Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty-six

RILEY

^~Five Years Later…~^

“Abby, slow down!” I huffed, chasing after my four-year-old daughter who was darting after dogs in the park.

I stopped when I saw her gently petting a small puppy, releasing a sigh of relief.

“You know, you don’t have to be on edge all the time,” my grandmother said from behind me.

I turned to face her, seeing my dad’s features mirrored in her face.

“I know, Grandma, but she’s so energetic. I’m just worried she might get hurt,” I confessed, sitting next to her on the park bench, my eyes never leaving Abby.

“That’s just motherly instinct.” She took my hands in hers. We both watched Abby playing with the puppy, and I couldn’t help but smile at the heartwarming scene.

A month after moving to Phoenix, I discovered I was pregnant with Tristan’s baby.

Lucy and I had been so wrong. That jerk had left me with a lasting reminder of our relationship.

But I never regretted having Abby. I loved my daughter more than anything. My dad and grandma were incredibly supportive, helping me every step of the way.

They never brought up Tristan or asked if I planned to tell him about the pregnancy, which I appreciated.

After Abby was born, I took a year off, then enrolled in community college. That led to a decent job at a small publishing agency.

I couldn’t have done it without their support. Balancing classes and caring for Abby was tough.

Life hadn’t been easy these past few years, and there were many nights I cried myself to sleep.

Lucy knew about Abby. We kept in touch, and I made her promise not to tell anyone, especially Tristan. She respected my decision.

Eventually, I couldn’t hide the real reason for our breakup from her.

Thankfully, she was in New York, far enough away to prevent her from throttling Tristan. She was studying medicine in Canada now.

I knew I was being selfish. Abby deserved to have her father in her life, but I wasn’t sure Tristan would even remember me—the nerdy girl he’d slept with in high school just to boost his ego.

“You’re doing it again,” my grandma’s voice interrupted my thoughts, and I looked at her, puzzled.

“Doing what?”

“Thinking about him.”

“What? No, I’m not,” I stammered, feeling caught.

She shook her head, smiling gently.

“It’s okay to still love him, sweetheart. Your grandfather and I were high school sweethearts, too. We had our share of fights, and we broke up countless times.”

She chuckled. “We even dated other people, but we always found our way back to each other.”

I smiled at her story. “This isn’t like that, Grandma. He was a player, and he played me. That’s all there is to it.”

“I’m not saying you should give him another chance, but he deserves to know about Abby.”

~There it is. She finally said it.~

“I knew you’d say that someday, and you’re probably right,” I admitted, feeling frustrated.

She patted my back gently. “Take your time to think about it. I know you’ll make the right decision. You always do.” She squeezed my hand, and I nodded.

“Let’s head home before it gets dark. I’ll meet you at the car,” I said, standing up and running toward Abby. I scooped her up in my arms, and she squealed with delight.

“Time to go home, sweetie.”

“Can we come back tomorrow?” she asked in her innocent voice.

I smiled at her. “Sure, but only if you go to bed early tonight.”

“Okay, Mommy.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder as we walked to the car.

~God, I love this little girl so much.~

***

“But I have my e-certificate. Isn’t that enough?” I asked the young woman behind the desk at my new office.

She looked too bored to even answer, just shaking her head.

“Damn it!” I muttered, glancing around.

“Is there someone else I can talk to? A supervisor?” I asked, adjusting my bag on my shoulder. She sighed, clearly annoyed.

“Ms. Adams, we only accept original documents in hard copy. We need to file them and add your name to our database. Please follow the procedure,” she replied, her tone sharp.

I wanted to smack her. “Fine,” I grumbled, returning to my desk. If I needed my original high school documents, I’d have to go all the way back to New York.

I’d been avoiding that trip until now.

~Why does this have to happen now?~

“Everything okay?” A deep voice asked.

I looked up to see a man in his early thirties standing near my desk, dressed in a suit.

He was quite handsome, with jet-black hair and bright blue eyes.

“Yeah... umm... is there a way to bypass submitting the hard copy of my documents? They say it’s procedure and all,” I asked, pouting slightly.

He chuckled. “I take it you’re new here.”

I nodded.

“Well, there’s no way around these formalities, unless you’re the boss. He runs the company, after all,” he shrugged, and I groaned, burying my head in my hands.

“Well, the boss is an ass, because now I have to fly all the way back to New York for a single piece of paper that needs my signature. This is ridiculous,” I muttered, turning on my computer.

“Did you just call me an ass?” he asked, sounding amused.

I blinked up at him, my face a mask of confusion. He was fighting back a grin, and my eyes widened in shock and mortification.

I shot up from my chair, sending a few items scattering from my desk.

~Damn it!~

~Smooth move, Riley!~

“I—I’m so sorry, Mr.—”

He interrupted me, extending his hand for a shake. “Jonathan Reed, CEO of—”

“Reed Publishing Agency,” I finished for him, and he shot me a playful smirk.

My hands were trembling like leaves in the wind, and I could feel sweat beading on my forehead.

~Perfect! Just three days into my new job, and I’m already on the chopping block.~

“Take it easy, Ms.… ”

“Riley Adams.” I swallowed hard.

“I appreciate your assertiveness, Ms. Adams,” he said, then turned to leave.

But after a few steps, he paused and spun back around. “Oh, and don’t forget to submit the documents by this weekend,” he added before disappearing around the corner.

~Shit!~

~I just called my boss a jerk and now I have to organize a trip to New York.~

~Could this day possibly get any worse?~