Autumn - In Love With My Boss (An Office Romance)| Completed

Chapter 44 - James

I sit in my living room, the coffee table buried underneath paintings, toys scattered about the floor, and watch my daughter play with Skittles. That's how she named the cat Autumn got for her.

Crap. I should be happy. After all, I have my little sunshine here with me. What else could I want?

Autumn. That's who I want. She should have been here when I picked up Julie from the hospital that Saturday; she should have seen how overjoyed Julie was about Skittles, how she was so excited about her room. Instead, she is gone, and I feel like shit.

It's been several days since she fled my aunt's house. Stop judging, I did follow her, yelled her name, tried to stop her, but before I could catch up with her, she had already gotten into that cab and was gone. I drove to her apartment and spent an hour knocking at her door. I was pretty sure I could hear her inside; I tried everything to make her open the door. She wouldn't.

Since then, I have called her so often I know her number by heart now. And her voicemail message. She never answers the fucking phone, let alone the door. She hasn't even called to let me, or someone else for that matter, know why she doesn't show up for work.

Well, I know why. To avoid me. Shouldn't she give me an opportunity to clear this up? It is not like my aunt said it was. I did have affairs, never denied it, but certainly not at the office. She completely made that up to get under Autumn's skin. She is manipulative as fuck, won't stop at anything to achieve her goals. This time, her goal was to run my girl off. With success, as we all have seen. I can definitely see why my aunt likes Fiona so much; they're basically the same person.

Shit. I have not the faintest clue how to make this right again. I want to explain everything, I need to tell her how much I miss her. I have to tell her I ....

My phone rings. I jump up from my chair, virtually sprinting to the device. Is it her? Is it finally her?

I check the number flashing on the screen, and my heart sinks. It isn't her.

"Jake, what is it?"

"Hello to you too, Mr. Grumpy."

He is in a way too good mood for my taste.

"What is it?" I repeat, annoyed.

"All right. Here goes. My car broke down and I need to get to a meeting, urgently. Can I borrow your car?"

"Which one?"

Believe me, I didn't mean to sound so pretentious, it was an honest question.

"Maybe one that drives. Would be my first choice."

"Okay. You can have the Jeep, but I need it back by tomorrow. For that freaking art gallery thing."

Fucking Christmas Eve. Without my Autumn.

"No problem. I'll return it to you by tomorrow morning, 10 o'clock."

"Good. You can pick up the key at the reception desk at Malloy and Kinsley. Kara has a spare key. The car is on the lot, F-09."

"Kara? Mmh, that sexy new employee of yours?"

I roll my eyes. "Make sure the Jeep is back in time."

"Will do."

With that he hangs up.

"Was that uncle Jake?"

My daughter interrupts her play with the furball and looks expectantly at me.

"Yes, Honey, it was."

"Is he coming to visit?"

I furrow my eyebrows. "No. Why? Do you want him to come?"

"Of course," she smiles. "I want to thank him that he got me Skittles."

Ouch. Should I let her believe it was my brother who had the idea with the cat? No, I can't lead her on like that. Besides, Jake would tell her the truth anyway. So, it'd better be me.

"Sweetie, Jake didn't choose Skittles."

Surprised, she gets up off the floor and wanders over to me.

"No? Who did?"

"Do you remember the girl at the ice rink? The one who ..."

Julie doesn't allow me to finish. Excitedly, she claps her hands together.

"She was so awesome, daddy! She taught me how to spin."

Her hands up in the air, my daughter performs a little pirouette for me. "Like this!"

I smile, even though there is a big sad lump in my throat.

"That is great, Honey! You will have to show me sometime."

Her eyes glow with anticipation.

"Yes. Can we go tomorrow?"

"Sorry, Baby. Not tomorrow. Daddy has to attend an important event. Uncle Jake will be here then, though. We'll go after Christmas, okay?"

"Okay."

She sits down on my lap, a little disappointed.

"So, Skittles is from the ice skater?"

I sigh and stroke her head softly.

"Yes, Skittles is from her."

"Why, daddy? Do you know her?"

Crap, crap, crap. How am I going to explain this to her?

"Well, Baby, as you know...." I take a deep breath to encourage myself to continue. "Mommy and daddy haven't been together for a long time."

She nods. "I know. Mommy and you don't like each other anymore. I heard mommy once say to Uncle Rick that she was just with you because you bought her so much stuff."

"Oh. Did she say that?"

Anger is forming in my intestines, but I try not to show it. Uncle Rick. Fiona made our daughter call that creep Uncle Rick? What the fuck. Rick used to be her go-to fuck buddy, but I wasn't aware that he'd been introduced to my Julie.

And - she married me because of the money. I always knew it, but hearing it from my daughter's lips is so painful, I just want to strangle that bitch. What has she done to our little family?

"Yes." Julie's voice tears through my clouded brain, disrupting those destructive thoughts. "Mommy sometimes says mean things. I understand you are not together."

Oh sweet, sweet angel. I hug her tightly.

"I'm so sorry we are not a family anymore." It takes everything I have not to cry.

"It's okay. I'm glad I'm with you now, daddy. I didn't like it very much with mommy. I was alone so often, she never had time. But you do things with me. And you are much nicer."

She plants a wet kiss on my cheek.

"And if you have a new woman, we will be a family."

Oh God. She's killing me. Every word is like daggers, right through my heart. I swallow hard before I can answer.

"Julie, your daddy has found a woman he likes."

Her eyes grow so large that for a second I'm afraid they might pop out.

"The ice dancer?"

My Julie, such a smart little girl. I nod in defeat.

"Yes, the ice dancer."

Now she jumps off my lap, clapping and hopping around ecstatically.

"Oh great, daddy, great, great! Will she come skating with us? When can I see her?"