Page 58 of Boss's Baby Surprise

“Sure,” I said. “He’s such a great guy otherwise, right?” I didn’t try to keep the disappointment or sarcasm out of my voice.

“He can be a real jerk,” she admitted. “He’s always been so good to everyone who works for him. I didn’t think he would be like this to someone he cared about.”

I laughed again, that bitter, derisive burst of air that held no mirth but prevented me from screaming. “Clearly, he doesn’t care about me. If he did, he would have said something a week ago about going out of town. I would have found out from him, not from James, and not from you, that he had plans for not sticking around.”

“I hope this doesn’t change your decision to continue working with us,” Alayna said.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“I’m aware that you’re finished with classes soon and that you anticipate interning here for another semester. You’re good at what you do, and we are lucky to have you.”

I stared at her for a long moment. “Did James put you up to that?” I asked.

Alayna shook her head. “That’s my own opinion.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled.

At that moment, I hadn’t even considered what I would do next. All I knew was right then, I needed to shove all thoughts of Kyle Love out of my mind and focus on what I needed to do. I had a course to finish. I had an internship to finish. I had a little boy to take care of.

I stared at the wall just beyond Alayna.

“I think I need to take the rest of the day off. If you could let James know. I’m sorry, but I just can’t be here right now,” I said.

She nodded. “I understand. I’ll let him know. Take all the time you need,” she said.

“I don’t have the luxury of letting this take too long,” I said as I gathered my things. “I’m not in a position to run away to the other side of the planet every time things get a little complicated.”

I unlocked the front door and stepped outside. The early winter wind was freezing and cut through my unbuttoned coat. It somehow felt appropriate after the bad news I had just gotten. I walked to the station and texted Marci while I sat on the train ride home.

I need you to get Leo this afternoon, and can you keep him for the night?I typed out. It was hard to see my phone through the blur of tears.

Did Kyle come back? Are you celebrating?She texted, followed by an eggplant and a peach emoji.

He left me again.

The fucking coward, where is he? Do you need me to beat him up for you?

I smiled weakly at her fierce protection over me. I never would have survived the last time he left if it wasn’t for her. It didn’t seem fair that she was the one to have to take care of me again.

He ran away to Hong Kong again.

That bastard. Don’t worry about Leo. I’ll take care of him. Are you okayshe asked.

I’m going to get drunk and cry myself to sleep as soon as I get home.

I will check on you tonight to make sure you’re still breathing, but I’ll keep Leo with me and Davey, she texted.

Thank you. I owe you so much. I sent the text to Marci and then stared at my phone for the entire train ride home. There was nothing keeping me from texting Kyle. Only, for some reason, I couldn’t.

He hadn’t bothered to reach out to me once in the past week to let me know he had left, so why was it my responsibility to ask him why he left me again?

28

KYLE

Six weeks later.

It was raining. It had been raining for weeks now. I stood and looked out over the skyline of the city that had been my home for six years. The city that I thought I had left behind once I returned to Chicago. Fireworks illuminated the sky in the distance in a festive explosion of color and celebration of welcoming in a new year.

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