Rune Resisting Micah was a walk in the park in theory, but all my resolve went hurtling out the window the second he’d put his hands on me. I was a goner, totally lost in the haze that descended when we came together. The same thing happened when Shane was nearby, but he wasn’t quite as prickly as his friend, so it took more effort to keep myself in check when he was added to the mix, especially when he went and did heartwarming things like trying to connect with my son. Plus, Micah leaving me alone to retrieve the supplies he’d brought with him had given me plenty of time to reflect on how everything was unfolding. Roman and Isla’s own sperm donor had taken off when their mom Belinda had gotten the first diagnosis. Derek turned up every now and then looking for money where there wasn’t any, but he’d been absent for so long now that I wasn’t sure whether something had finally happened to him or not. It was one of the main reasons I was finally able to proceed with the adoption proc

Rune I’d reveled in the free afternoon with the kids, having accomplished a lot in the absence of having to take care of my normal responsibilities, as well as eliminating any driving time to and from the office that I would’ve typically been out of commission for. Micah spent the rest of the morning working remotely from the living room, and it was nice to collaborate with him on a few ideas of how to improve the work life experience for the editors. I was happy that he clearly intended to follow through with his plans to bring Griffin Fashion into the twenty-first century, and I loved the fact that he valued my opinion enough to ask for my input. Therefore, I was able to get more than average done today, and the prospect of having interns to help out in the future aided me in reducing the stress levels I felt overall. Shane had spent the majority of the day replacing the shoddy parts on my car and performing all the general upkeep that I’d neglected over the last few months. As

Micah It’d taken every ounce of the restraint that I’d honed over the years to force myself to step foot outside that room with Rune lying naked and needy between the thin fabric of the sheets. I’d seen the way she’d fidgeted with both Shane and my gazes trained on her in her barely clothed state, in spite of how sated my closest friend had likely left her beforehand, but there was fear in her mien as well. Just the same, I’d known we would have to tread carefully moving forward, and that was one of the main reasons I’d made myself leave the room when I did. Well, that, and the repeated din of knocking coming from the direction of the front door. Reaching the door in the middle of the racket, I didn’t waste time in opening it, giving the man on the outside a glare that would scare most other men in the span of a heartbeat, but he didn’t seem concerned as I snapped out, “There’s a child here trying to sleep. We would appreciate you keeping it down.” Guffawing disdainfully, the guy

Micah I filled Shane in on the new developments surrounding Rune’s ex and the game plan to handle any danger he posed accordingly while Rune spent some much-needed time with her kids and Jasmine, though it wasn’t tough to see that she adored Jas as if she were her own too. Rune’s amazing heart was one of the things that continued to draw me in, among many other things, and I was only that much more pissed at that asshat Damien for putting the kids and her through all this needless stress. It was obvious she didn’t get enough time to simply enjoy the little moments in life, but I was well aware that Shane and I were here now to ensure she didn’t have to go through the trials and tribulations of life alone any longer, whether she was ready to accept the inevitability of us all ending up together yet or not. Nothing would make me give up Rune now, and one look at Shane, cooking up a storm at the stove, informed me that he felt the same. Shane had been known to use his culinary creati

Rune “Well, look what the cat dragged in. I wasn’t sure you even worked here anymore, Rune.” Elisabeth’s nasally voice made my spine stiffen and my fingers clench, causing the paper I was holding to crinkle loudly in the resounding silence following the other woman’s outburst. Dropping the documents altogether, I spun on my heel, fleetingly taken aback as I saw that Elisabeth wasn’t alone. Amy, the other editor who’d up until recently been sharing this office space with me, was standing next to her, wearing a matching scowl on her face. I guess I wasn’t surprised she’d chosen to back the woman whose red-hot temper matched her hair color, but I wasn’t prepared to deal with this foolishness today. “Hello, Elisabeth, Amy. I don’t have time for this right now. Could you just get to the point?” I asked mildly, my mind already focusing on my next task after I left the office. Amy piped up, showing her true colors after all the months I’d worked amicably with her as she sneered, “It mus