff in.”

***

I woke up refreshed; the bed was amazing, better than the one I had back in Maine. It was the first time I slept through the night and was ready to embrace the day.

Today was my first day in my new position, and I was looking forward to it. I was looking forward to the new work, the challenges, and starting over.

My goal for this morning was to let James know I was pregnant. I figured it was best to be upfront about it, and tonight, I was having dinner with Winston, Beau, Wren, and Sterling. Sterling already knew, but I needed to tell the rest of them. Since Theo decided to head out early, I planned to FaceTime him later this week and let him know.

Once I got to the office building, I dropped my bag at my desk and headed straight to James’s office.

I knocked on his office door, and he answered quickly, telling me to come in.

“I thought it would be you. I hope you find your office to your liking. I had it stocked with things I thought you would need. If you need anything else, let Clarke know, and we will get it ordered.”

“My office is great. Thank you for setting that up, but I came here to talk to you about something personal.”

“All right, have a seat.”

“I’m sorry to bother you so early, but I wanted to be honest and upfront about everything because it affects work. I found out a few days ago that I’m expecting.”

“Congratulations!”

“Thank you. I want you to know this won’t affect my work.”

“I know it won’t. Pregnancy is normal, and we have an excellent maternity leave policy. Have you had a chance to read it?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Well, you’ll be happy to know that we offer the full time off with pay.”

“That’s very generous of the company.”

“I agree. Thank you for being honest with me, Odette. I have a meeting to get to.”

James walked me to my office since he was heading that way. “Let me know if you need anything,” he told me.

As I settled into my desk chair, my phone started buzzing. I immediately felt a wave of nerves when I saw Tyler’s name flash across the screen.