Runaway Mommy: My Boss is the Father novel Chapter 36

She had sent an animated sticker.

Her old account was still a time capsule of their past.

It was a gif of a badly drawn little bear sprinting over to hug and kiss another bear.

He used to receive it every single day.

She had sent it by mistake and retracted it in a panic.

When he checked her social media, he saw her post begging for a paid carpool.

He happened to be nearby, and since the route home vaguely passed the Pine Road subway station, he picked her up.

But the truth was, his penthouse and her rundown suburban apartment were on opposite corners of the city, practically worlds apart.

When Jaxson saw Phoebe, she was drenched to the bone, looking miserable and pathetic.

She looked like a stray, abused puppy that had nowhere else to go.

Her hair was plastered to her face, water steadily dripping from the ends. Her wet dress clung to her, and when she got into the car, the blast of the AC made her violently shiver.

Jaxson had discreetly bumped up the temperature.

For the entire ride, she had looked utterly terrified of him.

She hadn't wanted to speak a single word, deliberately carving out a massive chasm between them.

Even the way she sat was defensive, huddled as close to the passenger door as possible, poised to rip it open and bolt at any second.

After all this time, Jaxson Hayes had somehow become a terrifying monster in Phoebe's eyes.

The rain battered the windows, and the wipers worked tirelessly, sweeping back and forth across the glass in a futile rhythm. Water streamed down the windshield, and a chill seeped into the cabin, cultivating a complex, suffocating frustration in Jaxson's chest.

The wrap wasn't authentic, and it tasted completely mediocre.

Jaxson hadn't eaten much at the team dinner, so he was genuinely hungry.

But in this neighborhood, at this hour, there was nothing decent to eat.

He finished the wrap in three bites and started the long drive back.

On the way, he got a call from Eleanor Hayes. Her voice dripped with worry. “Jaxson, you're out in this storm?”

“I'm on my way back. Almost home.”

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