Juniper Hill (The Edens #2)(39)

I refused to let myself think of the alternative.

He’d slept through the night.

My heart hammered in my chest as I clutched him close.

Tears flooded my eyes as the adrenaline spike ebbed. It was fine. He was fine. He’d just slept all night.

Why did that make me cry? I should have been ecstatic, but instead, I spent the rest of the morning on the verge of tears, my hands shaking as I rushed to get ready for the day.

The sound of the garage opening and Knox’s truck rumbling to life sounded while I hurried through a shower. I dropped my brush three times while blow-drying my hair. My stomach was too jittery to eat breakfast. Even the sight of

Anne Eden’s apple pie made me queasy, so I filled a glass of water only to choke on the first gulp. My fingers fumbled with the snaps on Drake’s onesie as I worked to get him dressed.

Everything felt . . . off. Unsteady.

“He’s fine.” I whispered those words to myself as I made my way to the car. Then I said them again five more times as I drove into town.

The parking lot at the daycare was bustling with parents coming in and out. I pulled into one of the only empty spaces, then carted Drake inside, passing another one of the mothers in the hallway to the nursery.

The space was narrow, so I shifted Drake’s car seat so it was in front of me, but in the move, the keys I’d had in my other hand fell to the floor. I set him down, bending to pick them up, but that caused the diaper bag over my shoulder to fall.

“What is wrong with me?” Get it together, Memphis. I drew in a deep breath, willing my heart out of my throat, then squared my shoulders and got back onto my feet.

With my keys shoved into a jeans pocket, I was hooking the diaper bag over a shoulder when Jill’s voice carried down the hallway.

“Her biggest priority is finding a new daddy for her baby.”

My entire body froze.

Was she talking about me? No way. It had to be someone else. Unless someone had seen Knox and me at Knuckles, sharing a booth, and assumed we were a couple. That was a stretch. But this was a small town. Maybe gossip traveled that fast.

My head was playing tricks on me today. I shook it off, unstuck my feet.

Another woman’s voice carried from the nursery. “Are you surprised she’s already dating? I think she was seeing this new guy before the divorce was even final. I told you I saw them at Big Sam’s that one night.”

Okay, definitely not me. Big Sam’s Saloon was one of the bars on Main, and a place I’d never been.

What was my problem this morning? Of course they hadn’t been talking about me. It wasn’t like I shared my personal life with Jill. Drake wasn’t talking either. When had I become this anxious, unraveled person? Old Memphis, for all her faults, had always held her head high.

I didn’t miss her, but I wouldn’t be angry if some of her former confidence worked its way to the surface.

The moment Jill spotted me from the nursery, she handed the baby girl she’d been holding to the other woman—one of the ladies I’d seen in the office a few times—then came over and stole Drake’s car seat.

“There’s my favorite guy.” She smiled at him as she unsnapped him from his seat. In no time, he was in her arms, kicking his legs with a smile of his own.

“Here’s his bottles and more diapers.” I hung the diaper bag on Drake’s designated hook.

Jill didn’t even spare me a glance.

I walked over, touching Drake’s hand. “Have a good day, baby. I love you.”

Jill spun him so that he was out of my reach.

My heart twisted but I backed away, easing out of the room. My strides were slow and sluggish. So much of me wanted to go in there, get my son and never set foot in this building again.

“Is that the one living with Knox Eden?”

That question stopped me cold.

“Yep.” Jill popped the p, the disdain in her voice as bright as the yellow color on the walls.

“There’s another single mom looking for a daddy. I guess if I were her, I’d go after the richest bachelor in town too.”

I cringed. This was what people were saying about me?

That I was after Knox for his money? Humiliation crawled up my skin, red and itchy. My cheeks flamed.

It took all of my strength to keep walking. Because while these women were awful to me, Jill at least loved my son. And for today, I didn’t have any other options.

I had to get to work for my shift.

For the first time in weeks, I didn’t park beside Knox’s truck, choosing a space much farther away. After punching my time card, I went straight for a cleaning cart, skipping my regular cup of coffee and quick hello to Eloise at the front counter. Did she think I was here to chase her brother?

I was waiting at the staff elevator when footsteps sounded in the hallway. Knox was walking my way, a notepad and pen in his hand, his white chef’s coat sleeves pushed up his forearms.

He smiled.

A smile so handsome I wanted to cry.

The elevator opened. I looked away, pushed the cart inside and rode to the fourth floor with my eyes squeezed shut.

The phone in my back pocket rang as I unlocked the first guest room door. I pulled it out, hoping that it was daycare with some reason why I had to leave and get Drake. Today, I didn’t want the hours at work. Today, I wanted to curl up with my son and forget the world.