Page 36 of Off-Limits Silver Fox Billionaire

“Only if you’re cooking,” she replied with a wide smile.

“That’s not a problem. I’d cook anytime and any day as long as I’m eating with you.”

We both chuckled and I released her after stealing another kiss so I could check what I had in the fridge. “I told you about Iris’s pasta sauce. It’s her mother’s recipe and she finally learned how to make it, so she says I have to eat all of it.”

“Are you sure it doesn’t taste horrible?” she asked while chuckling, and I shook my head because I wouldn’t put it past Iris. She was a horrible cook, so it won’t be surprising if the sauce tasted nothing like what my ex-Jenny used to make.

While preparing pasta to eat with the sauce, Bree stayed with me, and we kept talking about the Iris’s upcoming wedding until I was done cooking.

“This actually tastes amazing,” she complimented after tasting the sauce. I tasted the pasta too, then nodded in agreement, and kept eating.

Iris nailed this sauce;I thought and made a mental note to compliment her later.

The news about the baby was still new, I didn’t want to get my hopes up with Bree yet as I didn’t trust if she would change her mind again. The only thing I was certain of was being by her side and supporting whatever choice she made.

We strolled to the beach after eating and found our favorite spot by the shore where we could sit and watch the sunset. Bree rested her head on my shoulder, and I patted down her hair to keep the wind from blowing it all over the place.

“How do you think Iris will react once I tell her?” she asked, then lifted her head to look at me after some time. “Knowing Iris well, I know she’ll be angry for a long time.”

“She’ll get over it in the end,” I told her, then pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Besides, it’s not like we’re getting married or anything, so if you’re not comfortable you don’t have to tell her yet.”

“You think I should wait? She’s my best friend, I’ve never had to hide anything from her.”

Bree raised her head from my shoulder and looked at me. “What do you think I should really do?” she asked again and looked at me.

“I think you should do what you think is best,” I answered. “Don’t feel pressured into making any decision. Just do what feels right.”

We spent a long time at the beach. I kept thinking about the baby and what this news meant for all of us, especially my daughter. I hadn’t ever considered having another child since Jenny, or even getting serious with any woman, but Bree was slowly making me lose all my guard and the more time I spent with her, the more I craved her.

16

BREE

Two weeks later, the morning sickness started, but that was the least of my problems. I still hadn’t told Iris a thing. I hadn’t summoned the courage or figured out how I was going to tell my best friend that I wasn’t just sleeping with her dad. I was pregnant with him.

Each time I thought of what this meant, I cringed inside and felt the knots in the pit of my stomach tighten further. How do I handle a baby? I could barely handle the rush of emotions inside me.

Iris will understand, right?There’s nothing I could do about my feelings.

There was no way I could stop myself from wanting Josh even at this point.

I was in his kitchen with Iris, and we were going over the details of the wedding together.

“I love green, so I think I might use a blend of that too,” Iris was saying as she flipped through the magazines. Her wedding plans had to be quick because she wanted a wedding before the end of summer, and she still had to resume work once her leave of absence expired.

She kept flipping through the pages and I kept battling the wave of nausea rolling through my stomach. Josh came into the kitchen then and thankfully called Iris out so I could have a moment to myself.

The second Iris left me in the kitchen, I bolted out of my chair, turned to the sink, and emptied the contents of my stomach in there. I felt a steady hand on my back a second later and nearly jumped out of my skin.

“Easy,” he consoled, then handed me the glass of water in his hand. “I had to lure Iris out because I could tell you weren’t feeling great,” he said in a light voice as his eyes searched mine.

My head spun for a second, and after rinsing my mouth with the water, I groaned and closed my eyes for a bit. “I need to relax a bit and she keeps talking about the wedding. I can’t keep doing this, Josh, I’ve got to tell her.”

I was speaking in hushed tones, but the second I heard the front door open, I jerked away from Josh and put enough distance between us.

Iris walked into the kitchen a second later and stopped by the entrance. “Dad, there’s no mail out there,” she said as she stared at him, then at me. “Are you alright, Bree?”

“I.. Uh.. I’m fine,” I lied, stammering as I wiped a hand over my lips and cleared my throat. “just hungry.”

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