Page 6 of I Choose You (Wilder #2)

Claire

The dwindling sunlight was causing my eyes to strain as I finished typing up my report for Andrew.

The sounds of construction had been making it hard to concentrate, but it was well worth it to stay on-site as long as possible.

Meant less time in my gritty motel room.

I got up to turn on the overhead light, sidestepping the portable heater that Reid had set up for me.

It was November in New England, and this year seemed to be gearing up for a frigid winter. I flicked the light switch on in the reading room I had commandeered as my makeshift office and stood in the doorway.

Reid and his crew had finished the demolition last week and were tackling the structural repairs in the basement.

Since this portion of the project didn’t require my immediate attention, I had been spending my time lining up the subcontractors for the custom light fixtures and stained glass replacements.

It was specialty work, and their lead times could sometimes be outrageous.

We weren’t at the design phase where we were submitting our requests yet, but having the relationships cemented early would help our cause when we were ready to place an order.

Reid came up the basement stairs, his hair mussed and damp with sweat.

His broad shoulders stretched his gray T-shirt, a green flannel was thrown over his shoulder, and his jeans hung low on his waist, a peek of his boxers showing.

My gaze perused down his body and back up.

When I reached his face, I found his eyes on me, one brow raised and a tick of his cheek as he tried to hold back a grin.

He strode toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. I wanted to crawl back into the office, pretend he hadn’t caught me checking him out, but I couldn’t seem to break eye contact.

“We’re heading out for the day. Wrap it up.” He stood in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest. Any grin from just a moment ago was gone.

“That’s fine. I have some work I need to finish up, but you guys have a good night.”

“And what? Just leave you here alone?”

The rest of the crew were upstairs now as well, making their way over to us.

I shifted my gaze back to Reid, responding, “I can either work here alone or in my hotel room alone. I know which one I would rather be at.” My smile was meant to diffuse his attitude, but it seemed to only make it worse.

His eyes turned stormy, and his jaw clenched.

“I can stay back for a while and hang out here while you finish up if you want,” Shawn offered. Reid’s eyes narrowed slightly, his jaw tightening even further.

“Thanks, Shawn. You don’t have to do that though. I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, you guys take off. Good work today,” Reid said as he stepped into my makeshift office. He took one of the wooden chairs from against the wall and, with his foot hooked onto the leg, tugged it closer to my desk.

Okay. I guess Reid was staying.

I sat down in the musty office chair that I had been using at my desk and stared at my laptop. What had I been doing? Oh, finishing my daily report for Andrew, that’s right.

Ever since day one, Andrew had asked me to send him a report of our progress and activities. I completely understood his need to stay on top of this project. Although I was the designer assigned to the Delano Library, it would be his business, his name, on the line if things got off track.

The problem was that not much was happening on the daily. I documented every vendor or supplier I had reached out to and submitted any quotes as I received them. I even added an inspiration board at the bottom of the email to show Andrew where my mind was at with the design elements.

According to my read receipts, he had yet to open a single one of my emails.

Reid didn’t say anything as I got back to my report.

He just sat silently with his head in his phone.

I took a moment to really look at him. His lashes were weirdly beautiful, but nothing else about his face could be called beautiful.

He was devilishly handsome, dangerously so, but his sharp jaw and strong nose were far too masculine for the word “beautiful.”

His chest was broad, but I could tell it wasn’t from the gym.

It was from hauling supplies, tools, equipment, and debris on his jobsites day in and day out.

He worked hard for those muscles, and it showed.

The way he sat, even in a rickety wooden chair, was full of power and confidence.

I had to remind myself that he was so young.

Well above legal—it wasn’t that bad—but still much younger than me.

“You done? I haven’t heard you type anything for a while now.” His voice was gruff and sounded annoyed.

I shook myself back to reality. He was so pretty until he opened his mouth.

“I told you, you don’t have to stay. I’m fine here on my own. I promise to lock up when I leave.”

He huffed out a breath so strong it would have given the Big Bad Wolf some serious competition. His gaze flicked up to meet my eyes. “I told you. I’m not leaving you here alone. Just finish what you have to do.”

My phone rang on the desk beside me. Without even thinking, I swiped to pick up the call before I processed the name on the screen. I blamed Reid for that; he was making me anxious, just sitting across from me with that scowl.

Infusing as much sweetness into my voice as possible, I answered, “Hi, Mom.”

“You know, you wouldn’t be available to answer your phone so quickly if you were home with your boyfriend.”

Reid’s eyes snapped to mine again before looking down at his phone.

My mother could sound a bit tough if you didn’t know her.

Sure, maybe some mothers started with a greeting when they called their only daughter, but why waste time with pleasantries when you could get right to the point.

That was her motto. Efficiency over emotions.

Unless she was on the campaign trail. Then she was the dutiful wife and engaging partner of Senator Thomas DeLuca.

I quickly took my phone off speakerphone, a habit I had gotten into so I could work and talk at the same time.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, Mom. Will and I broke up for good.

” Now it was my turn to flick a glance at Reid.

He continued to swipe across his phone, engaged in whatever game he was playing.

I appreciated that he pretended he couldn’t hear this conversation.

When I turned my chair around and faced the wall, creating a little bubble of privacy for myself, I heard the scrape of the chair across the floor as Reid left.

“What’s good for you is to be by his side as he makes his moves.

” She paused, and I wasn’t sure if she expected me to suddenly agree or if she was waiting for something else.

I could hear someone else’s voice in the background, but they were too quiet for me to make out what they were saying.

It was probably my dad, doing what my dad did best—talking.

I didn’t know a single other person who liked the sound of his own voice as much as my father.

Not that he spoke to me. I was just his daughter, firmly in my mother’s domain of “problems to deal with.”

Finally, my mother continued. “What will people think when they find out that the man your father has invested in isn’t good enough for you?

Do you want people to start questioning his judgment?

How will that look to his constituents? Trust me, your father and I know what’s best for you.

Will still asks about you, you know. He would take you back in a heartbeat.

He knows what’s good for him, unlike someone else. ”

“Mom,” I said carefully. “We’ve been through this already.

I have a job. A career that I really like.

I’m not quitting to go stand by Will’s side.

That wasn’t the life I wanted before, and it certainly isn’t the life I want now.

” She already knew the history between us, having been in the middle of it while it happened.

“He cheated, Mom. And he’ll do it again.

He’s probably done it before, and I just didn’t catch him. ”

“I know, I know. And that was a betrayal, and it should cost him. But it should cost him a lake house, not his future. Do you really want to take away his hopes and dreams over a little infidelity? Think on it, honey. You and Will belong together. You’ll make a dream power couple in the political world.

You could have done it on your own if you had finished that law degree, but without it, Will is your best chance at securing your role. ”

“I’m not going to think on it. It’s not happen—Mom? Mom?” I pulled the phone from my ear to look at the screen. Yup, she hung up.

I put my phone down on the desk behind me and took a deep breath. In, five, four, three, two, one. Out, five, four, three, two, one. And again. Crossing my legs beneath me, I focused on my breathing. Meditation was the best way to relieve the stress of talking to my mother.

I let my hands relax in front of me, my palms facing down.

What I needed was to feel grounded. To feel like my life was my own.

My decisions were mine to make. Let go of the guilt of disappointing my parents.

They’d disappointed me too, and that was okay.

We were all human, doing the best we could.

Their idea of success looked different than mine, and that was fine.

I couldn’t control if they were to ever come to terms with what my idea of success looked like for me.

I could only control my own emotions, my own actions.

Breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly.

“Your mother sounds like a real fucking peach.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin—and I know I definitely squealed—when Reid spoke. He spoke in such a flat, emotionless tone that I couldn’t help but laugh. Only then I couldn’t stop laughing.