Chapter 435: Love
Chapter 435: Love
Jamal slipped into the backseat of the car waiting to take him to the airport, pulled out his phone, and dialed Dawn’s number as the driver pulled out of the compound.
His lips curved slightly when she picked up almost immediately.
"Hello, baby," Dawn greeted excitedly.
The smile in her voice warmed him instantly.
"Hi, baby," Jamal replied, relaxing into his seat.
"Are you leaving already?" she asked.
"On my way to the airstrip now."
They were currently seated alone inside Tom’s office while Josh played a racing game on a handheld console Tom’s assistant had given him.
"Did you sleep well? You still sound tired," she said gently.
"I am tired," Jamal admitted honestly. "But I’ll be revived once I see you."
That made Dawn smile. "I can’t wait to see you. I’ve missed you so much."
"I’ve missed you even more. So how’s Josh doing?" Jamal asked.
"Your daddy is asking how you’re doing," Dawn told Josh.
Josh’s head lifted immediately at that. "My daddy!" he shouted excitedly before trying to grab the phone.
Dawn laughed softly and put the phone on speaker.
"Daddy!"
"Hey, champ," Jamal said warmly. "I heard you’re currently terrorizing I-Global."
Josh giggled loudly.
"Grandpa Tom showed me the playground!" he announced proudly.
Grandpa Tom.
Jamal chuckled to himself but didn’t comment on it.
"Oh really? Did you conquer it already?"
"Yes!" Josh said confidently. "I miss you, Daddy. I can’t wait to see you."
"I can’t wait to see you too. Now give the phone back to your very beautiful mummy," Jamal said.
Josh giggled as he handed the phone to Dawn. "My very beautiful mummy."
Dawn giggled as she removed the phone from speaker mode.
"What are you both doing now?" Jamal asked.
"We are in Tom’s office, but he’s not here. He’s with Uncle Harry. We just finished touring the company," Dawn explained.
"And?" Jamal asked.
"And it’s beautiful. I-Global is insane," she admitted honestly. "The building alone almost gave me anxiety."
Jamal chuckled softly.
He remembered the first time he stepped into the building years ago.
He’d felt exactly the same way.
But now it was way grander. It was a skyscraper now, so he understood why she was in awe.
Josh suddenly reached for the phone again. "Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Does your company have a playground?"
His parents laughed.
"Why don’t we leave that as a surprise? I promise to take you to see it when I get back."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Josh seemed satisfied with that answer and returned to his game.
"He’s been asking lots of questions about your company since we got here," Dawn informed Jamal.
"I suppose he’s going to be disappointed that HAJ isn’t as grand as I-Global," Jamal said with a chuckle.
"Are you kidding me? HAJ is on a different level. I think he’s going to love it even more considering the park and side attractions. There’s no room for comparison between both."
Jamal smiled. "Well said."
"By the way, you won’t believe what your mentor pulled last night."
"What?"
"He dressed up all girly, claiming to be Thomasina, just so he could join my girls’ time with Lucy," Dawn said, and Jamal laughed out loud.
"Oh, Thomasina," he said, laughing. "I’ve seen him do that a couple of times."
Dawn giggled. "I really like him a lot. A whole lot."
Jamal grinned. "It’s hard not to."
"So... you should know I talked to him today," Dawn started slowly. "I confided in him about our misunderstanding the other day and asked him to be our relationship guide."
Jamal’s lips twitched. "What happened to wanting us to figure things out as we go?"
"We will still do that, definitely. But in case we miss our way, as we naturally might because we are human, I’d like him to be the one we talk to, to help guide us back on the right track. I love that he’s your mentor, and I love his relationship with Lucy so much."
Jamal smiled. "Well, I’m down for it. I’m glad you talked to him," he said, then asked, "Why don’t you tell me what he said about our misunderstanding?"
Dawn rose from her seat and stepped away from Josh toward the window. She told him all that Tom had said.
Jamal was very glad that she’d spoken with Tom. "We will be fine, babe."
"We will be more than fine," Dawn said confidently.
"So..." he drawled slowly. "I hear you’re going on a secret lunch date with my mother."
Dawn laughed softly. "How is it a secret if you found out already?"
"Tom told me very rudely," Jamal grumbled. "Apparently, I don’t need to know every detail."
Dawn smiled faintly. "I got a call from her this morning asking that we meet. I’m not sure why though."
Jamal smiled faintly. "Maybe because she likes you."
"You think so?"
"I know so," Jamal replied. "My mother doesn’t make time for people she doesn’t care about." He then added, "And she probably still feels very embarrassed about what happened the other night. She’s an overthinker."
"She doesn’t have to worry about that," Dawn said.
"She will," Jamal said confidently.
"So, what should I say to reassure her?"
"I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I trust your genius brain," Jamal said, and she giggled.
"So, how are Genevieve and Stefan doing?" Dawn asked.
"Better than I expected. They plan to get married once they get back. Don’t tell her I told you," Jamal said with a chuckle when Dawn screeched with excitement.
"This is such a wonderful news. Thank goodness I’ll be attending a wedding and not a funeral," she said.
Jamal smiled. "Yeah. Can’t believe they’re getting married before us though."
Dawn giggled. "Anyone can get married before us, I don’t care. As long as I get to be with you, I’m fine."
Jamal’s heart filled with warmth and he shut his eyes briefly.
"God, I love you deeply," Jamal admitted softly.
"And I love you more than you can imagine," she admitted quietly.
There was another brief silence.
Then Dawn spoke again. "I miss you."
"I miss you more. I’m almost at the airstrip now. I will be with you soon."
"After my therapy session I will go over to OUR place and fix you something nice to eat, then I will be there to pick you up when you arrive," she promised.
Jamal smiled slightly. "You sound like my wife already."
"Good. Start getting used to it, husband," she said in a playful tone.
He laughed softly.
God, he loved this woman.
"I’ll call you once I land."
"Okay."
"And tell Josh I love him."
"Josh, Daddy says he loves you."
Josh immediately shouted from behind her, "I love you too!" proudly.
Jamal smiled. "Love you both," he said softly before ending the call.
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