Page 64 of His Surrender

I spend the rest of the afternoon organizing Liana’s dresser, folding tiny sleepers that somehow seemed to multiply overnight, and refilling the basket of diapers beside her changing table.

Anything to keep my mind busy.

Around five thirty, I hear the familiar ding of the private elevator.

My stomach does the same ridiculous little flip it always seems to do when I know Dean’s home.

I smooth my hands down my leggings.

Dean steps inside, carrying Liana, who appears to be asleep, in her car seat.

“Hi,” I say quietly as he walks farther into the room. “Did you have a good visit?”

“We did,” Dean answers. His tone is pleasant and professional.

He crouches to set the diaper bag on the floor before carefully lowering the car seat onto the ground.

“I’m going to put her in the swing and relax for a bit,” he tells me before he takes her out of the seat and walks away.

I stare at his back for a split second before taking the hint that he does not want me to join and walk toward my bedroom.

I can’t shake the feeling that something fundamental has shifted.

Yesterday, Dean would’ve asked me to stay or made me at least feel welcome enough to if I wanted.

He would’ve asked about my afternoon or sat at the island while I warmed Liana’s bottle, and somehow, we’d have ended up talking about everything and nothing.

Today … it feels like there’s an invisible wall between us. One I don’t remember building.

Maybe this morning wasn’t my imagination after all, and this is just how things are going to be now.

I blink away the disappointment before it has a chance to settle any deeper.

He’s my boss. He’s allowed to set boundaries.

I just wish it didn’t feel so much like I was losing a friend.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

DEAN

One month.

It’s strange how quickly a person can become part of your routine.

Not in the dramatic, life-altering way. There hasn’t been some earth-shattering moment where Aubrey suddenly became so vital to my life. It has happened slowly. One ordinary day at a time until now, where I can’t remember what the apartment felt like before her.

Friday afternoons used to mean leaving the office with my mind still occupied by work. By the time Louis dropped me off at the building, I’d already be answering emails in my head.

Now my thoughts wander somewhere entirely different. I find myself wondering whether Liana napped well. Or if I walked into the apartment, would I hear Aubrey singing some song in order to make Liana smile?

I lean back in my chair, rubbing a hand over my jaw as Brady finishes reviewing next week’s schedule.

“And Legal wants your approval before they send the revised contracts.”

“Hmm?”

Brady pauses. “The contracts.”