Two Little Secrets From My Boss

Chapter 26

Morning light filtered through the curtains, soft and golden. I woke to the smell of pancakes and the sound of Nina's bossy voice giving instructions from somewhere in the apartment.

"No, no, you have to flip it when the bubbles pop! Mommy always waits for the bubbles!"

I smiled before I even opened my eyes.

For a moment, I just lay there, letting the warmth of the blankets and the sounds of my family wash over me.

My family. The words felt new and fragile and perfect.

I padded into the kitchen in my pajamas, following the voices and the smell of butter. The scene that greeted me made my heart stutter.

Xander stood at the stove, spatula in hand, still wearing yesterday's dress shirt—now wrinkled and rolled to his elbows. Nina was perched on a chair beside him, directing operations with the authority of a tiny general. Lisa moved carefully around the table, setting out mismatched forks with intense concentration.

"The next one needs more chocolate chips," Nina instructed. "Lisa likes extra chocolate chips."

"Duly noted." Xander added a handful to the batter. "What about you? Extra chocolate chips too?"

"Obviously. I'm not a monster."

I leaned against the doorframe, just watching. The scene was so domestic, so impossibly perfect, that I couldn't bring myself to interrupt it. Xander in my kitchen. My daughters treating him like he'd always been there. Pancakes on a Friday morning.

Xander caught my eye and smiled—soft, unguarded, completely at ease. Nothing like the usual CEO mask he wore at work.

"Morning," he said. "Hope you're hungry. Chef Nina has very high standards."

"The highest," Nina confirmed. "Mommy, tell him the pancakes have to be round. He keeps making weird shapes."

"I thought the weird shapes were intentional," Xander protested. "That one's a heart."

"It looks like a blob."

"A heart-shaped blob. Very romantic."

I laughed, moving into the kitchen to pour myself coffee. "I think you're doing great. The girls don't let just anyone make them breakfast."

"I'm honored by the privilege." He flipped a pancake with surprising skill. "Lisa, how's the table looking?"

"Perfect!" Lisa beamed, adjusting a napkin for the third time. "I put the pretty napkins out. The ones with flowers."

"Excellent choice."

After breakfast, which was delicious despite Nina's complaints about blob-shaped pancakes, we settled into a routine that felt impossibly natural.

Xander sat on the couch with Lisa in his lap, carefully lacing her shoes while she chattered about her favorite cartoon characters. I stood behind Nina, styling her hair into two ponytails while she watched TV.

We almost looked like a normal family. I kept the thought to myself, afraid that saying it out loud might break the spell.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about," Xander said, his fingers working on Lisa's second shoe. "The company gala next week—the one celebrating the Ashford partnership."

"What about it?"

"There's a charity auction. We're raising money for children's hospitals." He finished with Lisa's shoe and looked up at me. "Bianca was supposed to lead it. Present the foundation, run the bidding, give the keynote speech."

"Okay..."

"But I've been thinking." His eyes held mine, serious and intent. "I want you to do it instead."

I nearly dropped the hairbrush. "What?"

"Present the foundation. Run the auction. Show everyone who you are." He set Lisa down gently and stood, moving toward me. "You'd be perfect for it."

"Xander, I'm just an assistant."

"You're the mother of my children." He caught my hand, his thumb tracing circles on my palm. "You're the woman I..." He stopped himself, but the unfinished word hung between us, heavy with meaning. "You belong on that stage as much as anyone."

"But Bianca…"

"Bianca can find something else to do." His voice hardened slightly. "This is my company, my gala, my choice. And I choose you."

Nina looked up from her cartoon. "Mommy's going to be on a stage? Like a pop star?"

"Better than a pop star," Xander confirmed, smiling down at her.

"Can we come watch?"

I opened my mouth to say no, galas weren't places for four-year-olds, but Xander spoke first. "I'd love that. Both of you. I want my whole family there."

Nina cheered and Lisa clapped her hands, and just like that, it was decided. I shook my head, but I was smiling. Outnumbered by my own family.

My family. The word settled into my chest, warm and unfamiliar and terrifyingly right.

Later, we drove to work together. The girls were with the babysitter, both of them hugging Xander goodbye with a fierceness that made my chest tight.

"Bye, Daddy!" Nina had called. "Don't forget—you promised to read us stories tonight!"

"I never forget a promise," he said solemnly.

When Xander parked in the executive garage, I moved to slip out quickly. Discreetly. The way I always did.But he caught my hand. "Walk in with me."

I hesitated. "People will talk."

"That's the point." He smiled, that private smile I was beginning to love, and stepped out, rounding the car to open my door. Then he offered his arm. "I want everyone to see that you're with me. That everything is fine between us. No more hiding."

I took his arm.

We walked through the lobby together, past the reception desk where Debra's eyebrows shot up, into the elevator where two junior executives suddenly found their phones fascinating.

Heads turned. Whispers rippled through the floor like wind through grass.

I kept my chin up, Xander's solid presence anchoring me. Let them talk. Let them wonder. I was done being invisible.

***

In the afternoon, I was making copies near the break room with a perfect mood and thoughts full of sweet and warm memories about this morning, when Bianca appeared.

She moved like a predator, blocking my path with a smile that was razor-sharp. Her voice dripped honeyed poison. "I thought we had an understanding, Daphne. Did you forget our little conversation?"

I met her gaze without flinching.

"The tabloids," she continued, stepping closer. "Your daughters' faces everywhere. Your career in ashes. Ring any bells?"

Something had shifted inside me. The fear that once gripped my chest—that made me lie awake at night imagining headlines and scandals—had loosened its hold.

I had Xander now. I had the truth. I had myself.

"You know what?" I said calmly. "Fuck you, Bianca."

She choked with indignation. "What did you just say to me?"

"You need a clarification?"

I stepped toward her, and for the first time, she was the one who stepped back. I leaned close, articulating each word with perfect clarity.

"Fuck. You." I tasted the words on my tongue. They felt good. But not quite enough. "Bitch," I added.

Yeah, much better.

Bianca's composure cracked, just for a second, shock and fury flashing across her perfect features. Her mouth opened and closed, searching for words that wouldn't come.

I didn't wait for her to find them. I simply turned and walked away, my heels clicking against the floor, hardly believing I'd actually said that.

Five years ago, I would have crumbled under her threats. Five weeks ago, I would have apologized and retreated. But I wasn't that woman anymore.

I was the mother of two incredible girls. I was the partner of a man who'd thrown punches to defend my honor. I was someone worth fighting for—and someone who could fight for herself.

I was proud of myself.