Chapter 54

Alex

"Carr?"

Alex looked up as the officer rapped on the door. "Move your ass, Carr. You've made bail."

"That's not possible," he said, sitting up and stretching out the ache in his back. These beds weren't comfortable. "Who's here?"

"You don't get to ask questions. Just do as you're fucking told."

Scrambling to his feet, Alex didn't need to be told twice. He did as he was fucking told. Following the officer to processing, he kept his head down, just in case. He'd learned pretty quickly that looking at someone the wrong way could get you into a shitload of trouble.

"... pretty little blonde thing. The sick fuck tried to cut the baby out…"

What?!

Despite himself, Alex looked over his shoulder. He was trying to hear the rest of the conversation between the two officers walking in the opposite direction.

"What was that about?" He asked, taking a chance.

"The reason you're getting processed so quickly," the officer said, scratching his beard. "We've got bigger fish to fry."

"Did he say they tried to cut out a baby?"

"Sure did. Fuck knows what goes through these sick freak's heads." Pushing open a door, the officer gestured with his head. "In."

"But... I mean, is the girl okay?" Alex couldn't explain the panic bubbling in his stomach. He didn't even care about Sophie or the baby. Right? "My girlfriend is pregnant. She's blonde too. "

The officer paused, shooting Alex a sympathetic look. "They're in the hospital, under observation. I hear they're both going to be fine." He clapped his hand on Alex's shoulder. "But your girl is here to pick you up, so I wouldn't worry too much."

"Sophie's here?"

That made no sense, but he couldn't deny the relief that flooded his body, knowing that she was okay. That his daughter was okay. He wasn't sure where the sudden urge of parental concern had come from, nor did he care much for the feeling.

But it was nice to know that they were both okay.

What he really wanted to know was how Sophie had got the money for bail. He hadn't even checked in with her after she left. He had no idea where she'd been. For all he knew, she'd been sleeping on the streets. On the streets where a madman had tried to cut open a pregnant woman's stomach.

It could have been Sophie.

The weight of those words sat heavy in his heart as he made his way through processing. Lucky for him, the officer thrust a wad of paperwork into his hand, explaining the terms of his bail. Even with a gun to his head, Alex couldn't recall a word that left the officer's mouth.

All he could think about was Sophie.

He had been so awful to her. Yet, when he desperately needed an ally, there she was to bring him home.

He didn't deserve her.

It was this thought that had him pulling her into his arms as the officer released him from custody. She hesitated before moving her arms around him.

"I didn't expect this reaction," she admitted, murmuring against his neck.

He held her at arm's length, inspecting her. "Are you okay? I just heard about the attack on that pregnant woman."

"Yeah, I heard about that," she said, dropping her tone to a whisper. "But I'm okay. The baby too.

Alex glanced over his shoulder at the officer watching the exchange. "Let's get out of here. "

Leading the way, Sophie stepped out of the building and through the car park. "I'm lucky Erica is so bossy, actually."

"Erica? What do you mean?"

"Well, that's where I was staying." Sophie stopped outside his car, handing him the keys. "I hope you don't mind. I needed some way of getting here."

"That's fine," he said, opening the door and letting her in. "Just go back a second. You were staying with Erica?"

"Since the night I left," she said, fastening her seatbelt. "To be honest, I went there and made a fool of myself."

"How so?" He asked, pushing the keys into the ignition but leaving them hanging there. He wanted to give her his completely undivided attention, and somehow he knew he wouldn't be able to focus on driving.

"I tried to get Marcus back," she said with a shrug, twisting in her seat. "He's got the fancy house and the money now. I figured I'd be able to take care of the baby with him."

I got your girl; I took your biggest client, and I got the life you always dreamed of.

Marcus' words replayed in his mind as he clenched his teeth. The fucker really had taken everything from him.

He wasn't having his fucking baby, too.

"It didn't go well, I take it?" He asked, controlling his tone.

"Nope. He laughed in my face," she said, her cheeks stained with a blush. "Which is probably what I deserved. He was ready to shut the door in my face. Erica stopped him."

"Why?" He asked incredulously.

"I don't know," she replied. "Neither does Erica. I asked her." She cleared her throat, swallowing audibly. "All she said is she'd never forgive herself if something happened to the baby."

"I don't get it," he said, leaning back in his seat. "I mean, I'm glad she did because God knows what would have happened—"

"She could have very well saved my life. Odette's too."

And as a thank you, Alex vowed to never darken her doorway again. He'd already come to terms with the fact he'd lost her. Sitting in a jail cell with nothing else to do but contemplate had forced the realisation on him. It hurt. He missed her constantly.

He knew there was no winning her back, no matter how much he might want to.

But now, though she would never know it, he'd leave her alone to thank her for keeping his child out of harm's way.

"Odette?" He asked, reaching over to place his hand on the swell of her stomach. "You chose my name?"

"It grew on me," she said. "Plus, she seems to like it. She kicks away whenever I call her name."

"Is that right?" He said, glancing up at her. "Do you like your name, Odette?" Sure enough, a swift kick to his hand confirmed it. He had a daughter, and her name was Odette. "God, that felt weird."

Sophie laughed softly. "You should feel it from my end."

Silence fell between them as Alex rubbed his thumb over Sophie's bump.

What a confusing position he had found himself in. Marcus hadn't been wrong when he called him out - he did not want this child. He wasn't ready to be a father and give up his valuable time to take care of a tiny human. Despite that, though, he couldn't deny the relief he felt to see his daughter was safe and well. He couldn't stop his heart warming as she squirmed and stretched under his hand.

"What's got into you?" Sophie asked. "I'm not complaining but—"

"I don't know," he admitted. "All I know is when I heard about that psycho, panic gripped my heart, and I was very, very happy to see you safe and well."

"So, what does that mean?" She asked. He could see the nerves in her eyes and felt his stomach drop. God, what had he done to this woman? She'd come to his company, bright-eyed and confident. Now she was a shadow of her former self.

A mouse.

"I think jumping back into a relationship would be stupid," he said carefully. "We weren't exactly healthy, were we?"

"You can say that again."

"I want you to come home," he said. "I wanna make sure you're both okay and take care of you. "

"You mean that?" She asked. "Because I don't want to fight again and have to leave. And I definitely don't want to go back to Erica—"

"Nah. I think we're done with Marcus and Erica now." He cleared his throat at the pang in his chest. "Now we focus on our lives. Our daughter."

"Okay." Offering him a tentative smile, she nodded. "I'd like to come home."

"You got it," he said, leaning across the console and kissing her cheek. "I've got you." He cleared his throat and straightened up. He felt good about this decision.

He and Sophie could make a good team if they worked at it. Taking out romance, or more accurately, sex, there was no reason they couldn't be friends.

"Do you have a picture?" He asked. "Like a scan picture?"

Widening her eyes in surprise, she quickly recovered, reaching into the back to grab her bag. "Yeah. Yeah, I have a few." Rummaging around in the bag, she pulled out a box and handed it over.

Odette had the longest legs, stretched over her head like a tiny gymnast. He could make out the shape of her hand, thumb resting in her mouth.

"Are these 4D?" He asked as he leafed through a collection of clearer images. He glanced at Sophie, who nodded in acknowledgement. "Incredible technology," he murmured. "She has your lips."

Sophie laughed and nodded. "The sonographer said the same. She has your nose, though."

Sure enough, now she had mentioned it, he couldn't unsee it. That was his daughter, who shared his nose. From that moment on, he knew life would never be the same.

"They're beautiful," he said, handing back the box. "Thank you for letting me share this with you."

Pulling back, he finally turned the engine. Buckling up, he pulled out of the car park and joined the mid-afternoon traffic. "How did you get the money for my bail, by the way?"

He glanced over at her, surprised to see her cheeks stained with pink. "Soph? "

"Okay, so don't judge me. But they left me alone in their house and I snooped. I mean, of course I snooped."

Alex barked out a laugh and smirked. "Of course you did," he said as he pulled up at a red light. "So, what happened next?"

"Well." Chewing her lip, she hesitated. "I found Erica's engagement ring and wedding band." She shrugged. "I figured they belonged to you anyway, so I pawned them."

So that was that.

The divorce was final. Her rings were gone.

His life with Erica was well and truly over. Their marriage was just a lost chapter in his book of life.

He took a slow breath and smiled over at her with a nod. "I'm glad you did. Thank you, Sophie."

"You're welcome." She paused, watching out of the windows as the lights turned green. "Alex, I feel like I need to warn you about a few things."

"Okay?"

"Well, you know Marcus released the video, right? Erica has bruises on her wrists from where you grabbed her. Things have changed already."

"Shit." He almost forgot about the damn video and Marcus' threat. "How bad is it?"

"I went into the office," she said. "Tried to rally the troops and make sure we were all working hard. I wanted them to focus on what we could do rather than what we couldn't."

Alex blinked in surprise at how calm she sounded. How focused. She had really gone to bat for him recently, and he didn't deserve any of it.

"We've had a couple people jump ship already," she said. "Once the London Group dropped us, they ran."

"So, it's official? They've dropped us?"

"There are a few legal things to work out, but yeah. You no longer represent them."

He took another breath, clenching his teeth to keep his anger at bay. Now was not the time. This was not the place.

"What else?" He asked.

"I've called your other clients. Gone full damage control. Thankfully, we have two clients that don't care what's going on as long as we keep putting out good work for them. "

"That's something," he said, nodding as he tried to sort through his thoughts. "It could've been worse. Two clients are better than no clients."

"People have built empires with less.""

He shot her a glance and smiled at her quiet confidence. With her hand cradling her stomach and the sun shining through the window, bathing her in warmth, she had never looked more beautiful.

"Motherhood suits you," he said with a wider smile. "You're radiant."

She turned her head towards him, her eyes meeting his. "And a stint in prison seems to have softened you. Is this all for show, Alex, or do you mean what you say?"

Reaching across the console for her hand, he squeezed her fingers.

"Let's rebuild our empire, Sophie. You and me. Together." Pulling into his driveway, he killed the engine. "No more drama. No more Marcus and Erica. Just you, me, and little Odette. Together."

Her fingers clasped around his, her answering smile infectious as he couldn't help but return it.

"Alright, Alex. You got it. You and me, together."