“Sir, Tori and I… we, uh… we sort of slept together. On her 30th birthday. It was supposed to be just a fling, but I think we both fell for each other. Jeff here was trying to make me look good today when Tori asked to know more about me, but ended up telling her that all I really want is a baby - a family. Not a woman, or a girlfriend. Or a wife.”
Jeff’s head snapped up to meet my eyes, his face shocked and tense. Yeah, dude. It’s that serious. Carter looked skeptically at me, sizing me up for the first time since I walked into his office for an interview almost three years ago. I suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious and realized just how young and idiotic I must have looked to him.
“Listen, Mr. Buchanan, I know… I know that Tori is important to you and that you’re protective of her. I know you don’t want to lose her as your assistant or as Emma’s friend. I get all of that, but you gotta hear me out. I need your help getting to her before shit really hits the fan.” I had my hands up in placation or surrender, I wasn’t entirely sure which, and I was laying it out for this guy who could kick my ass in three seconds flat if he wanted to. But he continued to stand there, his arms clasped behind his back, looking like a dad about to dole out punishment.
“First of all, Mr. Preston, I don’t know you and I don’t particularly care to. I do, however, care for Victoria. And so does Emma, which makes this a particularly precarious situation for me. Explain to me why in the world you deserve someone like Tori and maybe I’ll help you get to her,” he finished with a slight shrug of his massive shoulders. Challenge accepted, Carter.
“Ok. Ok. Fair enough,” I conceded and began to move towards Jeff’s panoramic windows that gave a great view of the city.
“It starts like this. I’ve got a fucked up past, right? Dad gone before I’m old enough talk, Mom high on drugs every day. I’m barely in 2nd grade before my mom ghosts and I go into the foster care system. Shitty place to be, you know?” I didn’t look at Carter or Jeff, I just kept walking and talking.
“The only thing that held my shit together when I was in the system was caring for the kids that were younger and more scared than I was. I’d stay up at night, singing to them. I’d help them with homework. I’d beat the shit out of the bullies at school for them. They became the thing that kept me going.”
I stopped and look at Jeff when I said, “Once I left the system and got into college, I sort of went off the deep end - I started doing drugs, drinking, trashing the school library when I snuck in. Stupid shit. And your brother here pulled me up by my toes and got me on the right path. Then you hired me here and on my second day in this office, I walked by this woman with the most gorgeous eyes and the sexiest walk I’d ever seen.”
I moved my gaze from Jeff to Carter and broadened my stance, puffed out my chest. Just thinking about Tori made me feel… like a man. “And I fell head over heels for her. Jeff had given me the keys to my future, but here was my future, walking by me in the halls on her way to the copy machine. Ever since that day - almost three years ago - I’ve been crazy for her.”
Taking a deep breath, I continued. “Tori and I, we… uh, slept together. I overheard her saying she was going to visit a sperm clinic this year, that she was ready to have a baby, man or no man.” I noted that Carter’s eyebrows kick up a notch - this was clearly news to him.
“Now that you know how I have always felt about her, you can see why I took issue with that. Not only do I worship the ground she walks on, but I wanted a family, too. It just seemed… too perfect. So I made a move. And now, she thinks that I only made a move because I wanted a baby more than I wanted her.”
I let my head droop and my arms fell to my sides. I had no fucking clue how I was going to fix this. I didn’t even know if she’d give me a chance to explain. But I knew that I needed Carter on my side if I was going to win my woman over.
“Carter, I’ve never wanted anything more than I’ve wanted Tori, and I’m willing to do anything to prove it to her. Baby or no baby, I want her. Just her. I gotta go get her, man.” I finished my soliloquy lamely, looking at Jeff for reassurance. He still looked blown away, like he can’t believe his shitshow best friend was capable of complex sentence structure. Thanks for the support, bro.
Carter was looking at me appraisingly again, this time focusing his attention on my face more so than my body and my clothes. His cunning eyes seemed to recognize the seriousness in my gaze, the gravity of my confession. Once he was done, he cleared his throat and looked at Jeff.