Page 257 of Tormented Billionaire Romance Series

Megyn scooped out cookie dough and started laying out the chunks of chocolatey dough on the baking tray. She got some of the dough on her hand in the process and I had to resist the urge to lick it off. “I don’t know. I feel like it almost doesn’t matter. It’s the same thing either way. Crystal decided upon something. She wanted Dad to go along with it. So he did.”

“You really feel bad for him.”

“Of course I do,” she said. “She’s got him miserable. But he made his bed and now he has to lie in it. Unless…”

“Unless?”

Megyn turned to me. I wiped a smudge of flour off the tip of her nose. She smiled a little at me, though her eyes showed the depths of her sadness. “Dad called me today. I’m pretty sure he did it in secret. He was whispering and the sound was echoey, like he was in a bathroom.”

“And what did he say?”

“He apologized and said he wished he had hugged me goodbye. And I told him that if he ever left Crystal, maybe we could try to patch things up and he could give me that hug.” Megyn nibbled on her lower lip. “That wasn’t a bad thing to say, was it?”

“Oh, Megyn.” I went to her and hugged her. It wasn’t the one she wanted—or needed—from her dad, but it would have to be enough for now. “Of course, not. In fact, I’m in agreement with you.”

“You are?”

“You know it,” I reassured her. “We’d have a calm discussion about it if I didn’t.”

I wanted her to know that true support wasn’t blindly following what someone said just to avoid an argument.

Megyn seemed to understand. She hugged me back. “If he really does need help, if he leaves Crystal, can we support him? Or help him?”

“You know we can.”

“I just don’t want to feed into Crystal’s sense of what’s right and wrong, all warped around like it is.”

“Megyn, you don’t have to convince me,” I said. I put my hands on her shoulders and kissed her. “We’re all good here.”

She smiled and kissed me back. “Can you preheat the oven for me, my prince?”

I bowed, and kissed her breasts while bent over in front of her.

CHAPTER38

MEGYN

Ipicked up my phone and answered it, despite not recognizing the number. I wasn’t exactly sure why. Unknown numbers usually turned out to be from reporters trying to schedule more interviews. I had turned down every single opportunity, though I knew there were still photographers and such who took pictures of myself and Carter when we were out and about.

Something just seemed more important about this call.

“Hello?”

“This is Megyn Boulter?”

“Yes, speaking.”

“Ah, good. Ms. Boulter, I’m Duke Champion.”

What a name.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Champion?”

“I’m on the medical board for the Mount Sinai Children’s Hospital.”

My ears perked up. Mount Sinai was where I’d donated all the clothes and toys. “I hope nothing’s wrong with the things I sent over?”

“On the contrary. We’ve had an influx of donations since your spot on the Channel 13 News and we want to thank you for that.”

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