Page 17 of Unbreak My Heart

Vance stepped closer. Simon resisted the urge to growl at the bastard.

“Leenie—”

“I’ve asked you not to call me that. I don’t like it. My name isEvangeline.” Her face tightened almost to a grimace.

Okay. This prick needs to leave.

“Vance, is it?” Simon interrupted.

The guy in question looked at him. He nodded.

“Maybe you could catch up another time, hey? Evangeline is pretty busy here today.” He turned his attention to Eva. “In fact, Max asked me to come get you. He has a question about one of the amendments to the plan you suggested.”

Vance’s lip curled momentarily. So fast that Simon wondered if he’d imagined it. Then a fake-ass, slick smile widened his mouth. One that definitely didn’t reach his eyes.

“But this won’t take long, and L-Evangeline and I have lots to discuss. Don’t we, pumpkin?”

Eva winced at the endearment.

Simon gritted his teeth. He couldn’t stand seeing her so uncomfortable. “I don’t think you understood me. I asked you to leave.Nicely. Don’t make me ask again, because the next time won’t be so friendly.”

Vance stepped back, surprised. He looked Simon up and down, obviously noting his plainer clothes. Yes, he was clean, tidy, and presentable, but he certainly didn’t wear, or own, a suit worth what was now on Vance’s slimy ass.

Heck, that suit probably cost more than Darby’shouse.

And he didn’t care.

Did the idiot think he could make Simon feel inferior by looking at him like that? Better people than him had tried and failed.

“Who do you think you are? All I wanted—”

“Vance! Not here. Please.” The last was said in a whisper. “Please,” she repeated, her face showing every bit of worry that must be running through her whole body.

Simon didn’t step forward, but he leaned a little in the shorter guy’s direction, his face still stony. “Goodbye, Vance.”

It had the desired effect and Vance stepped backward. He glanced between Simon and Eva, assessing. Simon fought theheat that wanted to flood him. He knew exactly what the prick was thinking, where his mind had automatically gone.

Let him think they were sleeping together. Simon didn’t care one way or the other, as long as it didn’t get messy and he left.

That smarmy smile drifted back onto Vance’s face, and he looked back to Eva. “Later then.”

Eva didn’t bother to answer, proving even more that she didn’t want anything to do with this joker. Simon watched him go with a scowl.

“Thank you.”

Simon looked at Eva, concern curling deep in his stomach. “Are you okay? He seems like a piece of work.”

She looked up at him then, and his gut dropped at the tears building there. “Eva?”

He cupped her face as she bit her lip in an obvious attempt to stop the wobble he’d seen.

She sucked in a gasped breath. “He didn’t even ask how Matty is,” she whispered, her face crumpling.

Something nasty squeezed Simon’s gut down low. “Who’s Matty?”

Eva lost whatever battle she’d been waging, the tears tumbling down her face. Simon couldn’t bear the pain in her eyes and hauled her into his arms, but her next words froze his heart.

“He’s our son.”

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