Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Once school is over, I’ll have to find a new apartment, and if I decide to stay in Seattle, it’s not cheap to live there. I’ve also considered moving to LA since Kora—the fashion designer I was interning for—has an office there as well as in New York. Though I might’ve lost my in with her since she wasn’t thrilled to learn I wouldn’t be back for several weeks, possibly months.
“And how was the clientele?”
From the mirth in her tone, I know Dominick told her what had happened.
“They were great, aside from some dog who showed up and tried to piss on me like I was a fire hydrant.”
Peyton cackles. “You know, I was here when Lorenzo was engaged to Hillary, and she loved to be the center of attention, would flirt with other men to rile him up, but not once did I ever see him get jealous, let alone react like that.”
“Maybe he’s losing his mind in his old age,” I joke, trying to play off what she’s implying.
“Maybe … but—”
Her words are cut off by the sound of Leo screaming like he’s in pain, and without thinking, I leave the phone where it is and go running to find him.
I met the new nanny this morning when I went out to make myself breakfast and coffee and to say good morning to Leo, and she seemed nice.
Lorenzo said he’d be working from home today to make sure she was a good fit for Leo. So, I’m not surprised when he rounds the corner at the same time I find Leo in the nanny’s arms, blood everywhere.
“What the fuck happened?” Lorenzo barks while I grab Leo from her so I can assess him.
“I only looked away for a second,” she whispers.
“His bottom lip is bleeding,” I tell Lorenzo. “And it looks bad. I think he’s going to need stitches.”
Carrying Leo into the kitchen, I wet a cloth and gently wipe his mouth to get a better look. A bruise is already forming on his chin. He’s started to use the furniture to stand, so my guess is, he did that, fell, and bumped his face, causing his lip to split open.
“Shh, it’s okay,” I coo, holding him close. “We’re going to get you all fixed up.”
“I don’t know if I should call the doctor …” Lorenzo begins, fear evident in his tone.
“He’s going to need stitches. I think we should bring him to the pediatric hospital. We’ll want to make sure they check him out thoroughly.”
Lorenzo nods in agreement.
With the nanny forgotten, he grabs Leo’s diaper bag, and we have one of the guards drive us to the children’s hospital. On the way, Leo falls asleep out of exhaustion and stays asleep until we’re in a private room, where the doctor says he’s going to have to numb him and then strap him down to glue his lip together.
“I can’t hold him?” I choke out, protectively tightening my hold on Leo.
“We don’t want to risk him moving,” the doctor explains. “He’ll be numb, so it won’t hurt, and since it’s not too bad, we can do derma glue instead of stitches.”
I nod in understanding, hating that I can’t hold him.
“He’ll be okay,” Lorenzo tells me, as if I were the parent who needed to be comforted.
Begrudgingly, I hand Leo over to the nurse, and he immediately startles awake. The moment he realizes some stranger is holding him, he starts to reach for me and cry. And because I’m emotional, tears prick my eyes, and I grab for him, unable to let him go.
“Can I just … can I hold him until you’re ready?”
The doctor nods and then goes about prepping the area while I speak softly to Leo to calm him down while Lorenzo leans over my shoulder to rub his back. Leo’s lip has a huge gash in it, but it’s thankfully stopped bleeding, and he’s no longer crying.
“Come here,” Lorenzo murmurs when he notices Leo’s getting heavy in my arms.
There’s only one chair in the small room, and since we both want to be close to Leo, Lorenzo sits in the chair and then has me sit on his lap so we can hold and comfort his son.
“I watched the video,” Lorenzo murmurs. “She was on her phone.”
“Anyone could’ve been on their phone,” I tell him. “How many times have you been on your phone while watching your son?”
Lorenzo huffs. “I don’t care. I don’t pay her to be on her phone.” He leans around me and kisses Leo’s head. “She’s fired.”
Once everything is prepped, the doctor puts a numbing cream on Leo’s mouth, and a few minutes later, he injects more numbing liquid into the area. Leo cries but quickly calms. Unfortunately, it’s short-lived because the nurse has to wrap him up so he can’t move. He looks so tiny in the contraption, and as he cries, his pleading eyes meeting mine and his father’s, my heart breaks. I didn’t want to become attached, but it’s too late because this little boy owns my heart.