“Bye, Daddy,” Alexis calls out from behind. I turn around to find her holding Brayden and waving his little hand at me. “Thanks for changing my nappy.”

“You’re welcome, baby boy,” I reply with a laugh. “Anytime.”

* * *

After a quick shower, I soon discover it is almost time for my appointment with Chelsea. As I make my way down the stairs, I find Alexis sitting on the floor with Brayden lying on a bunny-rug beside her. She is holding a brightly coloured caterpillar-looking thing not too far from his face.

“Boo!” she coos at him, after pulling it away quickly. “I can’t wait for you to smile for the first time, BB. Something tells me you will have a smile like your daddy.”

BB? I thought we dealt with that shit.

I quietly and purposely walk up behind them. “BB?” I question, while firing an interrogative expression her way.

She startles a little and looks up with an uh oh-I-just-got-busted look. “Um...yes! Baby Brayden.”

Realisation dawns on me. “That is why you wanted the initial B, isn’t it?” I ask, impressed.

She giggles, revealing her plan. “Maybe.”

“You never seem to amaze to me,” I say, shaking my head with a smile. “Listen, I have my appointment with Chelsea now. I want you and Brayden to come in to the office while she’s here.”

“I really don’t want to,” Alexis murmurs without looking at me. “We are happy here.”

The buzzer to my office sounds and we both look at the speaker. Why we do this...I’m not really sure.

“Please, I want to show off my son...and the amazing woman who gave him to me.”

I hear her make a ‘pfft’ noise, and her confident demeanour from seconds ago is now gone. It saddens me.

“Sure, if it means that much to you,” she says with clear distaste as she slowly gets up from the ground.

Walking toward my office, I’m ready to put Alexis and Jessica’s theory to the test. Surely Chelsea isn’t as bad as they say she is.

* * *

Heading straight for the door, I open it to find Chelsea seated in reception, brushing down her dress and fixing her hair and makeup. Instantly, I pick up on her effort to make herself presentable. Normally I would find this preparation an honourable quality, something that all employees or business associates should make habit of doing before a meeting. This time though, I see it more as an attempt to impress me on a different level.

My newfound insight surprises me.

“Good afternoon, Chelsea, please come in.” I stand back and hold the door open for her, remembering what my mother had always said about being a gentleman. ‘Chivalry is only dead if you, yourself, kill it.’

Expecting her to walk in like I directed her to, I’m shocked when she instead stops and places a quick kiss on my cheek. “Hi, it’s nice to see you again. I feel we haven’t caught up in such a long time.”

Okay, that kiss was unprofessional and certainly not called for, considering my fiancé is in the room and has just recently given birth to our son.

Worried that because this particular experiment is proving Alexis and Jessica’s thesis correct, I quickly give Alexis a glance to check I haven’t upset her any further. I honestly did not see Chelsea as this brazen before now. Shit! Have I been that blind?

Expecting to see Alexis resembling a cartoon character with steam billowing out of her ears and nostrils, instead, I see a withdrawn woman who is extremely uncomfortable.

Chelsea follows my line of sight toward Alexis. “Oh, hello, Alexis, I didn’t know you would be here,” she says with a sweet but somewhat bitter tone of voice.

“Well, I do live and work here, Chelsea...,” Alexis replies just as bitterly sweet while cradling Brayden in her arms. “...And, this is my fiancé’s office, so I’m bound to be around aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are,” Chelsea replies curtly. She looks back at me, appearing to wait for my instruction as to where we should sit.

Thinking that she would have acknowledged Brayden by this stage, asking how he is...heck, even asking what his name is, I’m surprised that she hasn’t. Maybe it’s because he is in Alexis’ arms, and approaching her would be awkward due to their obvious animosity toward each other.

I decide to put that theory to the test too and take Brayden from Alexis. “Chelsea, this is Brayden, Alexis’ and my son,” I say proudly, stepping up right beside her.

“He’s cute,” she replies, giving him a quick smile then focussing back on me. “But then again, he is your son.”

I furrow my brow, her flirting obvious and quite frankly pathetic.

At this point, I’m pissed off. Pissed off because one: I’ve been so fucking blind and because of that it has hurt Alexis. Two: I fucking hate it when I’m wrong. And three: the way she just treated my fiancé and son in front of me was nothing short of appalling.

Moving away from Chelsea, I pass Brayden back to Alexis and kiss her with a purposeful show. When I’m done, I turn back around and ask Chelsea to sit in the seat in front of my desk. She does but not before shooting Alexis a subtle scowl.

Sitting down opposite her, I steeple my hands in front of me and prepare myself to potentially lose an old friend. “Chelsea, I’m going to have to let you go,” I say neutrally.

“Let me go wher—“

“Your behaviour, especially today in this office, is unprofessional and quite frankly embarrassing. I made it exceedingly clear that we were nothing more than friends a long time ago, and honestly, I’d hoped you could work here with a proficient, friendly and skilled manner. Clearly, you can’t. And that being the case, I’m sorry to say that you’re employment with Clark Incorporated is now effectively terminated.”

Chelsea sits stunned, mouth agape, searching my eyes for some form of reprieve or indication that what I just said was some ploy. Slowly, she turns to face Alexis. “You. This is all your doing.”

I stand up and gesture that she do the same. “I can assure you that this has absolutely nothing to do with Alexis. I had every intention in giving you the benefit of the doubt today, truly believing that what I had sceptically suspected was just that; a doubtful suspicion. Unfortunately, Chelsea, you proved me wrong, and because of that and the way you feel, I can’t have you work here anymore. It’s not fair to Alexis and it’s not fair to you.”

Chelsea stands up, fury and hurt in her eyes. “And how exactly do you think I feel, Bryce?”

Seeing the hurt seep out of her is unsettling, and the last thing I want is for her to be upset, but I now realise she needs to be told bluntly and once and for all that she holds nothing more than mutual friendship with me.

“I think it’s obvious how you feel. Can you honestly stand there and tell me that you don’t have feelings for me, Chelsea. That you haven’t since we hooked up all those years ago,” I candidly request.

She looks down at her hands, her bottom lip trembling. “I can’t.”

“And that’s why you have to leave. Move on. You can’t do that here.”

She nods slowly but doesn’t look up.

“Listen, I want you to be happy like I am. Find that someone you deserve...because that someone is not me. I belong to Alexis now and I always will. We have a family and we will be married in the near future.”

She looks up at this point and finds Alexis and Brayden. I find them too, taking in Alexis’ tear streaked face.

Chelsea sucks in a breath and covers her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry, Bryce. I...I just thought that we...” She momentarily shuts her eyes and shakes her head. “You’re right, I’ve acted terribly. God, I need to leave. Shit! I’m sorry.”

She turns and heads for the door with rapid speed. I take a step forward, my intention to chase her down. I don’t want her to leave in the state she is in. Hesitating for a mere second, I pause, fearing that if I do go after her, I will give her the wrong impression.

Alexis hands me Brayden. “Here, take BB. I’ll go after her.”

I watch her run off while wiping her eyes.

* * *

Minutes later, Alexis walks back into my office. I’ve already placed Brayden down in his bassinet, and he is—as per usual—fast asleep.

Standing up from my seated position behind the desk, I make my way around to the front of it and lean my arse against the edge. “How is she?” I ask, worried about the answer.

“Devastated—“

“Shit!” I run my hands through my hair in frustration. I really didn’t want it to end this badly.

Alexis steps up to me and takes my hands in hers. “Devastated...but she’ll be okay. You gave her the wakeup-call she needed.”

Letting go of her hands and placing mine on her hips, I guide her closer and press my mouth to hers, the taste and feel of her body instantly heeling my apprehension.

“Believe it or not...,” she whispers, pulling away from my mouth—the loss of her tongue, agonising. “You did her a favour.”

I rest my forehead on hers and momentarily close my eyes. “I know. But I feel terrible.”

“That’s because you have a big heart.”

“A heart that belongs to you and only you. I wish you would realise that.”

“I do...now.”

She tilts her head up to kiss me once again, and I welcome the invitation eagerly. No one makes me feel what Alexis makes me feel. No one ever has. It’s as though we are two kindred spirits; two halves of a whole.

“Jessica told you didn’t she? You won’t confess because if you do you admit she broke patient client confidentiality, I get that.”