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Seeing Jude at his company had been a surprise.

Well, his company wasn't the best way to put it. But owning a significant number of shares and holding a seat as one of the key stakeholders made him feel entitled to treat it almost like his own.

He hadn't expected Jude to take on investing so well—or even choose it as his career.

But it was clear Jude's opinion of him hadn't changed. He probably still saw him as the guy who didn't want his own daughter. Rain knew it would take a lot to change that perception.

Rain only went to the company on Mondays for meetings, which now meant he'd be seeing Jude on those days. Jude would soon find out that, technically, Rain was his superior.

Mondays were also the days Aura didn't attend her usual daycare. Rain brought her to the workplace's childcare area instead, as it was easier than leaving work early to pick her up. Still, he worried about Jude and Aura crossing paths. He had no idea how she might react. Maybe she wouldn't even recognize him. He hoped for that.

He got Aura dressed, held her hand, and they headed to the parking garage. Once at work, he left her with the childcare staff and shut himself away in his office until it was time for the meeting. He was so engrossed in work that he almost arrived late, walking into the conference room last.

Jude's gaze snapped to him. The only vacant chair was next to Jude, and it was obvious he dreaded the idea of Rain sitting there. Surprise—Rain walked to the head of the table instead.

"Apologies for the delay. Let's get started," Rain announced.

He wasn't in charge of every meeting, but today's was his. And as tradition dictated, it was his job to introduce any new additions to the team.

"To begin, I'd like to introduce a new member of our team," he said, glancing at Jude, who looked slightly puzzled. He hadn't expected this, and Rain didn't blame him. It wasn't a power move; it was just how things were done here. "Jude Lewis joined us last week as an external financial advisor specializing in investments. Welcome aboard."

Jude stood, nodded politely to everyone, and then locked eyes with Rain. "Thank you for the warm welcome."

Rain had no desire to lead this meeting—especially not one where Jude was present. His presence made him nervous as if Jude was someone who knew his darkest secret that could ruin not only his career but his life as well. He wanted to pull Jude aside somewhere private to finally clear the air after a year of silence. Instead, he led the hour-long meeting, documented the outcomes, and adjourned it.

As everyone started to disperse, Rain noticed Jude heading straight for him.

"What the hell is your position here?" Jude asked in a friendly way.

"Watch your language," Rain said with mild amusement, glancing around to ensure no one was listening. "It's better if we just pretend we don't know each other."

"Oh, all right, Mr. Carter," Jude replied mockingly. "May I ask what your position is?"

Rain rolled his eyes. "You've been here a week. Haven't you figured it out yet?"

"I've spent half of it out of the office. You too, apparently. Haven't had the chance."

Rain sighed, sensing Jude's curiosity wasn't entirely professional. "I own shares. A significant number of shares."

"Of course you do," Jude muttered with a sarcastic laugh.

"Anything else, Mr. Lewis?" Rain asked, matching Jude's playful hostility. He wasn't prepared for Jude's next question.

"How's Aura?"

The room had cleared out, leaving them alone. Rain had wanted this moment, but now he found himself at a loss for words.

"I think she's doing well," Rain finally said. "She's grown a lot."

"And you?" Jude pressed.

Rain exhaled sharply. "If you're asking whether I still go on my solo bar crawls, then no."

"I wasn't going to bring that up."

"But I know it's what you were thinking."

Jude smirked faintly. "Fine, maybe I was. I'm glad you've stopped. Mind if I ask one more thing?"

"Is it personal?"

"Of course."

"You can try."

"How does Aura see you now?"

Rain averted his gaze, unsure how to answer. His relationship with Aura had certainly improved, but it wasn't without complications. He'd even started taking her to a child psychologist, as Aura had been struggling with growing up without a mother and the loneliness of their life together.

But he didn't want Jude to know any of this. "It's better," he said vaguely. Jude didn't know a lot of things.

He didn't know how much Aura missed him. He didn't know that she'd become more emotionally dependent on Rain simply because he'd stopped bringing Jude into their home. He didn't know that the psychologist had told Rain to be careful about who spent time at their house because Aura seemed to try to fill the gap left by a missing parent with anyone available.

Jude had only looked after her for three months, yet she'd bonded with him deeply—and he with her.

"See you next week?" Rain asked, cutting the conversation short as he gathered his papers. "I need to get Aura."

Jude nodded. "Tell her I said hi."

"Sure," Rain replied, though he knew he wouldn't. He didn't want to remind Aura of Jude.

After a quick stop by his office, Rain picked up Aura. The childcare worker handed him a drawing she'd made, which he hoped was of a dog and a cat. If not, he prayed she wouldn't ask him to identify it.

Aura automatically grabbed his hand. As they walked through the lobby, Rain noticed curious glances from employees who hadn't yet realized he had a daughter. He ignored them as usual.

When they reached the lobby's exit, he scooped Aura into his arms and turned her away from the door. Kneeling, he pretended to brush non-existent dirt off her jacket because as it seemed, Jude was leaving the office at the same exact time. 

"Hold still," he murmured, keeping an eye on Jude, who was standing near the exit.

Jude's attention, however, was focused on someone else—a man around their age whom Rain didn't recognize. The two greeted each other with a tight, unmistakably affectionate hug, and as they pulled apart, the man kissed Jude lightly on the cheek.

Thank God Aura didn't see that. He had no idea how he would explain Jude like that with someone else after a year she hasn't seen him.

"Daddy," Aura called, tugging on his jacket. "Daddy, daddy!"

Rain snapped back to reality. He turned his attention to her, realizing he'd been frozen in place, not even trying to clean her jacket anymore, just awkwardly holding her. "All done. Let's go."

Rain usually preferred parking in front of the office, but he was starting to think he'd use the garage from now on. Jude didn't seem to drive his own car, so it might be easier to avoid him this way.

The next day, they had a session scheduled with Aura's psychologist. Rain would need to ask if it was a good idea for her to see Jude again. After all, Jude was still the only person Aura had ever become so attached to. Since Jude, Rain hadn't brought anyone else into their home—whether because the psychologist had advised against it to avoid confusing Aura or because Rain simply had no one to bring.

They drove home, Aura excitedly chattering about the slide in the childcare center and begging Rain to get one for their house.

"You can't have a slide in your bedroom," Rain said with a laugh.

"Why not?"

Good question. But for now, he'd have to come up with some excuse—because his mind was too preoccupied to think of a better answer.

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im so excited about them being "together" again omg