Boss Daddy: A Secret Baby Romance by Black, L. (good books for high schoolers .TXT) 📕

“I’m going back to my house,” I explained.

“I thought you said you were staying with a friend.”

“It was Jordan,” I admitted. She gasped a little, but I pushed right past it. “It’s been great, and I felt really safe there, but he had to leave for a business trip to Portland. He isn’t going to be in town for a bit. He said I could stay at his place, but it just didn’t feel right to be there without him. So, I’m going back to my house. That’s why I wanted to be on the phone. I know it sounds silly, but I don’t exactly want to go in for the first time completely alone. I wanted to be talking to you.”

“That’s not silly at all. After what you’ve been through, it is completely understandable,” she said.

“Well, thank you for talking to me. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course. I just wish I could be there with you. Have you seen or heard from Ethan again?” she asked.

“No. Not since the night he showed up at the bar. Have you?”

“No. No one around here has. Nobody knows where he is. It’s actually really strange,” she said.

That definitely didn’t make me feel any better. I pulled into my driveway and sat for a couple of seconds just like I did outside of Jordan’s house. As much as I wouldn’t want to think that Ethan would actually just hover around waiting for me all this time, I couldn’t honestly put it past him. He would do anything to get his way. Anything to scare me and make me feel under his control.

But he didn’t show up.

“Alright, I’m here,” I said. “I’m going to grab my bags and go inside.”

“I’m right here,” she said. “If you see anything strange at all, you tell me, then get off the phone and call the police.”

I didn’t like the way she said that. It made even more heaviness press down on me. I climbed out of the car and got my luggage, then headed for the door. With every step, I paid as much attention to everything around me as I could, waiting for even the slightest movement or indication of anything being off.

When I got to the door, I unlocked it and pushed it open hard so it swung all the way and hit the wall on the other side. If he had somehow gotten in and was lurking there waiting for me to come through the door, that would have been a rude awakening for him.

I took a step inside and tried to sense anything different.

“Everything okay?” Samantha asked.

“It seems like it.”

“I want to stay with you until you walk through all the rooms. Just to be sure.”

“Talk to me while I do it,” I said. “It doesn’t matter about what.”

As I toured through the house, checking each room and closet, and hating Ethan a little bit more each step, I listened to Samantha tell me about her children and what they were up to that week. When I finished, I walked back to the living room to get my bags.

“All clear?” Samantha asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“Doors locked?”

“Double-checked,” I said. “Thank you for talking to me.”

“Anytime. I really don’t like that you’re alone. Isn’t there somewhere else you can go?” she asked.

“I don’t want to keep changing my life to suit him. This is my home. Until there’s a reason to leave, I’m going to be here.”

We got off the phone, and I hauled my luggage to the laundry room to wash what I hadn’t gotten to at Jordan’s house. A little while later, my phone rang, and I smiled when I saw Jordan’s name appear on the screen.

“I got here,” he said. “Lovely Portland.”

I laughed. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“I’m glad you are, too.”

I wanted to tell him I missed him, but I stopped myself.

“You go and get settled in. I have a refrigerator I haven’t touched in far too long to wrangle back from disaster before I go to work,” I said.

Jordan laughed. “Good luck with that. I’ll call you later. I miss you already.”

My heart swelled, and I held back a sigh.

As soon as I walked into work that night, Ava came up to me.

“Are you doing okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. Jordan said I can stay at his house while he’s gone, but I just can’t get comfortable there without him. So, I went home. But everything’s okay.”

“Alright, so where are you going after work? Are you staying with Susan or me? My house is totally open to you. It’s full of toys, but it’s comfortable,” she said.

I laughed. “Thank you. Toys sound like fun right about now. I really appreciate you welcoming me, but I think I’ll just stay home. I’ll be fine. There’s no sign of him. I’m not worried.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes. I’ll admit, it freaked me out having him here, and I was a little scared leaving Jordan’s place and getting home for the first time. But nothing happened. I’m okay now,” I said.

It might not have been one hundred percent true, but I was working on convincing myself of it as well.

“Alright. Well, if there’s an issue, don’t hesitate to call me. Not for an instant. I already talked to Mason, and he’s all for having you with us for as long as you need to be. No worries,” she said.

“Thank you.”

It felt good knowing I was surrounded by people who cared about me and were willing to go so far out of their way to help me. The rest of the night at work was uneventful, and I went home to my quiet, empty house. Even though nothing happened, and everything was exactly as it always was, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being watched.

23 Jordan

I snapped awake covered in sweat. I couldn’t place where I was; everything was different. It was a room, with a bathroom across from me and a little kitchenette. Other than that,