I hadn’t known that Harry had such a vengeful and dark side to him. I guess it was true what Hazel said, he really was a different person after his wife’s death.

  “Harry, things are different with her. She is incredibly smart and kind, and she sees me for who I am, not just for my money. Do you know how rare that is for me?” I asked.

  “She sees you for who you are? So, she sees that you are a misogynistic, cheating, lying pig who only cares about himself?”

  I honestly couldn’t come up with a response to that. I wanted to hit him. I wanted to knock some sense into him. I wanted to fire him and make his life miserable. But I restrained myself. I put my hands in my pockets and stood there for a moment.

  “Put yourself in my shoes, Noah. How would you feel about this?” he asked.

  I looked away from him, up into the stands, as I considered his question.

  “You could never know how this feels. No one has ever loved you long enough to give you a daughter. She’s the only good thing in my life, Noah. You couldn’t possibly understand how I feel,” he said.

  Before I had the chance to respond, he stood up and was halfway across the field. I watched him walk away and rejoin the coaching staff. He was completely right. I didn’t know how he felt, and I never would. As much as I had longed for a stable family to call my own when I was young, it just never happened for me, and Harry knew that. He knew that I would never know how he was feeling. I had to admit that I may have just made things worse rather than better.

  Two weeks passed without speaking to Harry, though I tried to seek him out whenever possible. If I ever managed to catch him in the hallway or the cafe or the coaching offices, he acted as if I didn’t exist. I wasn’t one to grovel for someone’s attention, especially a man’s, but I knew how important it was to Hazel that I do everything I could to mend my relationship with Harry. We had been friends for so long that I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it, either.

  Though things had not improved with Harry, Hazel decided to come back to Chicago, anyway. She was tired of the Florida heat, she was tired of listening to Rachel and Zach through the walls at all hours of the night, and she missed working with Amanda in person. That was what she told me, anyway, but I knew that the real reason was that she needed me. Honestly, I needed her, too. Phone sex was fun, and we had definitely made great use of it while she had been gone, but it was nothing compared to the real thing.

  She insisted on taking a commercial airline to get back to Chicago, despite my efforts to persuade her otherwise, but I insisted on picking her up at the airport. I arrived early with a bouquet of flowers and waited for her outside the secure area. When I finally saw her walking towards me, I was certain that she had gotten more beautiful. She was wearing a white sundress, and her skin was tan and glowing. Her blonde hair was lighter than it had been, and it was clear that she had spent plenty of time on the beach. I regretted that I hadn’t been able to make good on my promise and visit her. I watched her walk towards me, and I struggled to keep the smile off my face.

  “You’re here,” she said, a tone of surprise in her voice.

  “Of course. I told you I would be,” I said.

  “I know, I just mean that you’re here. Inside the airport.”

  “Where else would I be?” I asked.

  “I just figured you’d wait for me outside in the car.”

  “And miss the opportunity to watch you walk in that dress? Never,” I said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

  She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me close. “I missed you,” she whispered.

  “I missed you, too. Let’s get out of here,” I said.

  She pulled away from me, and I reached out and grabbed her hand, leading her outside.

  The driver was waiting for us as we approached the car, and he opened the door for us and took Hazel’s luggage from her. Hazel slid into the back seat, and I got in next to her, never once letting my hand leave hers. As we started driving, Hazel looked at me with a sly smile on her face.

  “What’s that look for?” I asked.

  She glanced over at the partition between us and the driver. I raised an eyebrow at her. She just nodded and looked at me expectantly. I pressed the button and rolled the partition up. I grabbed Hazel before it had reached the top and climbed on top of her, laying her down on the seat.

  Her dress exposed her shoulders, collarbone, and much of her chest, which was a great bonus for me. I pulled the strap down off her shoulder and began kissing her warm skin. I noticed that her breasts were just as sun kissed as the rest of her body.

  “No tan lines?” I asked, though it was really more of a statement than a question.

  “Topless beach,” she said.

  “Hazel.” I groaned, nuzzling my face into her neck.

  Kissing her neck and gently sucking on her skin, I made my way down her collarbone and to her chest. I licked the skin between her breasts, and her back arched in delight. I started working my way down her abdomen, pulling her dress further and further down as I went. There was nothing better than hearing the sweet sound of her sighs as I moved my mouth along her most sensitive areas.

  Before I had a chance to get her completely naked, the car came to a stop, and the driver turned off the engine. Hazel looked at me, a bit disappointed, and I definitely felt the same way.

  “Mr. Hyde,” said the driver, his voice muffled by the partition.

  I cleared my throat. Yes?” I hollered.

  “We have arrived. Would you like me to get the door for you?” he asked.

  Hazel eyes widened, knowing that he was aware of what was going on back here. He never offered to open the door, as it was generally something he just did without being told. Hazel blushed and sat up and pulled her dress back on.

  “That’s alright, thank you. We can manage,” I said.

  Hazel let out a small laugh as I reached to open the door. I slid out of the car and extended my hand to her. Pulling her in close to me, I wrapped my free hand around her back. “We will resume this later,” I whispered.

  Hazel looked around at where we were, and I knew she was expecting us to be at my flat, but instead, we were at one of the most expensive and exclusive restaurants in the city, which was located in the most famous hotel in Chicago.

  “Noah, what are we doing here?” she asked.

  “I thought we deserved a night out together. To celebrate your return,” I said.

  Looking down at her cotton dress and sandals, she said, “I am not dressed for this place.”

  “For what it’s worth, I think you look phenomenal. But I have a change of clothes waiting for you upstairs,” I said.

  Hazel smiled at me as I led her into the building. We went directly to the elevator for the penthouse suite, and she rested her head on my arm as we rode up. We entered the suite, and I showed Hazel to the bathroom.

  “Take a shower, get dressed, and we will go eat whenever you are ready,” I said.

  “You’re not going to join me?” Hazel asked innocently.

  I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in for a kiss. “I have some work that I need to get done. You go take your time and relax. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

  She squeezed my hand as she stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  An hour later, Hazel emerged from the bathroom, looking even more stunning than I thought possible. I had Marisa pick out a dress for her, and she had done an incredible job. Hazel was dressed in a black gown with a high neckline and open back, and she had pulled her hair up, so her entire back was exposed. She had on red lipstick and silver hoop earrings. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when I looked at her. “Wow,” I said, breathless.

  “What do you think?” she asked, doing a quick spin.

  Wrapping my arms around her, I admitted, “You are perfection, my dear.”

  I pressed my nose to hers and instantly regretted that I had made dinner reservations. There was nothing I wanted more than to see that dress hit the floor. I let out a deep growl under my breath and closed my eyes. Hazel pressed her lips to my neck and let out a soft sigh. The feeling of her breath on my skin made my body tingle. I started to creep my hands down the back of her dress to grab her ass.

  “I guess we better get going,” she said, grabbing my tie and leading me towards the door.

  “You are evil,” I muttered.

  She winked at me and opened the door, leading me to the elevator.

  Since it truly was a celebration of Hazel’s return, we drank an abundance of wine and talked and laughed until late into the night. I had no idea what time it was until the wait staff came to tell us that they were closing the restaurant and needed us to leave. We staggered out the doors and towards the elevator.

  “I’m so glad that you’re going to be back at work,” I said as we rode up to the suite.

  “What? I’m not coming back yet,” Hazel said.

  I looked at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not coming back until things are worked out with my dad,” she said. “I am going to keep working remotely for now.”

  “I thought that’s why you came back,” I said.

  “I came back for you, but I’m not going back to work yet,” she repeated.

  I scratched my head, as if that would solve anything. “Okay… well at least I will get to see you more.”

  She nodded.

  “I really think you should come back,” I said.

  I wasn’t sure if it was the wine or something else, but I wasn’t going to let her get away with this without a fight.

  “I’m just not ready,” she said.

  “I understand that. But I own the company. If you want your dad gone, I’ll fire him. If you want a private office where no one can bother you, I will get you one,” I said.

  “I don’t want any of that, you know I don’t,” she said.

  “Hazel, please come back. I know there will be consequences, but I don’t care. I need you there.”

  She sighed and paused for a long time before responding. “I’ll think about it.”

  I kissed her hand, knowing that that was the best answer I could get from her.

  Chapter twenty-three

  Hazel

  “So, you two are like actually dating?” Amanda asked.

  Though I had been in touch with Amanda every single day since I started working remotely, I hadn’t actually seen her in person for weeks. We met for lunch one afternoon to chat and discuss things that didn’t relate to our most recent social media posts.

  “Yeah, I guess we are,” I said, unable to keep a smile off my face.

  “Don’t you remember how much we hate him?” she asked.

  “Well…yeah, but he’s not really like that,” I said.

  “Then what’s he like?”

  “He’s generous and kind. He is incredibly thoughtful. I could go on and on about him,” I said.

  “Is he as good in bed as he looks like he would be?”

  “Amanda,” I said, looking her straight in the eyes, “he is so much better than I imagined.”

  Amanda laughed and took a bite of her salad, rolling her eyes at me just a bit. “Must be nice to be getting laid regularly,” she said wistfully.

  “Oh, it is,” I said with a laugh, “what happened to the guy you were seeing?”

  “Didn’t I tell you?” she asked.

  I shook my head.

  “He’s married,” she said.

  I gasped.

  “And he has three kids,” she continued.

  “You’re kidding me?”

  “Nope. I feel completely awful about it,” she said.

  “I can’t even imagine. I’m so sorry. He seemed like such a nice guy.”

  “He was alright. I knew it wasn’t going anywhere, but it was nice to have someone around,” she said.

  “You want me to ask Noah if he has any billionaire friends to set you up with?” I asked.

  “Thanks, but I think I can manage on my own,” Amanda said with a smile.

  “I’ve missed you,” I said.

  Tilting her head at me, she asked, “When are you going to come back?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just waiting for my dad to cool off a little bit. I just don’t know when that will be,” I said.

  “Have you talked to him?”

  “No, not really. I honestly don’t know if I will ever be able to come back,” I said.

  “You need to talk to him. That’s the only way things will ever work out. You can’t just ignore a problem and hope it goes away,” she said.

  “That’s all I know how to do. I don’t know how to talk to my dad about real life, especially not about the men I’m sleeping with,” I said. “My mom would totally get it, but I don’t know if he ever will.”

  “Maybe he won’t ever be happy about it, but you need to try,” she said.

  I sighed. I knew she was right. I just didn’t know how to go about talking to him. How would I even start that conversation, especially after the things he said to me?

  “Maybe I should just start looking for another job,” I said.

  “Hazel, no. You’re not looking for another job, okay? Everything is going to be fine,” she attempted to reassure me.

  I shrugged, knowing that she was probably right, but it would take a lot of work to get to that point.

  After we finished our lunch, I thought a lot about what Amanda had said. I couldn’t rely on Noah to be the one to mend his relationship with my dad if I wasn’t willing to try, too. I thought about calling him, but I looked at my watch and saw that training was just ending. I could go back to the building and catch him before he left for the day. I wasn’t sure if it would be easier or harder to have this conversation in person, but before I could decide, I was swinging open the front doors.

  I made my way downstairs towards his office, taking deep breaths and trying not to lose my courage. When I reached the hallway that led to all of the coach’s offices, I felt my palms begin to sweat. I instantly regretted my decision, and I wanted to turn back, but before I could, I heard my dad’s voice coming down the hall towards me.

  “See ya tomorrow, Saul,” he called as he stepped into the hallway.

  His eyes met mine, and I wanted to run away, but I was frozen in place.

  “Hazel,” he said quietly.

  “Hi,” I said, willing myself to take a step towards him.

  “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “What?”

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” he said.

  “You—you have?” I stammered.

  “Yeah. Do you have a minute?” he asked.

  I hesitated for a moment, but eventually, I nodded and followed him back into the suite of offices. He unlocked the door with his name posted outside of it and ushered me inside. I wasn’t sure what kind of conversation this was going to be, but I was certain that he could hear my heart beating outside of my body. I sat down in one of the chairs opposite his desk and occupied myself with looking at his notes and plays written out on the whiteboard on the wall. I thought for a moment about saying something, but I didn’t want to start the conversation off the wrong way. I needed to let him begin. The silence was deafening, and I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes.

  “I need to apologize,” he said.

  “What?” I asked, the sound of his voice startling me.

  I couldn’t remember a single time in my life when he had ever apologized to me.

  “I’m sorry that I exploded on you, and I’m sorry for the things I said,” he said.

  I was stunned into silence.

  “I should just keep out of your personal business,” he said.

  “Dad, I’m an adult. I need to be able to make my own choices without worrying what you will think about it. You can’t tell me what to do.”

  “I know I can’t. I was wrong for thinking I could.”

  I tried to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat.

  “I talked to Noah,” he said.

  I looked up at him, worried about what was going to come out of his mouth next.

  “He told me everything,” he said.

  “Everything?” I asked, but surely, he didn’t actually mean everything.

  “He told me how he feels about you and how much he loves you. He went on and on about how incredible and smart you are. He told me that every minute he spends with you is the happiest moment of his life.”

  “He said all that?” I whispered.

  “I hadn’t ever heard him talk about anyone like that. It is clearly different with you than with anyone else he has ever been with. Which is, like, a lot of people,” he said.

  Groaning, I rolled my eyes. “Dad.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said with a slight smile, “what I’m saying is, I guess I just need to trust that you will make the right decision for yourself, even if I may not agree with it.”

  “So, you’re not going to murder him?” I asked.

  “No, I’m not going to murder him unless he hurts you,” he said.

  “He wouldn’t dare,” I said with a smile.

  “I know he wouldn’t. You are the most important person in the world,” he said.

  I crossed the room to him and embraced him in what I thought would be a quick hug, but he held me tight and planted a kiss on my head.

  “Thanks, Dad,” I said softly.

  “Mr. Hyde, Ms. Archibald is here to see you,” Erin said into the phone.

  She quickly hung up and indicated that it was okay for me to go in. I slowly opened the door and saw Noah walking across the room towards me, clearly surprised by my appearance.

  “Hey,” I said as he wrapped an arm around my back to embrace me.

  Noah dipped me down for a passionate kiss like one of those cheesy romantic movies, but I had to admit, I completely loved it.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, setting me back on my feet.

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.” Noah grabbed my hand and walked me over to the couch.

  “I talked to my dad,” I said.

  “And?”

  “He told me what you said.”