Page 47 of One Baddie for Three Daddies

Liam shakes his head slowly. “So, you’ve been sneaking around behind your mom’s back?”

Bianca sighs heavily, running a hand through her braids. “It’s been so hard trying to keep her from finding out. I didn’t plan for any of this to happen again, but now that it has...”

Alex cuts in gently, a rare seriousness in his tone. “You can’t keep hiding forever.”

Bianca’s eyes are pleading as she looks at each of us in turn. “I know.”

I clear my throat, the words I’ve been holding back for years threatening to spill out. The wine has loosened my tongue just enough. “You know, since we’re sharing... I owe you guys an explanation too.”

Alex and Liam look at me, curiosity mixed with something softer, almost forgiving.

“The reason I left you both behind,” I begin, my voice steady, “was because it was too damn hard without Bianca.”

Liam’s eyes narrow slightly, but he doesn’t interrupt. Alex leans back, crossing his arms as if bracing for a storm.

“After she ghosted us, everything felt off,” I continue. “Being around you guys reminded me of her, of what we lost. I couldn’t handle it.”

Liam nods slowly, his eyes losing some of their sharpness. “I get that,” he says finally. “It was hard for all of us.”

Bianca’s eyes are wide as she looks at me, like she’s seeing me for the first time. I shrug, trying to play it off like it’s no big deal even though my chest feels lighter having said it out loud.

Alex clears his throat, breaking the silence. “You know, James, there’s something we need to talk about.”

I look up, curiosity piqued. “Yeah? What’s that?”

Liam exchanges a glance with Alex before turning to me. “We still want you to join our company.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “Join your company? After all this time?”

Alex nods, a small smile playing on his lips. “Yeah, man. You should have been with us from the start.”

I lean back, trying to process their words. The idea of working with them again is both exhilarating and terrifying. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious,” Liam says firmly. “We’ve got a good thing going, but we’re missing a piece.”

“You,” Alex adds, his tone sincere.

I run a hand through my hair, the familiar weight of it grounding me. “What makes you think it’ll work this time?”

Liam leans forward, eyes locked on mine. “Because we’re not the same idiots we were back then. We’ve grown up.”

“And because,” Alex chimes in, “we know what we want now. And we want you on our team.”

Bianca looks between us, her eyes shining with something like hope. “It sounds like a great opportunity.”

I take a deep breath, the weight of the decision settling on my shoulders. The thought of working with Alex and Liam again is tempting, more than I’d like to admit.

“So, what do you say?” Liam asks, his gaze never wavering.

I let out a slow breath, nodding as I make my decision. “Alright. Let’s do it.”

Alex’s face breaks into a grin as he claps me on the shoulder. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

Liam smirks, leaning back in his chair with an air of satisfaction. “Welcome aboard.”

Bianca’s smile is radiant as she reaches out to squeeze my hand. “This is going to be amazing.”

The excitement in the room is palpable as we begin discussing the details. My mind races with possibilities and plans for our future together—both professionally and personally.

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