Chapter 16

Bridgett

Lay It Out

With my heels clicking on the tile floor, I head down the hall toward Edgar’s office with the file he requested in hand. It’s Monday, and although I usually dread coming to work after the weekend, there is a pep in my step and a smile on my face that I can’t shake.

To say I’m happy is an understatement, and my good mood has everything to do with going to bed with Noah last night and waking up in his arms this morning. Not that I had much choice about sleeping with him since he carried me up to his bed, where he stripped us of our clothes, then held me until I fell asleep.

It didn’t take long. Between the relief of him being safe and home and two orgasms, I passed out almost the minute my head hit the pillow. Waking up was a lot more difficult, but having him get up and shower with me definitely made for a great start to the day.

As I get closer to Edgar’s office, my footsteps slow because I hear a multitude of voices, my name and my brother’s, and some not-so-nice language. Anger curls in my stomach as I listen to the men who have worked for my father for years talking about us like we’re nothing more than pests they have been forced to deal with. And although it hurts to hear them badmouth about me, it pisses me off that they’re talking about my brother.

Aiden made it clear for years that he never wanted to work for my father, but when our dad had his stroke, he agreed to come home and fill our dad’s shoes—something that wasn’t easy for him to do. Our dad wasn’t the kind of boss to leave all the work to the people under him. No, he ran everything himself, only delegating certain projects to the people he hired.

For weeks after his stroke, no one seemed to know up from down, and if it weren’t for Aiden, I have no doubt the business would have gone under.

With a much-needed deep breath, I walk the rest of the way down the hall to Edgar’s office and step inside without waiting for him and the other men in the room to acknowledge me. Five sets of eyes turn my way, but I keep my gaze locked on Edgar’s as I toss the file in my hand onto his desk.

“Here’s the file you asked for.” I glance around the room, catching the eye of each man standing there. Men I know my father has trusted for years. Men looking at me like they have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

“I know I just started working for Bender and Sons and that I have a lot to learn about the company and my place here, but I think each of you needs to be reminded that this is Aiden’s and my father’s company.

“Bridgett—” Edgar starts, but I hold up my hand.

“I do not care how you feel about either of us. I do not care if you think we deserve the positions we have. I do care about you talking about us like we don’t matter. Because we do.” I glance at everyone again. “This is our dad’s company, and if I ever hear you talking negatively about Aiden or me again, I will go to our father. And if you know anything about him, you know he’s always wanted to keep Bender and Sons a family business, which means it won’t be Aiden or me without a job. It will be you.”

With that final statement, I turn on my heel and head out of the office and down the hall to my desk, feeling like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I don’t know how my dad would feel about me doing what I just did, but I feel fricking fabulous, like I should be offered an Academy Award.

When I hit my desk, I grab my purse from my drawer and dig through it for my cell phone so I can send Noah a message to let him know what just happened. I might not know how my dad or Aiden will react to what just happened, but I do know Noah will be proud of me for standing up for myself.

Just as I finish sending him a text, I hear footsteps approaching. When I look up, I spot Catharine coming my way. I haven’t seen her since I was out with May weeks ago. As soon as our eyes meet, I can tell something is off. She might be dressed in a pretty, expensive jacket, jeans, and boots with her hair fixed and makeup done, but she looks pale and nervous.

“Hey,” she whispers when she’s close. I place my cell on my desk so I can message Noah once I figure out what’s going on with her.

“Hey,” I parrot, then ask, “Are you meeting someone?” I mean, people purchasing property or a home don’t usually come to this location, but what the hell do I know?

“No.” She licks her lips. “I came to talk to you.” She glances around the empty office space. “Do you have a couple of minutes to talk?”

“Sure.” I look at the conference room. When my dad was here, everyone in the office had weekly meetings in there, but it’s been empty since. “Come on.” I lead the way, letting her inside before me and then shutting the door. After we both take a seat at the large oval table, I watch her, wondering what this is all about.

“I don’t even know how to say what I’m going to say,” she says quietly, ducking her head, then I listen to her take a deep breath. “Conner and I are having a baby.”

My spine stiffens—not in anger or shock, but in a what-the-heck-are-you-doing-here-and-why-the-hell-are-you-telling-me-this kind of way.

“I need you to sign the divorce papers he gave you.”

“What?” A laugh escapes, and she lifts her head to glare at me.

“I know he gave you divorce papers. I need you to sign them so he and I can get married.” She rests her hand on her stomach, probably to remind me that she’s carrying his child.

“I don’t know what Conner told you, Catharine, but I’ve already signed the divorce papers.”

“Don’t lie.” Her nostrils flare. “He told me you’ve refused to sign them until he gives you the money you asked for.”

“Is that what he said?” I try really hard not to start laughing, but it’s honestly difficult, given the situation.

“He told me everything.” She sits up a little straighter in the chair she’s in, no longer looking as unsure or ill as she did earlier. “I know you cheated on him and that, even when he forgave you for forsaking your vows, you didn’t stop sleeping around. And now you’re trying to get every single penny you can from him.”

“I think you and Conner need to have an honest conversation about what’s really going on,” I tell her gently because getting upset cannot be good for her or the baby if she is pregnant.

“He’s always honest with me,” she snaps while slapping her hand down on the top of the conference table, making me jump. “For once, think about him and how what you’ve done has affected him.”

Taking a breath, I think about trying to tell her again that I already signed the divorce papers, and that Conner is the one refusing to jot his name on the dotted line, but I can tell by her demeanor she won’t believe me. “All right.” I stand. “I’ll sign the papers.”

“What?” She blinks up at me.

“I’ll sign the papers.”

“You will?”

“Absolutely.” I shrug and head toward the door, ready for this awkward conversation to be over. I hear her get up.

“How will I know you’re being honest about signing the papers?” she asks, stepping out of the conference room as I hold open the door.

“If he doesn’t have them from my lawyer by tomorrow, you can stop by, and I’ll give you a copy,” I tell her, and it hurts me to see her so relieved by my response. I know her trust in Conner is misplaced, but I can see she has to learn that difficult lesson all on her own.

“Thank you.”

“Mm-hmm.” I watch her walk toward the hall that leads to the exit, and as she disappears out of sight, I hope like heck Conner does right by her and the child she’s carrying.

* * * *

Sitting on the front porch, I watch Lola, Louie, Chanel, and Coco wander around in the thick grass of the front yard. When I got home from work this evening, I decided to bring the pups outside to explore—something they hadn’t been big enough to do until now. I wasn’t sure they would take to the change of environment, but from the minute we got outside, they started exploring every blade of grass and haven’t stopped since.

When I hear a car coming down the driveway, my stomach instantly starts to flutter. Noah sent me a text letting me know he would be home in time for dinner, which is a bonus with his new position. I guess the overnight shifts he had been working are a thing of the past. Or maybe they’ll just be few and far between now.

As a familiar car comes into sight through the trees, the flutters in my stomach instantly turn to anxiety.

“Lola,” I call, and her head flies around before she starts running my way. Thankfully, all the puppies follow her lead. “Come on, guys. Hurry.” I pat my thigh and open the door to the house as Conner parks his car at the edge of the walkway.

“Bridgett!” he shouts as I try to get the puppies inside.

“Go away, Conner!” I yell back without looking at him, my attention on the pups circling my feet and Lola, who is now barking. Just when I start to step inside, hoping the dogs will follow, he snatches my biceps in a tight grip. “Let me go.”

On instinct, I spin toward him and shove his chest with all my might. Instead of releasing me, he stumbles off the step, taking me with him. I hit the ground hard, my hip taking most of the impact while he lands on his back with a grunt.

He groans. “We need to talk.”

“No.” I scramble to my feet and try to make it to the door, but his hand goes around my ankle, tripping me. I fall face-first toward the concrete steps, barely catching myself with my hands while my knee slams into the edge of the stair. A surge of adrenaline and anger flood my system, and I flip around to my bottom and start kicking, not caring one single bit where I hit him.

“Stop it! I just want to talk to you.” He yelps when I catch him in the jaw with the edge of my foot, but he doesn’t release me. Instead, he grabs the foot that just kicked him and stands.

“Let me go!” I scream, but he doesn’t. Instead, he yanks me fully down the stairs, causing my head to hit the ground with a thud.

“Shut the fuck up!” he roars at Lola, then tries to kick her. Thankfully she’s nimble and quick, and he misses.

Seeing red, I sit, grab hold of his hands, and dig my nails into his skin. That does it. He lets one of my feet go, and I use the opportunity to kick him again. This time, I make direct contact with his crotch, and he releases me and falls to his knees, grabbing his junk.

“You kicked me in the balls!” he howls as I quickly get to my feet.

“You deserved it, you dick. You tried to kick my dog!” I step toward him with plans to kick him again but scream when arms wrap around me, and I’m lifted off the ground.

“It’s just me,” Noah says in my ear. My body goes limp against him. He drops me to my feet, then spins me around to face him and grasps my face. “Are you okay?”

“I think so,” I pant, only realizing then just how out of breath I am and how hard my heart is pounding.

“All right.” He touches his lips to my forehead, then says, “Go inside, call 911, then grab my duffle from the laundry room and bring it out to me.”

“Okay,” I agree, and he lets me go. I run toward the house, and as soon as I’m up the steps, I hear a scuffle and Conner shouting. I turn to find Noah shoving him face-down in the yard and placing my ex’s hands behind his back. Knowing Noah probably wants his handcuffs from the duffle, I run to the laundry room first, then grab my cell phone on my way back through the kitchen, dialing 911 as I head outside.

“You can’t arrest me!” Conner screams, fighting Noah to get loose, which is about as pointless as an ant fighting a lion.

I carry the bag across the yard to Noah while telling the dispatcher on the phone what happened and that we need an officer to come out. Before I disconnect, she tells me she has someone en route and less than ten minutes away.

“They’re on the way.” I watch Noah pull Conner off the ground once the cuffs are on.

“Good job, baby.”

“So you two are together now, huh?” Conner asks as Noah walks him toward the driveway.

“Shut up, you idiot,” I snap at him. “Seriously, I don’t even know why the hell you showed up here. You should be home with your pregnant girlfriend.”

“He’s having a baby with someone?” Noah asks me.

“Yes. She came into my office today, asking me to sign the divorce papers I’ve already signed.” I roll my eyes, and he grunts.

“I came to tell you that you and I can be together. That we can raise the baby.”

“Oh my God, you really are an idiot.” I laugh. “And your plan to get me back involved manhandling me and dragging me around?”

“You put your hands on her?” Noah asks, sounding so scary a chill slides down my spine.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Conner says quickly, then adds, “She shoved me.”

“You grabbed me!” I yell at him, then watch in awe as Noah picks Conner up, his feet a good twelve inches off the ground, before slamming him down to sit on the tailgate of his truck with enough force the truck bounces .

“I’m going to take your badge for abuse!” Conner yells at him.

“You try to do any such thing, I’ll press charges,” I yell at him, and he snaps his mouth shut. “Sign the divorce papers, Conner, and leave me the hell alone, or I swear to God I will press charges and then tell anyone who will listen about what you did.”

“Babe, you’re pressing charges anyway,” Noah says, and I tip my head back to meet his gaze.

“What?” Conner asks, looking panicked.

“He showed up here and put his hands on you. You’re pressing charges, and he’s going to jail,” he continues without even acknowledging Conner, who’s started to wiggle and is trying to get down off the truck.

“I’ll sign the papers,” Conner says. I look at him. “I’ll do whatever you want. I can’t go to jail. My parents would kill me.”

“You’re going to jail, motherfucker.”

“Do you swear you’ll sign the papers?” I ask, hearing Noah growl.

“Yes, I’ll sign them right now. They’re in my car.”

“Is it unlocked?” I ask.

“Yes.” He nods frantically. “They’re on the back seat,” he says. I walk to his car parked in front of Noah’s truck and open the back door. When I see the papers along with a pen, I pick both of them up.

“Bridgett.” Noah steps in front of me, and I rest a hand against his abs.

“This is the one thing I want.”

“Fuck.” He groans, then glares at me. “At some point, I’m gonna get good at telling your ass no and sticking to that.”

“Okay,” I whisper, trying not to smile so I don’t make him angry. Taking the papers and pen from me, he walks them over to Conner, then pulls a key out of the pocket of the coat he has on.

“It looks like today is your lucky day,” he grumbles to Conner, dropping the papers onto the tailgate of the truck before uncuffing him. “Sign them,” Noah bites out, and Conner hops down, flips open the folder, and starts to sign. I let out a relieved breath when he finishes, then take the papers from him and hold them against my chest.

“Now, listen to me for once and go inside, babe,” Noah says. I don’t push my luck. Instead, I head across the yard, and just as I hit the front porch, two police cruisers pull up.

I stand just inside and watch three officers and Noah gather around Conner, and I can tell by the panicked movements Conner’s making they are scaring the crap out of him. I probably shouldn’t be happy to know he’s so intimidated, but given what happened just a little bit ago, I am. A few minutes pass before they let him get into his car, then Noah and the guys talk a bit before they shake hands, and the officers get into their cruisers.

As Conner and the officers turn around in the yard so they can head down the driveway, Noah gets in his truck and drives it toward the garage. I close the front door and walk through the house to meet him.

The second he steps inside the back door, I run toward him. He doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around me and pick me up. “He signed the papers.” I smile down at him.

“He did.” He carries me down the hall toward the kitchen. “I still wish he was going to jail.”

“Sorry.” I rest my hands on his chest as he plants my ass on the counter, placing himself between my thighs.

“I’ll find a way for you to make it up to me.”

“That might sound like a threat, but I have a feeling it’s not.” I smile, and he chuckles while cupping my face between his palms.

“You know, now that you’re divorced, I’m keeping you.”

“Are you?”

“Fuck, yes.” He kisses me, and I kiss him right back.

If someone had told me months ago that I would be living with a man and falling in love, I would have laughed and laughed.

But I guess things have a funny way of working out for the best, even when you think you’re at your lowest.