Page 156 of The Risk Taker
“It has a happy ending,” a female voice says.
I look up and spot Jude leaning against the doorframe, watching us. Her eyes are shining like she’s holding back tears.
“Yeah, it does,” I agree, gazing back at her.
She tips her head toward Molly. “She’s such a cutie.”
I follow her eyes, smiling at Molly’s little sleeping face. Her breathing has evened out and she looks so peaceful.
“Yeah, she is.” I kiss Molly on the forehead, then extract myself carefully so I don’t wake her, before making sure she’s tucked in properly, so she stays warm.
Stepping from the room, I link hands with Jude and we head back to the living area.
“Have fun on your date,” Sullivan calls, pausing in the middle of the song he’s playing.
Jude’s eyes glitter as she glances at me. “We will.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. Sinclair’s going to give us a ride. She and Denver are downstairs.”
Sullivan snorts, a smirk on his lips. “Fasten your belts.”
I tip my chin at him. “See you tomorrow.”
“Meeting starts at eight-thirty.”
“See you at eight, then.” I grin.
The piano music begins again as we walk away, and I recognize the opening bars of a different song to the classical one he was playing a moment ago.
This one’s “Unstoppable” by Sia.
“You’re really loving being back at work, aren’t you?” Jude asks as we ride the elevator down.
“I mean…” I shrug.
“It’s okay.” She grins. “You can admit it. You like being back in a suit, doing all the fancy business stuff with your family again.”
I pull her under my arm and press a kiss to her temple as we walk across the lobby toward the main doors.
“Yeah, I do,” I admit.
Going back to work at Beaufort Diamonds has been more straightforward than I thought it would be. I guess seeing my family again was the hard part. The work is a welcome distraction. Something to focus on that keeps us all moving forward, instead of stuck in the past. It would be easy to have spent the last couple of weeks swirling toward a black hole of regret after Uncle Mal’s confession.
But I’ve spent long enough being haunted by that day. We all have.
My father suggested I come back, just for a day to see how things have been going since I was last here. It was nice to see the team. There are new faces, of course, but still lots of people I recognize, like Arabella, who’s now Sullivan’s PA, instead of my father’s.
I knew he would take the helm as CEO one day, and what happened brought that day forward. But it suits Sullivan. He’s great at it, and I can tell he loves it. The moment he started talking about an idea he has for a new line, I took a seat in his office, and I never left.
I finally see a future again.
One I’m excited for.
“I’m glad.” Jude leans into my side. “Happiness suits you, Cowboy.”
I grin and pull her closer as we step outside.
