Page 14 of It Must Be Love

"Yes, this is Magnus," I introduced.

"Maaaanusss," Magnus repeated.

"Does Kara know that you're letting a stranger take care of her kid?" Ann frowned.

My chest felt constricted. I hated confrontations. I didn't like this one.

"We were having lunch," Darren said a little sharply. "And I'm not a stranger. I've known Magnus since he was born."

"Kara never mentioned you." God! Why was Ann such a bitch?

"Why would she?" Darren barreled and I wished he'd just let it rest so we could leave. "I see him when Naya babysits."

"Bringing your babysitting job with you on a date, Naya?" Ann said mockingly.

"Christ, Ann," Amias muttered.

"She's not doing a job," Darren enunciated each word and handed Magnus to me as he got impatient. "She's spending a day and night with her nephew while his parents throw a party. I can assure you if this was a job, Naya would be getting paid handsomely for it, considering how often she spends time with Magnus."

"We should go," Amias urged.

If I thought that would shut up Ann, then I was living in a fool's paradise.

"I guess you're not invited to the dinner party then." Ann had no intention of going without throwing a couple of barbs at me. I had no idea what I'd done to her, but she went out of her way to be mean to me. It was unseemly and inappropriate.

"I guess not." Magnus pulled me close then and gave me a smack on my lips.

"Kiki," he gurgled.

I laughed and nuzzled my nose against his. "I love your kisses, little man."

"You know you can take care of him at Nolan and Kara's place," Ann continued. "She hates leaving him at your place, says it's out of the way and a little dumpy."

Amias was about to say something to that when Darren thundered. "Lady, I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but you need to cut it out. Since you got here, you've been insinuating that Naya is a nanny. She's Magnus's aunt. She's taking care of her nephew, so her feckless fucking brother and his wife can entertain assholes like you. Instead of saying, wow, how nice of you, you talk to her like she's the help."

"How dare you speak to me like that?" Ann exclaimed, shocked that someone had called her on her rudeness. A few people around us were starting to stare.

"How dare you speak to Naya like that?" Darren countered.

"Amias?" she whined.

"Enough, Ann. We should go." Amias all but hauled his girlfriend out of Legal Sea Foods.

As they were leaving I heard Ann say, "He had an American Express black. Looks like Naya found a rich sugar daddy."

I held Magnus close to me as I got my breathing under control.

"If that moron is dating that bitch, you need to get over him pronto, Sparky. The kind of woman a man dates says a lot about him and vice versa," Darren hissed.

Chapter 6

Amias

"I'm sorry about the scene the other day," I said to Naya. I knew she usually came at least fifteen minutes early into a conference room when she was running a meeting so she could set everything up. I'd been keeping an eye out for her so I could get her alone.

Naya stared at me like I'd just dropped down from outer space and had a horn sprouting out of my head. "What scene?"

I stared at her not sure if she was fucking with me or…. "When Ann and I saw you at Legal Sea Foods with your…ah…boyfriend."

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