Right after Audrey accepted my proposal, Jax and I started planning our dream homes. Before we knew it, we had blue prints and contractors hired. We built on our family land, with Jaxon and Em’s house backing right up to the pond they love so much. Right across the street we had paved is our house. Cole and Quinn were living in a house out near his family, but soon decided they wanted to live near us so our families could grow up together. Their house should be done within the month and meanwhile, they’ve been staying here.
I hold Chloe up to my nose and take in the smell only a baby can have. When her little, blonde eyelashes begin to move and she peers up at me with those dark forest-green eyes, I’m a goner.
“Jace! You’re ridiculous. Now it’s your job to get her back down,” Quinn huffs.
“Hi, princess. Did you miss me today?” I whisper softly to her. She makes a little squeak as she stretches out and I hold her in closer.
“Oh, hell no,” Cole growls as he walks into the room. “Dude, do you know how long I had to pace this house with her?” I continue smiling down at her, not letting anyone talk me out of holding her after a long day.
“What am I going to do when you aren’t here when I get home?” I coo at her.
“I’m gonna miss being here, man,” Cole responds.
“I can see your house from my front windows,” I laugh.
“I know, but I’m gonna miss having you and Audrey’s help with Chloe. I’ll miss Audrey’s amazing cooking skills, and I also won’t be able to hear the two of you have sex every night,” the asshole says with a fake pout.
“Whoa, jackass! Don’t listen to me and my girl,” I scold.
“Hey, language in front of the little ears!” he laughs.
“Jace, I actually need to talk to you about Audrey,” Quinn calls over.
“Where is she, by the way? I haven’t seen her all day and I’m about to go crazy.” I lean in and kiss Chloe’s forehead and say, “I just needed to see you before I go to bed, little one.”
“Audrey’s already asleep. She went to that self-defense class today that you signed her up for.”
“Shit, I forgot about that.” I wrap Chloe in one arm and rub my temples with the other. I haven’t been able to talk to Audrey much while I’m at the office because I get so caught up and sidetracked.
“Jace, I’m going to give you some tough love so bear with me for a second, okay?” she asks and I nod my head. “I think you’re working too much, and you need to realize it before everything you care about slips away without you even noticing.” Her words catch my immediate attention and fill me with dread.
“What do you mean, Quinny? Where is this coming from? Did Audrey say she would leave me?” I rush to ask. I need to go see her. I need to stop whatever thoughts she may be having. This can’t be happening.
“Calm down, Jace. It’s nothing like that. I just don’t want it to get to that point for you guys. I mean, how much have you really seen Audrey lately? How many times have you come home at,” she looks down at her watch and says, “ten-thirty at night or later and had to wake her up?”
“I’m new to this company. I have a lot of grunt work to put in before I can pull back a bit,” I try to rationalize. “Audrey understands this.”
She nods her head and continues, “You’re right, she does. But Cole and I have been talking, and you don’t need to be there as much as you are. You can delegate. You have Jax, Cole, and now Lane, in addition to all of your many employees. Release the reins just a little, Jace.”
“I can try, but y’all don’t understand how much actually has to be done every single day...”
“Jace, you’re missing out on crucial parts of Audrey’s life and this job has only just begun,” Quinn says.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying...” I trail off.
“I went and picked up Audrey’s gown from alterations today and afterward, I took it upstairs while she was out to hang it in her closest. How have you not noticed that she hasn’t even unpacked her clothes?”
“She what...?” I begin to panic.
“Jace, she’s been living here for months and all of her clothes are still in her suitcases. She wears them, washes them, and puts them back. She tiptoes around this house without touching a thing. If she has to use anything, she immediately washes it or stashes it away as if she were never there,” Quinn adds.
“I really hope you’re making this shit up. My heart is about to bust out of my chest,” I say in alarm.
“She’s lonely, Jace. Lane’s been gone all the time. She won’t go into town unless she absolutely has to, because she’s too afraid of what people will remember about her from high school. Today she told me she was glad she finally found a job because she’s running low on funds.” With that, she eyes me and continues, “Now, I only know what Cole makes, but you have to be making more than that. So why is the girl running low on money?”
“What?!” I holler. When Chloe squirms away from the elevated sound of my voice, I immediately apologize and begin rocking her back and forth. “Quinn, I swear to God we have a joint account.”
“Does she actually spend money out of that account?” Before she can ask another question, I wiggle my phone out of my back pocket and bring up our bank app on my screen. Swiftly, I scroll through every transaction. Mine. Mine. Mine. I slump down onto the couch with Chloe snuggled into my chest.
“Wait, last week she bought something...” I say and then look at it further. “Dry cleaner. Shit, that was for me.” How did I not know she wasn’t even using our bank account? “She’s going to leave me. She’s absolutely going to leave me,” I say in a defeated tone.
“No, she’s not. That’s not why I’m telling you this. I just think this has to do with how she grew up. You need to make her more comfortable. This house was your plans, your ideas, and you want her to spend your money...”
I quickly interrupt, “Our money. If anything, it’s hers. I don’t want it without her.”
She nods her head and softly says, “I’m glad to hear that. But you need to remember that she’s never known a relationship like that. I’m done stressing you out. She’ll kill me for saying something, but I figured you didn’t even notice.”
“Because I’ve been at the office every single day,” I grumble.
“You need to at least have some rest days every week, Jace, or even you will burn out,” Cole adds in. “What happens when you have a kid? Are you going to be that dad that’s never around? I had that dad, and trust me, it sucked. Your dad took time away, you can too.”
He has a point. My dad was home every day by dinner and all day during the weekends. I’ll never forget the time he spent with us, building the Camaro with Jax and hitting the heavy bag with me in the barn. I look down at a now-sleeping Chloe and realize I can’t become the guy I’m on track to become. I want to hear about Audrey’s day over dinner, not a sleepy, half-awake conversation late at night. I want to wake up next to her on Saturday and Sunday mornings and be able to share the day with her.
“I’ll fix this,” I inform them, “and she doesn’t need to go work for some random company. She can work at the office with me if she really wants to get a job.”
“I knew you’d be reasonable about this,” Quinn responds, while patting my leg. “But if I know Audrey, she’s not going to take some pity job from you. She earned a graduate degree. Let her be an adult, Jace.”