STORM - (Intersex)

CHAPTER 15

RACHEL

"Just pick him up from daycare and bring him here," I say, my tone sharp.

"But boss, how are we supposed to do that?" comes the nervous reply from the other end of the phone.

I roll my eyes. "Just say you're his uncle. He's too young to know any different," I snap, my patience wearing thin. After a hesitant "yes," I hang up.

We need this money, and I'm not walking away without it.

CLARA

With Tyler working from home and Elijah starting daycare, we've had a lot more flexibility in our routine. Oddly enough, being at work feels like a strange kind of relaxation. We've been so busy that I had to turn my phone off, and even Nat had to do the same.

"Okay, the documents have been sent to Richard. I'll schedule the meeting with Daisy for next week, and we can move forward with the Lunns Project tomorrow," Nat says. I nod, focused on my work. The deadlines are tight, but we're nearly finished.

I type away, pushing through the final details. After what feels like an eternity, I finally type the last couple of words. The next two hours are spent reviewing everything before sending it off to my dad and the client. Nat and I exchange a look, both of us letting out a deep breath before breaking into smiles.

"So... you and Lee? I haven't heard much about that," I say with a smirk, glancing at her. Lee's always been private when it comes to relationships.

"Well, umm... I don't know," she admits, fidgeting slightly. "We've been kind of on and off. I'm just..." She trails off, sighing deeply.

"You're just confused?" I ask gently. She looks up and nods.

"I get it. You probably think she'll use you and then leave, right?" Another nod from Nat. "I've known Lee practically all my life. She's a handful, sure, but when it comes to love, she doesn't mess around," I say, smiling warmly. Nat smiles back, blushing as she tries to hide her face.

I take a sip of my coffee, savouring the quiet moment. "So, you and Tyler... thinking about marriage?" The words barely leave my mouth before I spit the coffee back out, caught off guard.

"I-I- um I—" I stammer, completely at a loss for words. SPEAK, damn it!

Nat grins, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "I know you do. Don't wait too long, though. I've heard Tyler wouldn't mind marriage," she says with a wink before leaving the office.

I stand there, stunned. I've never—like, never—seriously thought about marriage with anyone other than Tyler. But the idea terrifies me. Maybe I'll wait until the day feels right. For now, I love how things are—just us, a little family, happy as we are.

As soon as we finish, I turn my phone on and groan at the flood of texts from Tyler. What has she done now? I open them and immediately start laughing when I see that half of them are pictures of her and Eli. The messages that follow are classic Tyler:

Babe, don't be mad! I picked Eli up early so we could hang out!!!

Eli gave me another high five today!

Shall I make dinner or takeaway?!

Actually, I can't be bothered... TAKEAWAY IT IS!

Imagine, I was in bed and the charger was across the room, but I really couldn't be bothered to get it, so I crawled... felt like a ninja.

Was tiring though. :(

I miss you! Hurry up! Eli's been teasing me! The kid's like you—a bully!