pretty loud in there.”
Navigating through the growing party, I made my way to my little boy’s room. So damn sweet—he even smiled in his sleep. Okay, so maybe it was a twitch, but his mouth relaxed and then jumped to a grin every few seconds. He must have been dreaming about his racecars and grapes, his two favorite things the last few months. I pulled the cover up to his chin and ran my fingers over his soft cheeks. God, I’d never dreamed I could love anyone in the world so much. My heart clenched in my chest momentarily as I wondered if my own father had looked at me the same way twenty-some-odd years ago. I needed my dad to get better. I wanted him to get to know my son and guide me to be the kind of father he was to me.
I wasn’t a religious guy—the last time I’d been in church was my shotgun wedding to Alexa. And before that, probably a funeral. But a small cross hung over my son’s crib. I looked at it every day, but never really saw it as more than a decoration.
It couldn’t hurt to try.
Standing beside Beck’s crib, I said a small prayer for God to watch over my father and my son.
We’d been back in New York for four months, and that cross had hung on the wall next to his crib the entire time. But when I opened the door to go back to the party, the thing fell to the ground.
I hoped that wasn’t a sign.
Chapter 20
Emerie
My head felt like I’d been run over by a car full of pissed-off AA members. I was so thirsty, my mouth had been overtaken by a desert, yet every sip of water made me queasy. Jesus. No wonder I don’t drink very often.
The only good thing about this hangover was that I was so busy feeling like crap, I didn’t have the capacity to think about last night.
Drew.
That kiss.
That kiss.
Baldwin.
Holding my breath, I walked into the office even later than my normal late. I didn’t have a session until the afternoon, but I was behind on typing my notes into patient files.
The thought of facing Drew suddenly made my hangover nausea seem like just a warm up for the real thing. I was relieved when I turned the corner into the hallway to see his door was shut. The awkwardness with him was inevitable, but it would be easier when I felt better. Putting it off as long as possible seemed ideal at the moment.
Inside my office, I hung my coat on the rack behind the door and popped my laptop into the docking station. It wasn’t until I sat down at my desk and reached to flip on my monitor that I saw the note. It was Drew’s handwriting:
All day deposition in Jersey. Won’t be back until tonight. Need you to do me a favor and go upstairs to my apartment. I left a note with instructions in the kitchen. Penthouse East. Keycard for the elevator and door key are in your top drawer. Thanks, D.
That was odd. I attempted to settle in and answer a few emails, but curiosity wasn’t going to wait long. Taking the key and elevator card from my desk, I headed out to the lobby after less than five minutes. On the ride up, I watched the lights illuminate in a daze. I knew Drew lived in the building, but he’d never mentioned it was the penthouse. What could he need me to do in his apartment? Did he have a cat?
The shiny silver elevator doors slid open when I reached the top floor. Stepping off, there were only two doors, PW and PE. Unlike my apartment, the Penthouse East lock turned easily. Drew had written that he wouldn’t be back until tonight, yet I felt compelled to call out as I cracked the door open.
“Hello?... Hello? Anyone home?”
The apartment was quiet. No furry little creatures greeted me at the door either. I closed it behind me and went in search of the kitchen.
Holy shit.
Drew Jagger’s apartment was stunning.
Mouth hanging open, I walked right past the sleek kitchen, down two steps into the sunken living room and went to the wall of glass. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed a view of Central Park that could have been plucked out of a movie. After taking in the scenery for a few minutes, I unglued my eyes and went back to the kitchen. On the granite countertop