Page 30 of Baby Bombshell for the Boss

“It’s heartbreaking, actually. Before all this happened, the last thing that took place between us was that moment when I genuinely thought we might be about to get together again, after all the time apart. And maybe it was foolish to think it, but I did have hope. I thought he might be feeling the same way I was. I didn’t realize I was feeling anything at all until that moment, and now I can’t forget it — and he wants nothing to do with me anymore.”

“Do you think it’s because of the pregnancy?” Janelle asked. “I mean, do you think he would have wanted to give things another try if you hadn’t gotten pregnant?”

“No, I don’t,” Ivy said. “And I’m glad, to be honest. If I had to think he was the kind of guy who’d want to be with me, but that my pregnancy turned him off to the idea…”

“You wouldn’t regret the baby, would you?”

“No, I’d regret ever having known him,” Ivy said. “He can be a bit of a jerk. But I don’t think he’s such a jerk that he would let his own child turn him away from a potential relationship like that. I think he already wasn’t interested in continuing things with me. He let himself get a little carried away that night, but even if it weren’t for the baby, he would have come to his senses and not allowed it to happen again.”

“If you can call that nonsense coming to your senses,” Janelle growled.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Janelle,” Ivy admitted, smiling to herself. “It’s been so good for me to have someone I know is on my side no matter what. Going through all this is hard, but I know I can handle it thanks to you.”

“Of course you can handle it,” Janelle agreed, as if Ivy had said something so obvious that it didn’t need to be said at all, and Ivy felt her smile broaden. Her sister’s faith in her meant the world to her. “But just because you can handle it, that doesn’t mean you should have to. This is Elliot’s baby too. He should be there for you. Not just financially. In every way possible. Imagine if you were to find out, somehow, that you had a child out there you hadn’t known about. Would you want to give that child money and walk away?”

“I’d want to know them,” Ivy said, not missing a beat. “I would want to have a relationship with them. But that doesn’t mean I can judge Elliot for not wanting to be a parent, Janelle.”

“Maybe you can’t,” Janelle said stubbornly. “But I can. Maybe it’s easier for me to judge him than it is for you, and frankly, Ivy, I think somebody ought to do it.”

Ivy couldn’t argue with that. The truth was, she appreciated her sister’s indignation on her behalf.

Janelle was right. Ivy couldn’t find it in herself to be angry with Elliot. She was too heartbroken.

She would have to guard her heart from now on. Soon enough, her work at his office would be done, and then she would be able to keep a healthy distance from him.

Soon enough, this pain would be behind her.

CHAPTER 14

ELLIOT

“Drinking alone tonight?”

Elliot looked up at the woman who had just taken the seat beside him at the bar. She was young, probably in her mid-twenties — not too young for him to flirt with, but young enough that he could feel confident she probably hadn’t been looking for anything serious when she’d decided to sit down next to him.

She gave him a charming smile and leaned in slightly. She was exactly the kind of woman Elliot knew he would have been attracted to if his life was still simple. Her thick blond hair spilled down over her shoulders, and her top was cut to accentuate her curves. But right now, all he could think about was the fact that her hair was lighter than Ivy’s, and that Ivy wouldn’t have needed to wear a shirt like that to flaunt what she had. He saw every woman through a lens of what made her different from Ivy.

It was honestly very inconvenient.

“Yeah, I’m on my own,” he said, not sure whether he wanted her to go away or not. Nothing was going to happen between the two of them. There was no question in his mind about that. But it was nice to be distracted from everything he’d been thinking about for the past week.

He still didn’t know whether or not he had done the right thing in setting up bank accounts for Ivy. It felt wrong. He should be doing more. But what more could he do without tying himself to her permanently — and he wasn’t ready for that. He couldn’t do that. If he tried, he would only end up letting her down, because if there was one thing Elliot knew for sure about himself, it was that he wasn’t the type to make a commitment. He’d never manage to stay. It was either break her heart now or break her heart later.

He couldn’t promise her more than he was able to give. That wasn’t fair to her, and it wasn’t fair to her baby.

But shouldn’t he be able to give her that much? What was wrong with him that he couldn’t? He had never had this feeling before — this feeling of owing something to someone. And the strange thing was that he didn’t feel any resentment because of it. He wasn’t upset with her for putting him in this situation. He didn’t wish he had never met her.

He had never been so confused. And maybe talking to a pretty girl for a little while would be a good way to dispel some of that confusion, even if he was nowhere near ready to hook up with anybody right now.

The girl smiled. “I’m Cassidy,” she said.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Elliot.” He gestured to her drink. “Can I buy you another one of those?”

“Sure you can,” she said.

He signaled the bartender. “So what brings you out tonight?”

“Oh, looking for trouble.” She grinned winningly at him.

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