Chapter Nine: A Little Perspective
It had been a few days since the reported attack and it seemed as though Gil-galad had all but forgotten Kwenthrith. When she saw the photos of Thranduil and Millie together in public, looking so close and happy as they were—it infuriated her. The title read: Notorious Bachelor Finally Settling Down?
If she had no control of herself she would have screamed in outrage and thrown her tablet across the room to smash against the wall. But she didn't. She simply bottled up her rage. No doubt her beloved mother will have seen this and will be calling shortly to scold her for missing her opportunity; of course her mother knew of her scheme. No doubt her mother will urge her to hurry things along. The woman was always so impatient.
Right on cue, her phone rang with the familiar ringtone that she had set it to for her mother. She allowed it to ring a few times before finally answering. "Hello, mother. Yes. Yes, everything is going as planned. Yes, I am making sure that I am reminding him of her every time we meet. Yes, I am keeping track of them. No, mother, I am not being lazy you're just being impatient. Don't worry; I am focused on the end goal for us. Yes, I love you, too, mother."
Hanging up, Kwenthrith set her phone down beside her as she lounged on her bed against the pile of pillows she had. She, herself, was eager to get things rolling but even she had to remind herself that the long game was the most satisfying.
xxxxx
Patrick had never been more stressed in his life when it came to the events of this past week. He mentally beaten himself up for cutting out early that night due to slow business just to go across the street to socialize. He should have listened to his gut that night that he should stay and help Millie close the bistro instead of letting her do everything like always. Millie was literally the heart and soul of the business while Patrick mostly managed their media presence. She did so much on her own to keep the small business going from prepping the food to managing the floor, dealing with venders, handling the staffing schedule, handling the menu, keeping up with payments, and still having the energy to ask the customers about their day or asking the regulars how their families/jobs/relationships/etc. were going.
He just couldn't wrap his head around how she did it all day in and day out without a single complaint. He seriously took his best friend and business partner for granted.
It has only been two days since the incident; Millie was now in a safer place until the crazies get tired of harassing her. The shattered window was not going to be replaced until the weekend so it was still currently boarded up. The bullet holes in the walls had been filled in and Patrick had rearranged the tables so that one of the tables covered the bullet hole in the floor. He honestly wanted to close the restaurant until the repairs had been made to the espresso maker (a stray bullet had damaged it), but he knew that if Millie found out she'd throw the biggest hissy fit in history. The last thing that he (and everyone who knew Millie) wanted was to stress his pregnant friend out even more.
He wasn't at all surprised by the customers who came in for their morning coffee to be asking questions about what had happened to the window or why there was a sign saying "Coffee Temporarily Not Served." He just spun a story of vandalism and that the espresso machine was an unfortunate casualty. Luckily he didn't have to pay an atrocious amount of money on repairing the espresso maker (because it would have cost a fortune and given both him and Millie severe ulcers); he just sent a quick message to Thranduil, informing him of the damage and Thranduil had sent a casual reply that he will pay for the replacement.
Next thing he knew a handsome (hot) gentleman walked into the bistro, wearing an expensive tailored suit. His yellow blonde hair neatly combed back and gelled in place.
"I am Arlen Longbow, I am Mr. Greenleaf's personal assistant here to deliver to a Mr. Patrick Brace." he said, his voice smooth like cream in coffee.
"Yes, that's me." Patrick said.
Arlen reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a crisp envelope addressed to Patrick in perfect calligraphy. Patrick accepted the envelope.
"From Mr. Greenleaf. Good day." Arlen said before turning and leaving the bistro.
Patrick opened the envelope and nearly dropped to the floor as his knees almost gave out on him. In his hand he held a check that had more zeroes than he had ever seen! Thranduil Greenleaf…
Such a generous man.
"That lucky bitch." Patrick breathed.
It wasn't as if he was extorting money from the man, Thranduil did offer to pay to cover any damages done during the attack so….
Would it be considered taking advantage of the man's generosity to say that they needed a new digital screen to display their menu items? No. Small business with high tech in the South Distract… that was just asking for trouble. Patrick will have to call Millie and discuss what to do with the rest of the money since he had never handled the bills for the bistro before.
The bell at the front door jingled as someone entered and Patrick quickly pocketed the check as he looked up to greet the customer only to immediately scowl at who it was.
"I'm sorry, but we have the right to serve assholes in this establishment." he sniped, promptly placing a hand on his hip and bracing the other atop the counter as Gil-galad walked up to the register.
Gil-galad's face pinched up slightly, not at all missing the swipe at him. It was obvious to the chef that the well-dressed co-owner of the bistro was still holding a grudge against him for hurting Millie when they broke up. But that was in the past and right now his focus was on Millie.
"I had heard about what happened and I came to check if Millie is doing all right." he said.
"She's fine." Patrick said, still keeping his tone acidic.
"Is she here? I'd like to talk to her; she hasn't been answering my calls."
"No."
"No she's not here or no she won't talk to me?"
"Both."
Gil-galad let out a sigh, frustrated that Patrick was being difficult out of spite. "When you see her can you please tell her to call me?"
Patrick crossed his arms over his chest. "No, I won't."
"Why are you being such an ass? I'm genuinely worried about her."
"Because the last thing Millie needs right now is for you to bring her any additional drama to stress her out more."
"Fuck, you're impossible!" Gil-galad snapped, "Is she upstairs? I just want to see that she's all right."
"Just walk away, Gil. That's what you do best anyways."
Gil-galad visibly scowled at him. "I did not walk away! That is not what happened."
Patrick clicked his tongue. "Oh, honey, that is what happened and we both know it. You crushed her heart and stomped all over her dreams like they were nothing all for money and a glitzier lifestyle. You dumped her because she didn't want that kind of life."
"That's not true."
"You dumped her because she didn't want the same things you wanted."
"Stop it."
"You dumped her because you're a selfish bastard who has the nerve to come back and tell her that breaking up was a mistake but now you're too late because she's with a better man."
"Shut up!" Gil-galad yelled, infuriated by Patrick because he knew that it was all true but couldn't face it. "You only know half of the story! I know I've made mistakes with her but things are different now. I'm different now and I can give Millie everything she ever wanted."
"Ha! As if! Millie isn't the type to be blinded by money and shiny things."
"Right, because she's supposedly with Thranduil." Gil-galad sneered, practically spitting out Thranduil's name in distaste.
"Yeah, ex-act-ly. That tall drink of water is exactly the type of man Millie needs because he knows his place and knows that Millie's dreams are just as important as his." Now Patrick was talking out of his ass, not fully knowing where Millie and Thranduil stood as a couple, but was willing to bet the check burning a hole in his pocket that they were going to last and prove Gil-galad wrong. "He treats her right and never belittles her, unlike someone I could mention."
"You'll see that you're wrong. Millie will come back to me." Gil-galad said out of anger.
Beorn had heard the yelling and came out of the kitchen to investigate, the meat mallet he used for tenderizing held firmly in his hand.
"She's moved on and so should you." Patrick said, "Now get out or I'll be sic'ing the big dogs after you."
Gil-galad looked between Patrick and Beorn before turning away sharply and leaving. Patrick blew a raspberry after him, not caring that it was childish because Gil-galad didn't deserve anything better in his opinion.
"Arrogant asshole." Patrick spat.
"It's a good thing Miss Millie is someplace safe with Mr. Greenleaf." Beorn said.
Patrick pulled out his phone and began to type out a text. "Just in case, I'll send Mills a heads up."
xxxxx
The first week of living with Thranduil had been an awkward adjustment for Millie, especially when she couldn't really do much to occupy her time, like going to work. Plus, Thranduil still had to go into work, leaving Millie to amuse herself without him. There was only so much cooking and experimenting with the recipe cards that she could do before her penny-pinching brain would tell her to stop and not waste so much food. She had gotten acquainted with Thranduil's house cleaner, a pleasant older woman close to Mrs. Gimbly's age named Muriel. She came to clean the penthouse twice a week and had expressed her surprise when she came into a messy kitchen and how it had worried her that someone had broken into the home of her employer (though she later admitted how silly she had been to think that thieves would cook and leave dirty dishes behind).
It made Millie laugh because Muriel wasn't too far off from the truth. Millie was technically the home invader, though she had been invited by Thranduil. Muriel had said that she will not tell a soul that Millie was living with Thranduil and Millie had gotten the impression that it was because Thranduil had told her so. Halfway through her first week she met Thranduil's assistant, Arlen Longbow, who had called Millie's phone ahead of time letting her know that he was on his way (and also letting her know that Thranduil gave him her number). Arlen's visit was solely for the purpose of delivering her keycard which would now give Millie the ability to come and go as she pleased but had been warned that she should be discreet when coming and going from the building.
With her own keycard Millie wasted no time in making her first outing to Market Street with her experimented food packed in glass Tupperware that Thranduil never used, securely placed in a tote bag (again, that Thranduil never used). She waved and smiled at the security guard on duty and also at the doorman before making her way to her favorite part of downtown. She went to Bombur's place, knowing his little restaurant was closed at this hour as she went around the back to his apartment behind the building.
"Bombur, it's Millie." she announced as she slapped her hand on his door. It was only a moment before she heard the definite creaking and thumping before the door unlocked and opened up to reveal the large man behind it. His mane of red hair wild and unbrushed while his glorious red beard was neatly braided and tied off with a rubber band.
"Millie! What a surprise!" he said, eyes bright with joy.
She held up her tote bag. "Wanna try what I've been experimenting?"
"You know I'm always down for that." Bombur chortled as he opened the door wider for Millie to enter. Inside she could hear the sound of the TV still on, Bombur obviously having been watching some rerun. "You getting' an early start with your next seasonal menu?"
"I am, but mostly this was just out of boredom." Millie said as she moved to Bombur's table and began unloading the containers of food. On the upside of meeting both Muriel and Arlen, Millie's cooking didn't go to complete waste as she happily (and insistently with Arlen) gave away as much of the food for them to take home with them. Muriel mentioned that she lived with her daughter and her family, having four grandchildren and another on the way—Millie gave her the most food to take home. And if given the time she will also share with the security guards and doorman in Thranduil's building, knowing that they work hard and need to be shown some appreciation for it.
"Why would you be bored? Don't you have a business to run?" Bombur asked as he got real silverware out (though they showed they had been used for years).
"I do but I'm kinda being forced to take a break by everyone." Millie said as she removed the lids.
"You didn't poison a customer, did you?"
"If only." Millie grumbled before diving into telling her old mentor what had happened, starting with her accidental insemination to what nearly went down inside her own bistro. All the while Bombur listened while eating Millie's cooking and mumbling small comments about each dish she had brought.
"Sweet Ancestors, that's quite the story." Bombur said as he polished off the last bite of food. "But I have to agree with their decision to get you out of that situation until things simmer down. I'm also very relieved that you weren't hurt, especially since you're, you know? And the food was delicious though this one that seems like ambrosia salad…what the heck is that?"
"Hmm? Oh, right, it was in the recipe box I got from Mrs. Gimbly. I think it was called sea foam salad. All I can say is that there is no way in hell I can redeem that dish. It made my morning sickness so much worse after taste testing it this morning."
"It wasn't so bad, kinda reminds me of what my granny used to make. She was a big fan of making gelatin dishes, aspic was her specialty."
Millie's face scrunched up in obvious disgust.
"I know, thank goodness that fad never continued." Bombur said, "The rest was tasty. I especially liked that glazed chicken; it was tender and flavorful, and most importantly not dry." Millie nodded her head, accepting the compliments. "So you're staying with that strapping man you brought in a few weeks ago?" Right back into the conversation. It was one of Bombur's amazing qualities that made him such a good teacher, he could listen and retain the information while focusing on something else entirely.
Millie nodded.
"He the father?"
Millie nodded again.
"You two a thing now?"
Millie blushed and nodded again.
Bombur smiled behind his bushy beard, "Ya always did like to do things out of order." he teased.
Millie laughed lightly, "Yeah, I suppose so."
"So long as you're happy and safe, and Blondie can do both of that, then I'm happy for you."
"Geez, what is it with you guys and your 'big brother' complex? Y'know, Thorin said the same thing to me and so did Patrick in his weirdly direct way."
"It's cuz we love ya, lassy. You are family and we look after family. Plus, if you ask me, you should marry Blondie."
Millie rolled her eyes though her face turned redder and the flush reached down to her chest. "We just started seeing each other exclusively, why is everyone so eager about marriage?"
"Because you obviously don't see the way he looks at you."
"And how does he look at me exactly?"
"Like you hang the moon and the stars in the sky."
Millie blinked, feeling her blush creeping back up to her cheeks and climbing higher to her ears.
Bombur's smile widened into a shit eating grin. "He obviously sees you beyond just being the mother of his child. You can say whatever excuse you want but it's clear to those of us observing from the outside that that man is head over heels for you; and why shouldn't he? Look at you!"
"You…you really think so?" she asked, unable to hide the growing smile on her face. She was aware of her own growing feelings for Thranduil but was unsure of how he felt in return aside from the fact that he was the one to propose they go steady.
Bombur's eyes twinkled with mirth. "I know so. Gil-galad may have loved you in the past, heck, the man claims to still love you now but he never looked at you the way that Blondie does and I've only met the man once."
That gave Millie a lot to think about. How could she not have seen it for herself? Was she really that oblivious?
Bombur turned his head to burp. "Oh, goodness, that was the stuffed peppers. Hooo! I'm gonna need an antacid."
Millie giggled as she began to pack everything up. "Thanks for your time, Bombur."
"Thanks for the food." Bombur said as he patted his large belly in satisfaction.
Walking back out into Market Street after packing up her dishes, Millie was lost in thought about what Bombur said about the way Thranduil looked at her. Her mentor had nothing to gain by blowing smoke up her ass; on top of that, he was a terrible liar (which was ironic because he was a notorious poker player who always won the pot). She had to wonder why she couldn't see what the others saw, was it because she was too close to Thranduil? Or maybe because she was still scarred from her relationship with Gil-galad that she was keeping her guard up unintentionally? That seemed plausible but she was pretty sure that she was over her old flame.
She had gotten a lot of text messages and phone calls from Gil-galad that went completely ignored the day after she arrived at Thranduil's. He had obviously heard about the attack and was trying to reach out to her, which was nice of him to check in on her but felt unnecessary. Millie had gotten over his outburst at the opening of his restaurant, though she felt he had gone overboard like always. He had made his intentions known, that he wanted to get back together but he was not getting the message that Millie had moved on and was exploring something new with Thranduil. It left her feeling weary of her ex, because from past experience Gil-galad was always relentless in getting his way.
She simply left them all of his messages as "read" and sent his calls straight to voicemail. After a few days of ignoring him it seemed like he had finally given up. It was best to "ghost" him at this point, taking Isabella's advice after their chat the other night on the phone since she had quite the dating experience and knew how to send a message that she wasn't interested.
Patrick had also messaged her, warning her that Gil-galad had stopped by the bistro shortly after she had left with Thranduil. Patrick had made Gil-galad leave and promised that he said nothing about where she was and who she was with, though Millie was certain that her ex will have deduced who she was with by now. It bothered Millie with how persistent Gil-galad was being. Why couldn't he see that she had moved on? Why was it so important to him that they got back together?
"Millie?"
Speaking of old flames.
Millie snapped out of her thoughts to see Gil-galad in her path as she stopped walking. She hadn't seen Gil-galad since the opening of his restaurant.
"I'm so glad to see you." he said as he closed the distance between them. Reaching out to grip her shoulders. "I've tried reaching out to you but my calls keep going to voicemail."
"That's because I've been avoiding you." Millie replied quickly, pulling away from him.
A look of hurt and regret came to his face. "Yeah…I can understand why. But please know that it wasn't my intention to cause you trouble; I was just shocked and also pretty upset at the same time. Seeing the way you and Thranduil Greenleaf were together that night it just…it just felt like a slap to the face. And then finding out about the other thing, well that felt like a punch to the stomach."
Millie looked away, not knowing how to go about this with Gil-galad. "Well, I'm fine and my quiet life is over no thanks to you."
"I didn't mean to get your face and name splashed all over the media like that. I feel terrible about that, really." Gil-galad said, "Let me make it up to you."
"I don't want anything from you, Gil-galad. You've done enough." Millie said, moving around him to leave but Gil-galad had turned around and caught Millie by the elbow. "Let go."
"Please, Millie, at least talk to me. I've been trying to wrap my brain around how you and Thranduil even met and it's been driving me crazy."
Millie looked back at him with a cool glare. "It's none of your business, Gil."
"But I want it to be. I'm still serious about you, Mills. I'm still in love with you and I don't care that you're having someone else's baby, I still want to be with you."
Millie's eyes widened with surprise as she looked at Gil-galad, seeing the desperation; but then Bombur's words echoed into her mind. "Gil-galad may have loved you in the past, heck, the man claims to still love you now but he never looked at you the way that Blondie does."
"You don't love me, Ereinion. You are just in love with the idea of having me." Millie said before pulling her arm free of his grasp and walked away, leaving Gil-galad in her wake after seeing the stunned expression on his face.
Don't look back.
Don't look back.
Don't look back.
Millie left Market Street and headed straight back to the penthouse which was several blocks away but Millie didn't mind the walk. It helped her clear her head by the time she reached the front door and used her keycard to enter the building. She greeted the doorman and the security guard with a polite smile as she made her way over to the elevator. Tapping her keycard again on the key pad she stepped into the elevator. With another tap and a press of the penthouse button, the door slid closed and she let out an exhale. Seeing her ex again had left her feeling unsettled but she was proud of herself to have walked away from the encounter.
Once she arrived to the top floor, Millie had calmed down enough on the ride up and had made a list of things to do. First on that list she will wash the tupperware and second she will dump the rest of the sea foam salad into the garbage where it belonged. There was no way in hell she would subjugate anyone into eating that horrendous monstrosity of wrongness. When she pulled it out of the refrigerator just a whiff of it turned her stomach enough that Millie vomited into the sink, prompting her to turn on the water to wash it down the drain.
"Oh, Ms. Crescent! Are you ill?" came Arlen's startled voice from the kitchen entryway. Millie just waved at him before heaving into the sink again. After a minute Millie was sure that she had nothing left in her stomach and rinsed her mouth out in the sink and made sure the pristine sink was clean of any vomit.
"Hi, Arlen." Millie said after recovering, making quick work of tying off the trash bag and carrying it towards the front door.
"Let me." Arlen said, taking the trash from Millie and carrying it to the trash shoot outside the front door before returning.
"What brings you in?" Millie asked.
"Oh, I was bringing back your Tupperware. The food was delicious, thank you." Arlen said.
"That's it?" Millie asked, cocking her head slightly to one side. It was well past noon, plus it was a weekday so she knew that Arlen was working today because Thranduil was working today.
Arlen's pale cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. "Well, that and Mr. Greenleaf saw that I was eating the food you gave me for lunch today and he asked that I bring him your cooking as well. He said something along the lines of 'Why is she feeding you and not me?'" Millie giggled and shook her head. "He'd come home himself but he is stuck in a meeting."
Millie placed her hands on her hips and looked at the assistant with amusement. "He doesn't want to go out to eat like usual? Shocking." she said with sarcasm as she turned towards the refrigerator and opened it, pulling out several of the already made dishes and setting them onto the counter.
"I unfortunately cannot speak on his behalf; I'm just here on his orders." Arlen said, watching Millie as she grabbed two clean bento style containers to place a little bit of everything inside. "He has been less irritable as of late, I suspect it has something to do with you?"
Millie shrugged her shoulders as she snapped the wings of the lid onto the dishes and handed them to Arlen. "From my experience a good meal always changes a person's attitude. I made an extra one for you."
Arlen's cheeks flushed. "Oh, you don't have to, Ms. Crescent. I'm perfectly capable of getting my own meals."
"I know you are but I always make too much for just two people to finish and I don't like wasting food. Please take it."
He couldn't refuse. "Thank you."
xxxxx
Only a week of having Millie staying in his penthouse and Thranduil felt much lighter. He felt less burdened by worry and fear for Millie's health and safety, he felt more energized during the day now that he was sleeping so much better at night (plus drinking the coffee prepared by Millie in the morning also helped). His problem with indigestion was almost completely gone now that he ate home cooked meals rather than eating out at restaurants every day, which improved his own health as he now had less migraines and heartburn. Even his mood and temperament had changed, pointed out by Glorfindel and even his assistant, Arlen, that he snapped less at the board members of his company.
"I keep telling you, you gotta marry that woman." Glorfindel said as he picked at his lunch (takeout) while eyeing the impressive meal that Thranduil was having (made lovingly by Millie). The two of them were in Thranduil's office, mainly for the privacy, but also because his office was obviously much bigger and had a comfortable couch.
"Mind your own business, Millie and I are still getting to know each other and we're just taking our time together." Thranduil said, cutting a piece of roast beef with just his fork, the meat was perfectly soft and tender and practically melted on his tongue like butter. If Millie kept feeding his such delicious food he'll have to hit the gym twice as hard.
Glorfindel rolled his eyes as he stabbed his fork into his lunch; an overcooked slab of chicken that was tough to chew over a bed of overcooked, overly seasoned rice and steamed vegetables that were more mush than vegetable. His eyes kept looking at the pristine meal that Thranduil had, tender roast beef with pan-seared scalloped potatoes and diced scallions that looked seasoned to perfection with a crisp layer of maple glaze coating them. It made Glorfindel green with envy that his best friend, who had a long track record of being short-tempered and a notorious playboy, was now a changed man thanks to Millie who turned out to be too perfect to be a real person. She cooks, she cleans, she doesn't put up with Thranduil's shit (contract never getting signed), and was quite the looker.
Glorfindel was not picky when it came to the gender of his partners but he did have a criteria list of who he bedded; which probably explained a lot when it came to his own romantic life. Seeing how happy Thranduil had become in just a single week it made him think that perhaps it is time for him to start looking to settle down himself.
It's just a shame that casual sex was so much easier than an actual relationship.
"Did you receive the invitation to the Mayor's Winter Ball?" Glorfindel asked.
"That's still months away." Thranduil said, finishing the last bite of his meal that made Glorfindel quietly whine with envy.
"Will you be taking Millie with you as your plus one? I'm sure by then she'll be showing off a healthy baby bump."
"If she wants to attend, I won't force her to. I might just send a check for whatever charity he's funding this year." Thranduil said, snapping the lid over his container and setting it on the coffee table. The fact that he ate everything felt like a jab at Glorfindel and his pathetic (and unappetizing) lunch.
"I'm sure if you bring it up Millie will want to go."
"You seem rather keen on the two of us attending together." Thranduil said as he eyed his friend with suspicion.
"I was just thinking how official it will be to the public to see you two together, attending the most important party of the year. Showing off the fact that despite the rumors you two are, in fact, an actual couple with a baby on the way. By then I'm sure Millie will have grown a tough skin for the media circus that will continue to be intrigued by her."
Thranduil huffed out a sigh, still bothered by the fact that Millie's whole life had been uprooted because of him. He had hoped things would have calmed down by now but the ever present paparazzi camping outside his apartment building for a chance to capture the two of them together was still an ongoing issue.
"At the very least Millie has been adjusting." Thranduil said, "By the way, how are the proceedings on the criminal charges against Millie's attacker?"
Glorfindel had set his half-eaten lunch onto the coffee table and leaned back against the cushions of the couch. "It's going very smoothly; Erwin isn't fighting it like I had expected. Seems like this isn't the first time his precious little girl has gotten into trouble for attacking another person; but because this is being presented as aggravated assault and attempted murder Erwin doesn't have the means of keeping his daughter from going to prison. He's more worried about losing your company's support than his own reputation at this point, as far as either you or Millie are concerned it will go to trial and it will be a closed hearing. That woman will get the punishment she deserves."
Thranduil nodded. "Just let me know when you need Millie to make an appearance for the court date."
"I will, and since we're on the matter of pressing charges Dr. Ibara's license to practice medicine has been revoked. Turns out she's had quite the list of complaints stacked up against her and the hospital was not willing to bail her out after Arlen served her the papers for malpractice."
"Good, at least no one else will suffer from her incompetence."
Glorfindel looked at Thranduil. "Are you and Millie having any difficulties?"
"No, we are quite all right."
"Is Millie coping?"
"What do you mean?"
"Her life has changed drastically, Thran. She was artificially inseminated by accident, met you, was thrown into the media's attention, was attacked, and now is living under your roof. All of this happened in just two months. It's a lot to take in and I bet she's been under a lot of stress."
"She said she was doing fine."
Glorfindel rolled his eyes. "You're so clueless. Of course she'll say that to you! I've only met her that one time but even I know that she's the type to take care of others before herself. So it should be your job to take care of her."
Thranduil narrowed his eyes at his long-time friend. "I think we're done here; I need to get back to work and I believe you should do the same."
Glorfindel got the hint that he touched a nerve as he picked up his lunch and stood. "I'll be seeing you around, Thran."
Once alone in his office Thranduil dragged a hand down his face with a tired groan. Of course his best friend would see things that he couldn't. Now that he looked back on things he should've picked up on the clues that Millie was obviously still trying to put her life back together. He had thought that he was helping but in reality he had simply plucked her away from her environment and expected for the best, neglecting the fact that Millie had gone through quite a bit of trauma and was obviously hiding it from him.
Once again it had to be pointed out to him from someone on the sidelines.
He went to his desk and pressed the overly used button on his office phone, dialing for his assistant.
"Mr. Greenleaf, what may I do for you?" came Arlen's voice over the speaker.
"Arlen, will you please clear my schedule for the rest of the afternoon? I will be leaving the office for the day." Thranduil said.
"Of course, sir. Will you be in tomorrow?"
"I think it's best that I take this week off."
"I will reschedule your meetings. Please take it easy, sir."
"Thank you, Arlen."
Thranduil grabbed his suit jacket and slung it over her forearm and grabbed his leather briefcase. Turning his computer off he made his way out of the office, though he did leave a brief note to himself for when he returned on a notepad to give Arlen a raise.
xxxxx
Thranduil had returned home, feeling a little out of place to enter his apartment in the middle of the day but that was the least of his worries as he dropped his keys onto the small table by the front door. He listened for any sounds, wondering if Millie had gone out and thinking he should have messaged her ahead of time to let her know he was returning early. He pulled out his phone as he began walking towards the direction of his home office to set his briefcase in, ready to dial Millie's number when he heard her voice coming from upstairs. A little more than relieved to know she was home he set his briefcase on his desk and made his way up the stairs just as Millie was exiting the master bedroom with her phone to her ear.
"No-no! The payment with the produce delivery is always the first Friday of the month, why are they sending us an invoice saying we didn't pay it?" Millie said into the phone and paused when she saw Thranduil and the look of surprise on her face made him smile as he walked up to her. "What are you doing home so early?"
Thranduil can recognize that Millie had something important to deal with involving the bistro and simply told her to deal with that first as he kissed her chastely on the lips and slipped by her to the bedroom to change out of his suit. He found it rather endearing that even though Millie was supposed to lay low and relax she was still thinking about her business, which was why Thranduil was taking the week off. Glorfindel's "I told you so" voice ringing in his head that it was his job to make sure Millie felt safe and happy and not letting any of the stress from the past two months jeopardize her health and the pregnancy.
After changing out of his suit into his more casual home attire of dark grey joggers and a light blue t-shirt, Thranduil made his way back downstairs where he could hear Millie still on the phone.
"No, Patrick, I keep all the invoices in a binder. It should be in the locked drawer in the back office. The key? Ask Beorn, he keeps a spare key to everything." Millie said while pacing back and forth in the living room. Thranduil could hear the stress and irritation in Millie's voice, seeing the tension in her shoulders as she paced. "What d'you mean you don't see it? It should be there. Ugh! This is too frustrating, I'm just gonna go there and find it myself. Yes, Patrick, I am coming there regardless of what you say. Because it's my business, too! Bye, I'll see you soon."
Millie hung up and huffed in frustration as she placed her hands on her hips and mumbled a few curses under her breath, making Thranduil chuckle.
"Need a lift to the bistro?" he offered.
Millie turned around and gave him a guilty smile. "If you don't mind?"
Thranduil shook his head as he walked up to her, closing the gap between them and placing his hands on her hips. "Of course not."
"Thank you," she said, rising up onto her toes to give him a kiss on the lips that he reciprocated. "But why are you home so early?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "I've decided to take the week off. I realized that you had been through quite a lot because of me and I felt that maybe taking some time off to make sure you're settling in comfortably should take priority right now."
Millie felt her heart melt as she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, pressing her cheek against his warm chest. "That's actually really sweet of you. Thank you, Thranduil."
He kissed the top of her head, hugging her back.
He made the right choice.
xxxxx
The ride over to the Corner Bistro was pleasant, the air conditioning in Thranduil's car a luxurious relief against the summer heat outside. The buttery soft leather so comfortable that Millie felt like she could drift off, but before her body could even slip away into sleep they arrived outside her restaurant. Millie felt some relief at the sight of the new window, her last memory of it had been boarded up and glass shards still littering the sidewalk.
"Looks as though the window was repaired quite nicely. Shall we go in?" Thranduil asked.
Millie nodded her head and unbuckled her seatbelt for getting out of the nice air conditioned car. The sweltering heat outside hit her instantly and she felt like she was already melting despite the few feet she and Thranduil had to walk to get inside the bistro to escape the heat. Summers in Dale were normally hot, but today felt like a record high as the running AC in the bistro was a welcomed relief from the heat.
Taryn was behind the counter, preparing an iced drink for a waiting customer who was too busy looking at their phone. Seeing them, Taryn smiled and waved.
"Millie! Patrick is in the back." Taryn said as she capped the clear cup and handed it to the waiting customer who took it and left, still glued to the screen of their phone.
"Thanks, Taryn." Millie said as she walked behind the counter, stopping when Taryn turned and gave her a hug.
"I'm glad to see you're all right, I was really worried after hearing what happened here." Taryn said.
Millie hugged her back. "Oh, thanks sweetie. Yeah, it was pretty scary but I'm okay."
"And the baby?"
"The baby is fine, too."
Taryn pulled back from the hug and smiled up at Millie. Taryn was just a few inches shorter than Millie with a round face and a slightly stocky figure. Her naturally brown hair was cut short pixie style and dyed pink with neon green highlights (Isabella's work), a had multiple piercing in her ears and one in her septum. She had beautiful tattoos on her chubby arms and despite her eccentric appearance she was the sweetest person Millie knew and she doted on the college girl like a little sister.
Taryn's jaw dropped when she saw Thranduil, recognizing him immediately.
"Taryn, why don't you whip up that special mocha for Thranduil?" Millie suggested as she looked over at Thranduil who had moved to sit at one of the tables. "You're gonna love it, Taryn's special mochas are the best."
Thranduil nodded, "If you say it is then I'll have one. Thank you."
Millie patted Taryn's shoulders encouragingly before heading to the kitchen for the back office. She didn't see Beorn but saw the back door was propped open and she guessed that he was on a smoke break before walking into the cramped space that was the back office to find Patrick rummaging through the drawers.
"I told you the binder is in the locked drawer." Millie said, surprising her best friend as he sprang up immediately.
"You—you're supposed to be living it up in your castle!" Patrick said with a huff.
Millie just rolled her eyes and pushed Patrick out of the way as she pulled out her keys and unlocked the bottom drawer where she kept all of the invoices and payroll.
"Y'know, we should really transition everything to electronic billing. It'll clear up a lot of this clutter." Patrick said.
"You know me, I like keeping a paper trail of everything." Millie said as she flipped through the binder to where she kept the invoices for the produce deliveries. "Here, see, I've already paid for this month."
Patrick pulled up the invoice that said they hadn't paid. Both of them checking the dates on each copy. "Okay, I'll call and clear this up. You can go back now."
Millie frowned and crossed her arms. "Hey, don't just brush me off."
"It's fine, Mills. I've got everything under control now." Patrick said.
"Patty, seriously, I came all this way to help and you're just brushing me off. What's wrong?"
Patrick let out a frustrated sigh and raked his fingers through his already mussed up hair. "It's just…it just hit me that you did all of the work maintaining the business while I did pretty much nothing."
"Patrick, that's not true."
"Yes it is." he ran a hand down his face and Millie got a glimpse of how tired he actually looked after being gone for a week. "I had no idea how much work you were putting in. How much of the backend I didn't know was going on. From ordering the ingredients, paying the vendors, paying the utilities, the loan payments, payroll—Mills, I had no idea you did all of that on top of prepping the food, opening and closing…it's just so much and I've done nothing. I'm such a bad friend and I'm a terrible business partner."
Millie shook her head, "Patrick, you do a lot of me and our business. You maintain our website, you do all of the promotional things that I have no talent for. Your role is just as important and without you I would have never gotten that loan to buy this bistro in the first place."
"With you gone I didn't realize how much I took you for granted."
Millie smiled and hugged Patrick, knowing that he needed one regardless if he wanted it or not. "I love you, and I'll help you learn more about the business end of our restaurant, okay?"
Patrick let out a sigh. "More work is the very last thing I wanna do."
Millie giggled as she pulled away. "I'll help you with everything, and if you can't reach me on the phone just as Beorn."
"Wait, are you saying Beorn helps with the bills?"
"Of course he does. He usually handles the invoices for the deliveries."
Patrick scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Is there anything that man can't do?"
Millie just shrugged as she left the back office with Patrick, returning to the front where Thranduil was drinking Taryn's mocha while Taryn pretended to be cleaning the espresso machine (which looked brand new—did it get damaged?). Going over to Thranduil, Millie kissed him on the cheek.
"I'm gonna pop upstairs to my apartment real quick, I left my laptop behind." Millie said.
"Let me get it." Thranduil offered all too quickly, remembering very well that the stairs were not to be trusted and he didn't want to risk Millie injuring herself.
"It's fine, I can get it." Millie said, pulling away to leave when Thranduil gently grabbed her wrist to prevent her from walking off as he looked up at her.
"It's not safe, or have you already forgotten that the stairs had tried to kill you last time?"
Millie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It was like the bottom step that broke."
"It was not the bottom step, and you are not putting our baby at risk going up to that death trap." Thranduil said, "It's not safe for you to even try."
"It wasn't safe before that, either." Patrick chimed in as he joined them, carrying the binder of invoices and his tablet.
Millie rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I get it, everyone hates the loft."
"We don't hate it, Mills." Patrick said, though Thranduil silently disagreed; he hated the loft. It was too small with just the barest of essentials. Even his house cleaner lived in a better apartment than Millie and Muriel lived with her large family of six, soon to be seven. "We're just worried about you. I know you love it but you gotta start thinking about what's coming next. Once you start showing off a baby bump those vultures are gonna come back and it'll be ten times worse."
Millie let out a sigh, knowing he was right but felt that she had to defend her loft that had been her home since she was fifteen. "Yeah…all right. I'll start looking for a new place."
"Why don't you just move in completely with your baby-daddy?" Patrick asked nonchalantly while sticking a thumb Thranduil's way, making Millie blush. "I'm sure he has the space."
"I do have the space but it's ultimately up to Millie on where she wants to live." Thranduil said smoothly as he lifted his mocha up to his lips and sipped from the straw. In truth, Thranduil had already been coming up with a way to ask Millie to move-in with him instead of just staying in his penthouse until the media cooled down. He enjoyed her staying with him, even if it had only been a week. He found comfort in her company.
"That's not a no." Patrick said with a sly grin aimed at Millie only to earn him a swift kick to the shin by her. "Ouch! You bitch."
"If you want I can ask an acquaintance of mine who works in real estate to help you look for a suitable home." Thranduil offered, diverting from the awkward conversation Patrick was trying to force.
"Thanks, but I'll just check online for apartments." Millie said, still being stubborn and feeling too awkward to take advantage of the offer of moving completely in with Thranduil when it was meant to only be temporary.
"Make sure it has a spare room for the nursery." Thranduil said, "And has security at the lobby door, or is a gated community."
Millie looked at Thranduil, "I'm not sure if I can budget that along with a two bedroom."
"What sort of budget are you talking about?" Thranduil asked, not sure why she would have to forgo security when it came to looking for a new apartment. Then again, he wasn't considering that Millie might be limited on funds since he himself never had that problem. In fact, he was actually considering of simply having Millie move into one of his condominiums he owns downtown if she didn't want to move in with him. It would be easier for Millie, she would be closer to her doctors and the hospital, she would also be in a building that had twenty-four hour security at the entrance and lobby. On top of that, Thranduil wouldn't have to suffer a sore back and stiff neck from sleeping on an old mattress.
He will pass along that information later once he and Millie are alone and she has had some time to "look around" on her own. Barely two months and only officially together for two weeks and Thranduil already knew that Millie enjoyed her independence and was often too proud to ask for help or handouts. Just another reason on his growing list as to why he liked her, she didn't require constant coddling and reassurance like the other women he had been with in the past. He just worried if she will be too proud to accept his offer.
"Maybe Izzy has heard something from one of her clients." Patrick said.
"It's worth asking, I'll call her later and see." Millie said, "But first: my laptop. I'll be right back."
"NO!" both Thranduil and Patrick said together.
"You guys are ridiculous!" Millie whined.