Page 79 of Bossy Trouble

“I didn’t know what we were,” I said indignantly. “I still don’t know! At first, I thought…I was something special, but then I saw you flirting with other girls and knew that wasn’t the case. All we’ve ever been is fuck buddies. We fucked, and then we fought, and the cycle continued on repeat. It was toxic, and the last time we met, we had a huge fight and swore never to see each other again.”

“During our fights, have I ever given you any indication that I would ever hurt you?”

No, he hadn’t. At most, he would run his hands through his hair in exasperation—like he was doing now—or simply walk away when he got too angry. Even as a teenager, the only times he ever did stuff like swing me around or hold me over railings was when he was in a generally good mood.

Donovan wasn’t an abusive man.

“Yes, we fought a lot,” Donovan said. “It was partly my fault for pushing your buttons all the time, but I always saw it as a side of our relationship. It was something that came with the fact that we spent so much time together, and you knew me better than….” He shook his head. “Well, better than anyone. And I loved that you never backed down from me, even when I showed the ugly sides of myself to you. I loved that you always had a quip for every barb, and you were the only woman I knew who was strong enough to take me on. I fucking loved you, Georgia, even back then.”

The tears were coming now. I could feel them at the back of my eyes and falling on my cheeks. I could feel them in my throat.

“But this whole time, you saw me as a monster who would snatch your daughter from your arms without a care,” he said, his voice like thunder in the hush of the room. “Five years, Georgia. You hid her existence from me for five years, and you would never have told me if you didn’t need my help. Admit it.”

It was true. Had my company not gone bankrupt, I would have never sought Donovan out again. I couldn’t deny it, so I just stood there, waiting for his anger to be spent.

He blew out a breath, looked out the window for a few seconds, then shook his head. “I can’t do this. I’m going out for a walk.”

“Donovan, wait.”

But he ignored me, storming out of his own office.

The door closed with a quiet click.

It took me a minute to think about what to do. I wanted to break down into an emotional wreck, but I wasn’t about to do that here. I wasn’t a little girl anymore.

Logic dictated that I give him some time to cool down, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to let this fester between us. We needed to clear it up now, or we would be over forever.

And I didn’t want that. I never wanted that.

Before I knew what was happening, I tore out of his office, taking the stairs and running down to where he was. I figured he would be heading for the parking lot, and I could catch him if I went out the back door. So, I ran that way, going down a secluded hallway, all my senses tuned to finding Donovan as soon as possible.

Perhaps that was why I didn’t notice when a hand grabbed me and someone slammed a fist into the side of my head, knocking me out effectively.

30

DONOVAN

Iended up in a coffee shop.

It was a quiet spot, away from everything, and it was exactly what I needed to think. To wrap my mind around the fact that I currently had a child.

And Georgia hid it from me.

It still hadn’t sunk in, even hours after Garrett broke the news to me.

How on earth could I have had a child?

When I was younger, I visited a doctor to get a vasectomy. I knew I didn’t want children, and at that point, I was far too careless with my trysts. So I wanted to make sure no accidents happened, and despite the doctor’s initial protests, I was determined.

He was reluctant because of my age, that was until I offered him an obscene amount of money. That changed his tone quickly enough.

They ran all the appropriate tests, and he returned to his office with a very funny look on his face.

“Your sperm count,” he said cautiously. “It’s…quite low.”

“What does that mean?” I asked. “I can’t have kids?”

The man shook his head. “Never say never, but it would be very difficult. I truly don’t think you need the procedure.”

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