Jyn

“What’s up, Jyny?” Matt asks when I enter his office. Nate, Aiden, Jake, and Theo are already here.

“I need to resign.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I can’t live like this. Watching Noah go on a date, even if it didn’t end well, was too much for me.”

“Don’t follow him next time,” Theo tells me, making it sound so simple.

“I get it. I had to watch Rei go on dates, and it nearly killed me,” Matt admits.

“There’s no chance of the two of you working things out?” Jake asks.

“No. He thanked me for saving him last night, but he couldn’t even look at me.”

“You’re going to have to see him, because of Cari. Wait, you’re not leaving her, are you?” Aiden asks.

“No. Never. The doctors have started to cut back on my meds, and I’m feeling more like myself every day. Even if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t try and take her from her dad.”

“If you’re staying here, why can’t you work with us?” Matt wants to know.

“I’ll never be able to untangle myself from Noah if I’m here. Yes, we have Cari, so we’ll always be connected, but I can walk away and not have him in my face all the time if I’m not here.”

“You’re moving out, too?”

“The apartments are only for employees, Matt.”

“No, the apartments are for whoever the hell I want them to be. I’m not kicking you out because you quit. You’re our family, Jyn.”

“You’re making this hard.”

“Good.”

“Jyny, no matter where you work, we’re not going to stop being your friends, so your plan isn’t going to work,” Jake reminds me.

“You don’t really hang out with anyone else, except at charity things.”

“If you leave, we do. You’re not getting rid of us so easily,” Nate tells me, coming to kneel by my chair. “I’ve never known you to run from a situation.”

“I don’t know what else to do.”

“Stay,” Aiden says, dropping down on the other side of me. “We’ll help you in any way we can. Just please stay. We need you here, keeping all of us in line, and making sure this building is still standing every day.”

In moments, five men are kneeling around my chair, comforting me. These are my friends. These macho and built men, who much of the world sees as entitled and cocky. But, I know their hearts. I know they love their wives, but they also love me. Some days like today, I don’t know why, but I know they do.

“I didn’t want to leave. I just don’t know what to do.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Theo promises me.

I hug them all, and thank them again for being the best friends and bosses a woman could ever want. After, I go to the nursey, because I need baby hugs. When I get there, I realize I’m not the only one needing my daughter right now.

“I’m sorry, Darcy, but since you’re not a parent, I can’t let you in,” the woman who’s manning the entrance tells her as I approach.

“She’s my niece.”

“Unless Jyn puts you on the list, I can’t release her to you.”

“I’m not trying to take her! I just want to see her.”

“Let her in, please.”

They both turn to look at me, and I see the relief of Darcy’s face. “I promise I’m not taking her.”

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t have you on here already.”

“You need to sign here,” the woman says, handing me a tablet.

“Can you add Jenysis as well?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you,” I tell her, turning to Darcy. “You can go on in. I’ll stop by later.”

“Or we could go in together. Maybe grab one of the tables on the patio.”

“Sure. I’d like that.”

“Me too.”

We walk in, and I let her pick up Cari while I grab us a shaded table on the patio overlooking the city. We’re several stories up, but the entire area is enclosed so there’s no chance of any accidents happening.

Right now, we’re the only parents outside, giving us a little privacy. I don’t know if we’ll need it, but we have it.

“I need this,” Darcy sells, inhaling Cari’s baby scent.

“I don’t know why the smell of a baby is so comforting, but it really is.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t mean to pry, but you looked a little upset outside.”

“I’m having a rough day.”

“Me too.”

We sit in silence for a few minutes, with her rocking Cari while I look out over the city that’s become my home. I’m not sure she’s going to say anything else to me, but all of a sudden, she blurts it out.

“I can’t have a baby. We’ve been trying, but it’s not happening. Kenny says it still could, but I don’t know if I can go through this every month. I had planned to stop trying last month, but I tried anyway, and it’s yet another no.”

“If there was anything I could do to help you, I would.”

“Even after everything that’s happened?”

“I just tried to quit my job, but our friends convinced me I needed to stay. That means we’ll be seeing each other for a long time. Even if you can’t be friends with me, there’s no reason we can’t be civil to each other.”

“You tried to quit? You can’t quit!”

“So I’ve been told.”

“I mean it, Jyn. The guys are great, but they’re also like bulls in a china shop. You bring the beauty, grace, and kick-ass to the security team. Everyone listens to you because they know you care.”

“The guys care.”

“Yeah, but it’s hidden under all that macho. Only some of us get to see their softer sides.”

“I don’t think anyone’s ever called me ‘soft’ before.”

She waves her free hand at me like I’m talking nonsense. “You’re a perfect blend of all of it, Jyn. We all take you for granted, which sucks, but if you weren’t here, the testosterone would be unbearable.”

“Well, I’m staying. For better or worse.”

“I wish you’d told him sooner. I understand why you turned your back on a crown, and deep down, I know Noah does to. I messed him up bad when I left him with Brayden’s family, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

“You did what was best for all of you, including the people he now considers his family too, and he knows it. Probably buried deep where he knows I did what I had to as well, but I know it’s there.”

“I haven’t thanked you for saving him last night.”

“No one needs to thank me. I love him, Darcy. Even with his stupid homemaker phase, and his hatred of me now, I can’t stop loving him.”

“He doesn’t hate you.”

“We’ll just have to agree to disagree.”

“Oh no we won’t; I’m going to convince you to fight for him, and not just with your ninja skills.”

“If I thought I had a chance to win, I’d fight until my last breath.”

“Perfect. I’ll be in touch,” she tells me, handing me Cari. “Talk soon!”

I cuddle my girl, even as my heart gives a little leap of hope. I don’t know what Darcy has planned, and it’s probably going to be a mess of crazy, but sometimes crazy is exactly what we all need in our life.

* * *

Noah

Landon’s been tiptoeing around me all day, and it’s making me insane. Time to get to the bottom of it.

“Land, can I see you for a minute.”

“Um, can it wait?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

He looks defeated and guilty when he slumps into the chair across the desk from me. “What’s going on with you today?”

“I fucked up.”

“With the plans?” I ask, panicking. I had him send the latest plans to Matt after I made the tweaks he wanted.

“No. With you…and Jyn.”

“Jyn?”

“All my loyalty should be with you, but she’s my friend.”

It all becomes clear. “You told her about my date.”

“I had to. I mean, I guess I didn’t have to, but I did. She’s helped me out in the past. When I was almost caught up in shit that would’ve ruined my future.”

“She’s pretty amazing.”

“Yeah, she…wait? You know she’s amazing, but you still took some other chick out last night?”

“I’m not always the brightest bulb in the box.”

“Yeah, I’m getting that.”

God, I love this kid and how he doesn’t pull any punches with me. “You don’t have to feel bad about telling her.”

“Cool. Oh, and I guess I should tell you I’m planning to set her up with my coach.”

“I thought you liked your job, Landon.”

“Oh, I do, but I like Jyn more, and she deserves a good guy. If you’re not going to step up, I’ll send someone else into the game for her.”

“Hold off on the coach.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

“I’m sure you were.”

He laughs his way out of my office, and I’m smiling, too. I still don’t know how to win Jyn back, but I have a plan on where to start. The plan starts in a about an hour, so I need to get back on track, and finish up my work for the day.

After work, I drive to Gavin’s cooking school. He’s got a beginner class starting tonight he said I could join. On the condition I don’t try and burn his place down, of course.

The class is both harder, and easier, than I thought it would be. I’m the only adult in the room, because he focuses on children and teens at his school. The kids are nice to me, and I laugh right along with them when I can barely boil water. Barely is good enough, though, and I have a container of spaghetti to show for it. Not homemade pasta, or sauce, but everyone has to start somewhere, and tonight’s class was about starting in the kitchen. Boxes, jars, and boiling water.

I’m home later than usual, so I’m not sure Jyn will even answer the door when I knock. Cari’s been falling asleep earlier, and as far as she knows, I have no other reason to drop by for a visit.

“Sorry,” Jyn says when she opens the door. “She just went down.”

“Good. I’m here to see her mother tonight.”

“Oh.”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

She touches her hair, which is up in a messy bun. “You look beautiful.”

“I’m in one of your old shirts over torn leggings.”

“Beautiful.”

“Please don’t.”

“What?”

“Don’t compliment me.”

“I can’t help it.”

“You’ve helped it for weeks, Noah. Nothing’s changed, just because I saved you from some assholes. I’m still just me, the woman who betrayed your trust.”

No, she’s not. She’s the woman who has always accepted me for me, and never once walked away. I walked away, even though I knew how it felt to be left behind. The shame I feel over doing that to her is a constant in my life right now. She didn’t cheat on me, or leave me to navigate life on my own; she kept something from me, yes, but it wasn’t to hurt me.

“You’re the woman I cooked dinner for, Jyn.”

“You cooked?”

“Well, cooking may be a stretch. I opened a box and a jar, and boiled some water.”

“Everyone has to start somewhere, and from the logo on the bag in your hand, I’m guessing you started with Gavin.”

“Yeah.”

“How old were the kids in your class?” she asks, and I see the laughter in her eyes.

“Ten. And yes, they gave me shit for being the worst student in the class.”

“I’m sure you weren’t the worst.”

“Oh, I was.”

“And still, you brought me food. Is it safe?”

“Yes. Probably barely edible, but it’s safe.”

“You know where the plates are.”

Yes, I do. I grab one for her, and fix up a plate of the spaghetti. She takes the fork I hand her, and swirls some spaghetti around it. I can tell it’s bad, when she barely manages to swallow it down, but she smiles at me anyway.

“It’s horrible, isn’t it.”

“Yes.”

“Shit. I wanted to romance you.”

“You think the fact you tried isn’t romantic?”

“Is it?”

“Definitely.”

“I’m going to keep going to classes, so I can cook for you some nights.”

“You make it sound like we’re going to be dating again.”

“Is it too late for that?”

“Not exactly.”

It’s not the answer I want, but it’s maybe something I can live with. Maybe. “Can you explain that answer to me? Please.”

“I want to grab you and kiss you right now, Noah. I want to pull you into my bed, and suck your cock until you come down my mouth. And then I want to take you into my body, and keep you there all night.”

This is too easy. “Yes. To all of that. Yes.”

“No.”

“I was afraid you were going to say that.”

“Sex was never our problem.”

“What do I need to do?”

“Show me it’s real this time.”

“It was real before Cyndryann.”

“No, because if it was, you would’ve talked to me instead of running from me.”

“I was hurt.”

“I know, and I understand why you felt that way. Still, it shouldn’t have gone down the way it did. You shouldn’t have been on a date last night.”

It’s time to be real, and I know I have to go first. “What if you want to be a princess after all?”

“I don’t.”

“You could.”

“Honest to God, the only way I will ever take the crown is if you want me to. If you need to be a ‘real’ royal, I will accept my legacy, and make you my prince.”

“You really would do that for me, even if you don’t want it, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“I just don’t get it, Jyn. You won’t stay home from work for me, but you’ll become a princess for me.”

“One willingly takes my life from me. The other merely limits my choices.”

I’d never thought of it that way. Many women enjoy staying home from work, but I guess it’s because they want that life. Jyn wouldn’t. I knew it when I tried to force her into it before, and I know it now, when she’s willing to sacrifice herself for me. I’ve already had one woman do that for me, and look where we are now.

“I would never ask you to take the crown for me. And, I won’t ask you to stay home for me again.”

“Good, because after I tried to quit my job today, my friends—and your sister—convinced me I’m needed at C&C. I belong there, and I don’t want to leave.”

“I’m guessing you were quitting to get away from me.”

“Yes. I can’t watch you date.”

“Even if I want to date you?”

“I don’t share.”

“Neither do I.”

“How did you do it, Noah? How did you ask someone else out?”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t either, and that’s why I have to ask you to leave now.”

“Jyn.”

“Please. Just go.”