“Playing. I think avoiding naps might be her hobby. She loves the small slide at daycare.” Elodie’s affection shows in her tone. I remember her as angelic and bright.
"Daycare?”
She glances sidelong at me, but with reassurance. “Yeah, Haven Crossroads has one. I'm sure you know all of those things, Mr. New COO.”
Shit, I am.
The mother of my child works there, and no one knows I’m Lola’s father—but that’s about to change.
"We are going to have to address that dynamic. The office one. But Lola at daycare is perfect. I can check on her anytime.”
Elodie inhales a sharp breath. "Right.” Her voice is unsteady. “We have to go slow. You can't just show up when you want. She needs structure… I need to, well, figure you out and your intentions.”
My lips quirk out as I consider.“Makes sense, but I'm not backing down from my original thought. I'm entering her life—because I have to, for Lola and for me—and I won't let this be simple. There's too much at stake to just let it go.”
“Can we slow down? I'm also overwhelmed. I didn't thinkI would see you again. This is big. Not just for me but for Lola, and she has no idea.”
An instinct has my hand moving to comfort her, but I pull back before I touch her. We should keep a respectable wall between us while we figure out the basics. I’m probably being stubborn—any friend would say unreasonable—but right now, I ignore it. This situation stings.
“I'm not going to wait long. I want to meet her properly soon. It's a big week with the announcement of my joining Haven Crossroads, but now, Lola is an even bigger event.”
She scoots away like I'm suddenly a hot plate.We both glance quickly at a car going by. This town is almost eerily calm. People say “good day” in passing, even if they notice that two people are in the most important conversation of their lives.
“By chance, in the city I got a place with three bedrooms, and there’s a pool in the building. There’s space for Lola.”And you.That comes to my mind for a second, but that's a mistake. Or is it? We have to get to know one another a lot better.
Elodie tightens her sweater around her slim curves, disgruntled. "I'm at a loss for words. You'll meet her in a few days. After that, I hope we can find a way forward. It doesn't have to be messy, but it's always been her and me. I can't just let her go half the time."
I feel like an insufferable jerk, but the ache is still there—I want to scream, to demand why it had to be this way. Alas, this is the hand I’m forced to play, and I’ll fight for every bit of lost time.
I stand, making my resolve unmistakable. "I warned you you’d hate me, but I keep my promises. This is happening—my lawyer will be in touch."
Her face turns pale, and her jaw drops. She stands, infuriated. “You have every right as her biological father to know Lola and play a role in her life if you’re serious. But you know what? I'm getting the gist that so far today you are not being the best version of yourself. So figure it the fuck out so we can move forward.”
And she storms away.
“You're being an asshole,”Julian berates me as he sits behind his desk overlooking the city.
There’s coffee and croissants on the table, but this breakfast meeting tanked in seconds.
“Am I? Tell me, oh wise one, what would you do in my shoes?” I challenge as I unbutton my blazer on my three-piece suit and saunter to the desk.
He folds his arms and gives me an unimpressed look but then slips into a sympathetic one. “Fine. I'm not sure. But Elodie, she's… sweet, kind… my fiancée's best friend, employee… did I mention a great mom?”
Sitting down in front of his desk, I don't argue his description. “I'm trying to navigate the next few days. I need to talk to her and balance the announcement.”
“Agreed. I've already had my assistant ask marketing to reschedule interviews and such to give you a few days of breathing space.”
“I appreciate that.”
“But I'm also advising you as a friend that you need to find another approach when it comes to Elodie. You know I'm right.”
I am listening.
But I'm a man capable of being two people. One is a man who seeks success and approaches it with structure. Out ofthe office, I'm the guy who is normally lower-key. Except, the whole weekend I treated life like a business deal, throwing around demands and seeing red.
Maybe the struggle is that I'm trying to figure out the alternate routes.I'm capable of operating a billion-dollar company, but my newly discovered daughter and her mom, who was a one-night stand? I'm clueless. Out of my realm. I'm resorting to what I know best, and that's a business approach fueled by innate instinct for my child. And an awareness that I can't even consider Elodie a one-night stand. It was a stronger connection, which is another slew of problems in itself.
But as I reflect, I'm aware I'm going to have re-evaluate my demeanor.