Trusting Fate Read online

  Gabby

  I had picked up Theo from preschool and finally gotten home and gotten him fed, bathed and in bed all before 8:30. I was exhausted from the day. What a powerful man Jace Greene was; every word out of his sexy mouth made me nervous and excited at the same time. He was my boss though, and it was not appropriate to have such thoughts about your boss unless you were sleeping with him, which I most definitely was not. I changed into a T-shirt and shorts because my work clothes were still wet from Theo’s bath, grabbed my slippers and Kindle, and sat on the couch with a glass of wine. Breathing a sigh of relief that this day had come to an end, I was starting to nod off while reading when I heard a knock at my door. Oh great. My entire apartment was covered in boxes because we were moving this weekend and I was in my pajamas, my ugly mommy pajamas, I might add. Who in the world could this even be? I hopped up and checked myself in the mirror by the door. Ugh hopeless, oh well. I looked through the peep hole and noticed a delivery man standing in the hallway looking annoyed that no one had come to the door yet. I opened the door and saw a huge bouquet of flowers, calla lilies and roses. Wow this guy was lost. “Hello. Can I help you?” I said to the man.

  “Yes, hello ma’am, are you Gabriella Thomas?” he said.

  I quickly nodded my head in disbelief. “Well then these beauties are for you. I just need you to sign for them right here,” he said, handing me a clipboard. I signed and the man handed them to me with a smile and left. Once I got them inside, I was nervous to read the card. I grabbed the envelope and carefully opened it up. Holding my breath, I read the first line:

  “Gabriella, please accept my apologies for how we left things this afternoon. I assure you that my intentions are not as you may think. Please rethink my offer, I promise that you will not regret it.

  -Jace”

  Holy crap, did I just burst into flames? My face was so hot and my skin was on fire. This bouquet of flowers had to be a couple hundred dollars. What kind of man just sends someone he doesn’t even know something like this? This was beyond crazy, but if he was so hell-bent on me working for him and he was willing to pay me so much more money, then maybe I was overthinking this. I mean it’s not like I couldn’t use the boost in salary and job security. Ugh, I wanted to cave and say yes. Maybe I just needed to sleep on it.

  I was thinking so hard about my decision that I did not get much sleep. I heard my alarm go off and then little feet came running into my bedroom. “Mommy, why are you still in bed, sleepy head?” he asked. My little man. All I could do was smile. As scary as it has been being a single mother, I wouldn’t trade a single moment with him. This little boy has changed me in so many ways.

  I am not sure where I would be today without him in my life. Well, in some ways I do know. I would be lost, as lost as I once was. Hiding from responsibility and the real world. I will always regret not knowing who Theo’s father is; it will haunt me forever. At first I thought, oh well, he probably wasn’t a very good person, considering the men I used to pick up. But then as the months went on and I began to change, I was sad that I had been so selfish and so stupid, because what will I tell my son someday when he asks me where his daddy is? What kind of person does that make me that I can say I don’t really know son’s father? My days of partying had me so messed up that I blacked out most nights. The only night I can vaguely remember is blurry, and part of me is not even sure if the memory is real, like maybe I had a dream about a one-night stand with this man. He came in for a drink and sat quietly at the end of the bar watching me dance with Taylor, I had just gotten off work and I loved hanging out after my shift because I usually got off before we closed down. It was allowed and I was good at my job so my boss never said a word. I still have a hard time remembering his face, but I will never forget his body or his smell. He pursued me for maybe five minutes and I was already tripping over my feet and leaping into the sack with him. Kind of sad when you think about it. Regardless of what kind of a person I was, he was gentle and that is the most I can remember. The reason I even remember anything is because no man I ever brought home or went home with had ever treated me gently or with respect. He also had a small tattoo on his upper right bicep that had an arrow with a date on it. It was one of a kind, so that was hard to forget. It took me awhile to realize that this may have been the night that I had gotten pregnant with Theo. Actually I am almost certain it was, but considering my track record, I couldn’t really trust myself to know for sure.

  Chapter 4

  Gabby

  Once I had gotten Theo to school and had gotten into the office, I found myself uneasy and jittery, obviously because I knew that my incredibly persistent and sexy new boss would be in an office only a few feet from me, not that we wouldn’t have been in the same building before but at least he was on the other side of the building then. Yes I was going to accept his offer. Mainly because I am curious about him and why he has such an effect on me, but also because the opportunity is a good one for me and for Theo. I was nervous about how to tell him. I feel a little like a girl in high school; I am not sure what my deal is. He is most certainly not the first good looking man I have come in contact with in any way, but he was the nicest. Strange. I decided to wait and check in with his temporary secretary to see if he had made it in yet before I went over towards his office and lurked around.

  The woman on the other end of the line answered immediately and said her name was Anne. She sounded older, maybe even way older than me, and she told me that Mr. Greene had just arrived and was currently in his office. This made my palms start to sweat. Good grief. Get it together. I told her that I was on my way to see him and to let him know that I would be arriving shortly, she seemed confused but said, “Yes ma’am, I will let him know.”

  The entire walk to the other side of the building was excruciating. I was nervous as hell and scared to death; this man had a strong hold on me already and I did not like it. Anne walked me into his office and there he was, sitting behind his desk looking like a complete god in a $4,000 suit. Lord help me now.

  He smiled and said, “Good morning, Miss Thomas, did you get my flowers?”

  I took a deep breath and let it out. Its okay Gabby, you need to get a grip. “Yes, Mr. Greene, thank you for the flowers, they were beautiful. Although you did not have to send them.”

  He paused and looked at me, puzzled. “Of course not, but it was my attempt at persuading you into working for me directly. Did it work?” he grinned.

  I had to admit he was sweet. “Well actually, that is why I have come over to talk to you. I wanted to discuss your offer some more. That is, of course, if you have the time,” I said smiling.

  “For you, I would make all the time in the world, Miss Thomas,” he said.

  At that moment, I knew my face was bright red and if I spoke now I would stutter my way through a sentence. Good lord, what is this man up to?

  “So Gabriella, my offer is plain and simple. I would like for you to be my personal assistant and do things that I am unable to do. The hours would not be longer; I would only require you to work 9-5 every day and your pay would increase. Does this sound like something that you would be able to do?” he asked, eyeing me intently.

  “Of course, I believe I can handle that, but I have some conditions.”

  He looked right into my eyes at that point and grinned ear to ear. “Conditions, Miss Thomas? Sure, what type of conditions would those be?”

  “Well for starters, thank you for the pay increase, you have no idea what this means for my son and me. Second, I just want to make sure we are both on the same page about things…I will not be sleeping with you. I do not mean any disrespect by this, but from what I have learned around here and in my past places of employment, you basically have to sleep with the boss to get ahead and that is not me. I just wanted to make sure I was clea
r about that.” I put my head down and started to fidget with my hands. I saw him get up from his desk and walk around to where I was sitting. He sat on the corner of his desk and crossed his arms.

  “Miss Thomas, please do not be nervous around me. That is the last thing I could ever want, and please do not misinterpret my offer. Yes I need an assistant, but no I will not hit on you…not in the office that is,” he grinned. Oh crap. What did he just say?

  “Mr. Greene, I am not sure I understand what you mean.” I said, afraid.

  “Gabriella, I would never be inappropriate with you in the office. I would never cross that line, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to you and that I didn’t want to pursue you, because I do. I usually get what I want, so fighting the attraction between us would be new to me,” he said.

  I was surprised by his confession and yet also intrigued slightly. I did not sleep around anymore but this man had a big hold on me and I was not sure that I would be able to fight it for very long.

  I stood from my seat and reached my hand out to him. “Thank you for this opportunity Mr. Greene, I really appreciate it. I will start moving my things over to my office this afternoon.” I shook his hand and he very gently cupped it with his other one. He stood staring at me for a brief moment. I have to shut this down or I will burst into flames right here in his office. “May I have my hand back now Mr. Greene?” he smiled and returned it.

  “My apologies, Gabriella. I look forward to working with you; I think we will make a great team,” he said, and with that, I turned on my heel and left his office.

  The entire walk back to my desk was a blur. The touch of his hand stirred up some mixed emotions and made my mind drift off, like I recognized his gentle touch. I quickly brushed away the feeling because I didn’t think I had ever met him before. I needed to find a way to separate business and pleasure or I would break my new rules faster than I made them.

  Jace

  Watching Gabby walk out of my office was painful. The fact that she brought up the two of us sharing something more than business made my body quiver. I wanted this woman so badly and she was just within my reach, but she seemed so determined to not get involved. It felt like it was because of her son, but I love kids…for the most part. I mean, I don’t have any kids, but I was one once. I would make the effort for her.

  I can tell she completely doesn’t remember me. Maybe at first I thought there was a chance I could spark her memory, but not so far. It was a real jolt to my ego, considering I have given many women so much pleasure, only to leave them with the memory. For a woman to not remember our night together was new to me. I am certain though that if I can get her alone, she will remember and she will never forget again.

  I sat back down at my desk and rubbed my head slightly. How is a man supposed to get any work done with someone like Gabby working for him? This should be fun. Very, very fun. I picked up my phone and dialed the nearest florist. She is going to love this…to me it was not a game, but I was going to make it look like a fun one she might want to play.

  Gabby

  I had gotten out of work late and had to call Taylor to go pick up Theo. She didn’t exactly have a mom car, but did buy a used car seat so that she could help me with him whenever I needed. I had to hand it to her, she was trying to be the best friend a girl could have while still trying to live her life of socialites. I owed her a lot, and despite everything she and I had done and been through, she was a good person and deserved my friendship. I parked my car outside of my apartment for the last time.

  Today was Friday and I was moving to my new home with Theo tomorrow. I was so excited I could barely stand it. I got out and went to walk up to the front door when I noticed a bouquet of roses by the door with a note. How sweet I thought, but when I realized it was sitting by my door, my face lit up like a rocket! Damn that man. He must have more money than sense because I recognized the logo of the florist and it was one of the most expensive flower shops in town. I did not even think they would deliver to a place like my apartment complex. I reached down and grabbed the card, certain I knew who it was from. Much to my surprise, it was not from Mr. Greene, but from someone that I thought was in my past…I quickly threw away the card and roses and went inside. I heard screaming and wailing right when I opened the door.

  “Mommy! Mommy! Yay, you’re home! Tay Tay won’t let me get in the baff tub wit my clothes on. She says that’s not how you take a baff and I want to wear my Spiderman jammies in the tub,” Theo cried.

  I looked over at Tay and her hair was a mess and she looked much frazzled. “Hey Gab, this kid is nuts. How do you even have the energy to move day to day? He makes me tired just watching him eat; everything is so fast and energetic with this kid and when I told him he could not take a bath with his pajamas on he lost it. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw you walk in the door. I will be on my way. Come here little man give me a kiss and then you can go back to being mad at me ok?”

  Theo quickly ran to her and gave her a big hug and kiss. He was a sucker for the ladies. I would be in trouble someday. On his first day of preschool, he got sent to the principal’s office for kissing the girls in his class. My little lover.

  Once Taylor had left, I cleaned up my house and got Theo ready for bed, but I was constantly letting my mind wander to the day I'd just had. Mr. Greene really gets under my skin, and I cannot say that I don’t enjoy it, but I really get nervous around him. I used to eat men like him for breakfast…if you know what I mean. I was also nervous about the bouquet of flowers I had gotten this afternoon. A few years ago, right after I had Theo, I met a man at Theo’s doctor’s office. He was there with his niece and seemed so sweet. I was postpartum and crazy, so I probably would have dated anyone at that point, but he did and said all the right things. Until he didn’t. We dated for about six months and then he got very attached, like to the point of being possessive and stalking. I quickly broke it off but he didn’t like that. He broke into my car and stole some things of mine and then broke into my apartment and left the things he had taken out of my car on my bed. I called the police and pressed charges, and that was the last I had heard of him. I simply assumed he had finally moved on. Calm down, Gabby. Maybe he was just trying to be nice. The card said something about tying up loose ends and wanting to apologize for his actions. It was just a simple gesture I am sure.

  I changed into some sweats and an old T-shirt and went into my bedroom to curl up with a book. I felt drained and exhausted, and before I knew it I was dozing off, trying to leave the stress of this crazy day behind me.

  Chapter 5

  Jace

  I sat in my car and watched as she walked into her building. Who else was sending her flowers? And why was she throwing them away? I could not help but feel possessive of her and want to know who this man was. I went to send her some earlier and I stopped myself. I do not want to come on too strong, but I cannot help myself. She does that to me, she has for years, I have thought about her from time to time and she is the only woman I could even remotely feel this way for. I barely know her, but I want to know her better. I started up my car and drove away before someone accused me of loitering and stalking. I pulled away and the whole time I had a sour taste in my mouth. I didn’t want anyone sending her flowers but me.

  Gabby

  I was so proud of my home. It was so sweet and new, and it was ours. Well at least until my lease was up next year but it was a home for me and Theo, he deserved a fenced in backyard he could play in and it was me who had been able to give it to him. All on my own. It was late Saturday night and Theo had passed out in his new big boy bed with Spiderman sheets in his Spiderman themed bedroom. I had snuck into his room while my mom was watching him that day to decorate it and he was so excited when he saw it.

  “You are the bes
t mommy eva!” he screamed.

  I was unpacking some boxes in the kitchen when I heard a knock at my door. “Who in the world could that be…?” I looked out the peep hole and saw his car. Mr. Greene was standing at my front door and I was wearing an old T-shirt and jeans with my hair on top of my head in a messy bun. Holy crap. I so did not have time to change, and he knew I was home because my car was in the driveway. How did he know where I lived?

  I quickly opened the door and he was leaning on the door frame, wearing a pair of tight jeans and a black leather jacket. Crap, he looks good. “Mr. Greene, to what do I owe this surprise?” I asked nervously.

  “Hello Gabriella, honestly I am really not sure. I wanted to congratulate you on your new home and I also wanted to see you and please call me Jace outside the office. Mr. Greene makes me feel like my father and I hate that bastard,” he smiled.

  “Okay Jace, um would you like to come in? My son is asleep and my house is a mess because I just moved in today, so I have to apologize in advance.”

  He eyed me carefully. “Yes, Gabriella, I would love to come in. I hope I am not interrupting anything,” he said.

  “No, of course not, I was just unpacking. But please, call me Gabby. Only my mother calls me Gabriella,” I winked at him. Oh great I winked, good one Gab.

  I watched him look around my house, which I am sure is nothing like where he lives, but I was proud of it.

  “Your house is nice, Gabby. Does your son like it yet?” he asked.