Girl in a Hoodie: Where the Future Lies

Chapter 74

James's POV:

After having parked up, Riley and Alexa both got down out of the car and waited as I walked around the vehicle, over to the backseats to take Ellie out of her car seat. She wasn't sleeping, but thankfully she wasn't crying either, so when I release her from the restrainer, I hold her close to my chest with one arm placed around her body and I let my other worm around Ri's waist.

"You said we're supposed to be meeting him inside, right?" I ask, placing a lingering kiss over the top of her hair. She takes her phone out of her back jeans pocket and logs onto it before going into her e-mails. Then she shows me a fracture of her screen before reading out the e-mail Bryce had sent her.

"Well, his assistant e-mailed me back a couple of days ago and said: Hello, Mrs. Tordjman, thank you for your e-mail. I have forwarded your message onto Bryce himself and we will be looking forward to meeting you for your fixed appointment with Mr. Harris on June tenth. To proceed with this meeting, the only clarification would be to meet at Grinsdale Capital Hall, RE7 8RP, for one o'clock in room one-zero-one. Please sign in at the reception desk. Thank you." I nod my head and then she moves the phone away from me before looking up directly at my face. "So, I'm guessing when we go to reception, I should go with Alexa so you can stay with Ellie?" she asks me. I raise an eyebrow in objection. "It's only because if we all go up to the front desk and say we have an appointment with him, they won't let us through, especially not with a baby in tow," she tells me.

"Then why don't we just let Alexa go and she can go in under the name Riley Tordjman?"

"But-"

"Ri," I cut her off softly. "I know you want to meet him as well because you have questions, but this is Alexa's dad this time. You've had your answers given to you, so maybe we should let Alexa have her own questions answered, okay?" I tell her. She sighs but gives in.

"Okay." She looks between me and Ellie before stretching her arms out. "Can I carry her?" she asks, pouting, but then takes a look at the expression on my face and laughs gently. "I trust you, babe, and I know you won't drop her, but I just feel like holding her," she says. I chuckle and then meet her requests and pass our daughter into her arms. "We should wait outside, right?" she asks, calling after Alexa who was a couple footsteps ahead of us. She turns around and nods.

"Yeah. Thank you, though, for taking your time to do this," she responds. Riley smiles at her softly. 

"No problem." 

Then within the next thirty seconds, Alexa heads inside the building and Riley and I sit down under the shelter on one of the outdoor tables. She sits Ellie down on her lap properly and wipes the corners of her lips as our feet tangle up together under the table.

"I'm proud of you for doing this, you know," I say. She looks up at me but doesn't say anything, just blushes slightly, so I continue. "I mean, even though Alexa hurt you some time ago, and I tried my hardest to keep you away from her, you persevered to help her, and I find that so sweet of you. I would have never done that, but I guess you're just that much of an amazing person."

"No, I'm not," she protests. "Sometimes you have to find out the truth before you judge people, James. Everyone has secrets and so no one really knows what's going on in someone's life until they spend time with them and find out. I'm not amazing. I'm just doing what I should have done ages ago," she tells me before reaching her hand over to hold mine. "That's what you did with me, remember," she says, smiling. "You were the first person in my life to actually bother caring about me and that's how I know I love you. You're the one I'm supposed to be with, James, and you always will be." 

I smile softly and then lean over the wooden table to connect our lips together for several moments, Riley trying not to squash Ellie by squeezing her body too tightly in the process. When we eventually pull away, though, it was because Ri's phone had started ringing.