Page 75 of Under Ground

I squeal as he pounces, pressing his lips to mine. “I promise I’ll work hard to make a good life for us. Between this job and the next one, we can look for a house—“

Cupping his face in my palms, I lean back to take in the sight of him. His eyes are so tired, but he’s here, and all I see all over his face is the love he has for me.

“We have all the time in the world. And, from the sounds of it, good friends on our journey.”

He pushes toward me, pecking me on the lips again. “Sounds like you two really hit it off.”

“Pania and Delaney are just so easy to talk to. It’s like we’re old friends already.”

“Then this movie deal is good in more ways than one.”

“I guess so,” I say.

My heart races. Four months ago, I never would have guessed I’d end up heading to another country to start a new life. But I know Casey will be happy and so will I—and that’s worth risking everything for.

Alex is worth risking everything for.

19

Lana

My stomach churns.

I’m back at work after another week at home. The last of my spots are fading, and it feels like I haven’t been at my desk for an eternity.

It won’t be my desk much longer.

I thought about looking for another job plenty of times. But between the security of working for Gareth, who would never have the guts to get rid of me, and the endless grind of raising Casey by myself, I never bothered.

And now I’m doing the one thing I never thought I’d do.

Resigning.

I haven’t told Anna yet—I like her a lot, but I need to get this over and done with first.

After waiting for a quiet moment, I walk into his office, closing the door behind me. He looks up as I take a seat opposite him.

“Is everything okay?” he asks.

“I need to give this to you.”

Passing over my resignation, I watch him as he unfolds the piece of paper and reads it.

“You’re … you’re leaving?” He drops the paper on his desk.

I nod. “We’re moving to Los Angeles.”

He sits back in his chair and blinks rapidly. “You’re taking my daughter out of the country?”

Well. Knock me down with a feather. “Your daughter? Now all of a sudden she’s your daughter?”

He leans forward. “Lana, keep your voice down.” Stabbing his desk with his index finger, he continues. “And yes, my daughter. I should have some say in this.”

Narrowing my gaze, I take a deep breath. “You gave her up. You made that choice. And now, you don’t get to have a say in what we do. She’s got a man in her life who wants to be a father to her. Now you have my resignation, and I’ve given you the required notice.”

I stand, spin on my heel, and storm out of his office, slamming the door behind me. With that one question, he’s pissed me off. He’s never given a crap about Casey before.

Gripping the back of my chair, I squeeze until my knuckles turn white.

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