Chapter 8.

Ava

We were able to finish my work by 2:30am thankfully. It would've taken me so much longer and my father really would've been mad.

"Why'd you have so much? I mean your dad should know no one could finish this much work by themself before 3am."

I shrug even though I know exactly why. He wants another reason to hit me. "Okay, let's start yours" I tell him sliding one of the huge boxes in front of us as we sit on the living room floor.

He opens the box full of envelopes. "I don't know where to start" He tells me. Honestly I don't either.

"How about we look through all the deals your father has and highlight the things companies aren't doing with their part of the contract?" I say amazing myself.

He nods taking out two files and handing me one. I read over the name Vincent Thomas. "I hate this guy." I say out loud.

He looks at the papers in my hand "What'd he do?" "He tried to kill my daughter." I tell him.

His head shoots up "he tried to kill Bella?" he asks anger lingering in his voice. Maybe he does care for Bella.

"Well not purposely but still, he gave her peanuts as a gift while I wasn't there and she's allergic to peanuts. Sure he didn't know but who in the hell gives a child peanuts as a gift?" I rant.

Just thinking about it makes me mad. That was the scariest moment of my life she could've died.

Jaxson laughs "I thought he actually tried to murder her for a second" he says and I chuckle.

"So where did you guys go yesterday?" he asks. "I went to work, where else would I go?" I ask him confused "you took Bella to your job?" he asks.

"I had to, her babysitters mom is sick and there is no one else to watch her." He nods watching me read through his papers.

"What do the people at your job say about it?" He continues to question me. "Nothing, sometimes they barley know she's there. You give her a bag of chips and she can stay quiet for hours if she's entertained. When I have meetings Cedric looks after her."

He frowns "what?" "Can she stay with me tomorrow?" He asks me. I take that as my opportunity to laugh.

"You have to be kidding right?" Jaxson just stares at me. "Oh you're serious?" I ask him. "Why wouldn't I be? Can she?"

"Jaxson... I don't know about that" I tell him. I said take it slow. Why would I leave my three year old daughter with a stranger?

Anything could go wrong. "Come on Ava" he says. "I'll think about it. Let's just finish this" I say gesturing to the two remaining boxes.
———————

"Here's our contract" Jaxson says taking it from the bottom of the very last box. It's almost 8am and neither of us have slept.

If we're being honest both companies aren't even doing their half of the deal. We are supposed to be using our marriage as a way to grow both our companies.

We're doing the opposite. I watch as he read over the contract. I start to feel anxious.

"Wow" he says once he was done. He sits the contract down beside him. "They expected so much from us."

It's all he says before yawning. "So you're not going to make me do everything on the contract?" I ask him confused.

I'm sure he's going to start highlighting things pretty soon. "Why would I do that? You're already helping me save the company. I don't know what you've heard about me Ava, but I'm not a monster."

Well now I feel bad for judging him. "Sorry" I tell him. "It's okay... you can go to bed now I'll put everything away."

I nod graciously. I'm so tired and I have to get back up in 3 hours. I grab my papers off the floor and head up stairs.

"Hey Ava!" Jaxson calls after me. I turn around "thank you" he says genuinely. I'm not doing it for him I'm doing this for the sake of Micheals company.

I say "you're welcome" regardless and make my way to Bella's room. I smile as I look at my sleeping daughter. She knew I'd be joining her to tonight so she slept on the edge of her princess bed and not the middle.

I can't believe Jaxson wants me to leave her here with him all day. Maybe it isn't such a bad idea, Bella hates going to my work place if it meant she'll have to see my father.

I know for a fact he's going to find something wrong with the files I submitted and take it out on me today.

I decide that only if she wants to, Bella could stay with Jaxson today.
———————-

I groan when I feel my bed start to shake. "Mommy wake up" my daughter says continuing to jump on the bed.

"Mommy's sleepy baby. Go play with your toys for a little while" I tell her. I stayed up way too late to wake up right now. Plus the night before that I stayed at the office til 12.

I'm going to be late to work for sure, I just have to face the consequences. "Okay" she says plopping down and getting out of bed.

Jaxson

I'm used to waking up early so when my alarm goes off an hour after I went to sleep I don't complain.

I take a really long shower making sure I'm fully awake and head to my outside gym. I haven't worked out since I got back to New York and I need to get myself back together.

After my workout I'm starving. I know nothing about cooking so I was hoping Ava was already up.

I was wrong, all the lights down stairs are still off and there is no food being cooked. Why'd she have to fire all the workers? I'm pretty sure I'm still paying them all. 

"Jaxson" Bella yells from at the top of the stairs. "Good morning Bella" I tell her with a smile.

She is adorable in her mermaid pajamas. She hops down every step and smiles up at me once she gets to the very bottom.

"Good morning... I hungry" she says and pulls me into the kitchen. Someone's going to have to tell her that I'm not capable of cooking,  but it sure as hell won't be me.

"What do you want to eat?" I ask her secretly praying her mom will walk down the stairs. "Cereal" she beams at me.

Now that's something I can handle. I open the pantry and find six boxes of different cereals. "Umm... which one do you want?" "Cinnamon" is all she says and starts to draw with materials she must've left down here last night.

I assume she means Cinnamon Toast Crunch and makes us both a bowl.