Page 88 of Protected By the Billionaire Ex-SEAL

“Oh, that’s good.” I chuckle. “Because I was ready to do some counseling if you were. I’m glad that’s not the case.”

“Me, too.”

“Is it just hormones, then?”

“Maybe.”

“I see.”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay…”

Her face crumples, halting my amusement. Then she’s sobbing and starts blubbering.

“I’m lucky. Aaron’s going to be thrilled when he finds out, and he’s going to be the best daddy to this kid. I know it deep in my heart.”

“Yes, of course he is. He’s a good guy.”

“He is. And I’m ecstatic. We’ve been trying to get pregnant for a while, so this is a dream.”

“Right. That’s good.”

“But I’m just so sad that not everyone gets to have this.”

That’s the problem?

“Honey Lee, you should focus on yourself, not others. This is your dream. Yours and Aaron’s.”

“Yeah, I know. I will, but also…I can’t. It’s so unfair that I get my happiness and others don’t. It’s just so devastating to me. And Raven…”

She freezes mid-sentence. So do I. We stare at each other, and it feels like something passes between us that sends my heart pounding hard in my chest.

“What about Raven, Honey Lee?”

Honey Lee clamps her mouth shut again, but this time, I’m on to her. I lower my head to her level, searching her gaze. She’s reluctant to meet mine, but I’m a persistent bastard and she finally relents.

When she does, the pain in her eyes is enough to blow me away. So is the guilt.

And just like that, I know.

“She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”

She shakes her head, but again, I don’t relent. Honey Lee starts crying again, which makes me feel guilty, but this is a topic that I can’t let go of. So, I wait her out, handing more tissues her way until she’s all calmed down.

When she is, her shoulders straighten and she meets my gaze again.

And I see the truth in her eyes.

“I think you should talk to her, Christian. It’s the only way to get answers.”

* * *

I drop Honey Lee off at her house after making sure she’s settled and Aaron’s booked an early flight home. I keep my emotions in check as I continue my drive, but as soon as I leave Sweet Haven, everything comes pouring out and battering me from head to toe.

I’m angry. It roars like a vicious fire, refusing to abate until I’m trembling all over. But the anger doesn’t last long as confusion comes into the mix because…well, why didn’t she tell me?

Why does Honey Lee—hell, and maybe even Aaron—know, but I’ve been kept in the dark?

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