Page 60 of Even if It Hurts

“I’m gonna go,” Lainey whispered, but I pleaded, “Don’t,” before she could stand.

My entire focus shifted to Lainey when her head bowed and shoulders sagged. The movements were small—so small. But after being still for so long, they seemed drastic and had my body restlessly twitching as I looked at her likethis.

Somehow, she seemed worse than when she’d arrived this morning, and I’d been expecting something so different after seeing her effortless joy and excitement in that video.

“We have things to go over,” I finally told her before returning my attention to the social worker. “Again, why don’t you want this to work out for Kaia?”

Her gaze darted between Lainey and me a few times before she sighed. “I’m on Kaia’s side, Mr. Briggs; Idowant things to work out for her. I just don’t think you’re what’s best for her,” she said bluntly. “You’re a single, thirty-one-year-old man who lives in a penthouse apartment and owns a company with a demanding schedule. On top of that, I very clearly heard you when you said, ‘I can’t take her. I don’t want kids.’” She lifted her hands and gave me a meaningful look. “How many other red flags would you like me to list? Because I have quite a few.”

“So, because he’s a successful man who’s built something not many can claim to, you wanna use that against him?” Lainey asked, her voice so much more withdrawn than I’d yet to hear it. She visibly swallowed but didn’t take her stare off the coffee table as she continued. “There are many parents who have extremely demanding schedules, single or not. They do it to provide for their families, and many of them need childcare because of it.

“As for what he said,” she went on with a subtle tilt of her head, “I think anyone would agree he was allowed that thought. But what you’re forgetting is Mr. Briggs still immediately stepped up without anyone asking him to. And even though I’m helping during the day and fornow, he’s actively putting in the work the rest of the time and foralways.”

I stared at her in amazement and tried not to linger on thefor nowpart as I reminded myself of every reasonwhyI couldn’t kiss her, starting with this disturbingly passive version of Lainey.

The social worker stood with a sigh and headed for the kitchen, immediately opening and inspecting the drawers and cupboards the way she had last week as she said, “Walk me through a day with Kaia.”

As soon as the social worker left twenty minutes later, I turned and stilled when I found Lainey directly behind me. Kaia was hitched on one of her hips, and her bag was hanging from her other arm.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” she whispered as she looked just past me.

“We have things to discuss,” I reminded her.

“That’s right,” Lainey began, almost as if she’d forgottenshewanted to talk tome. “Now that Kaia’s crawling, you need to move the gun that’s strapped under the table. Now, unless something’s wrong with Kaia, or you finally decide to fire me, I’d rather not speak to you.”

Surprise slammed into me at the unexpected words that held more pain than contempt, and I automatically reached for my niece when Lainey held her out to me. But just as she started walking, I gently grasped her forearm, stopping her from passing me.

“What’s going on?”

“Please let go.”

I loosened my hold so my fingers were barely touching her skin and said, “You need to help me out here, Lainey. You won’t look at me, even though I’m not the one who left those marks on you. You aren’t answering my calls or texts, so I’d have to check my cameras to know you and Kaia are okay. And you keep changing up my apartment on me.”

She stared straight ahead for so long I nearly started turning her toward me just as she tilted her head my way and looked at me for the first time tonight, giving me the full force of the pain and embarrassment in those stormy eyes.

“Just trying to help,” she said, the words soft and strained. A brief, saddened smile pulled at her mouth. “I can’t do a whole lot about the way I look, Mr. Briggs, but I’ll do what I can to ensure your blood pressure doesn’t spike each day.”

“What—” My stomach bottomed out as my conversation with Rush came flooding back. The truth I’d twisted in a vain attempt to get him off my back about the girl in front of me.

“Nearly every time I’ve seen her, my blood pressure has spiked because of what she’s done to mess up my apartment that day. She’s unpredictable. Even the way Lainey looks is the definition of chaotic.”

“Lainey—Lainey, no,” I managed to say when she pulled away from me, then hurried to slip around her so I was blocking the button for the elevator. “Wait. Just give me a minute to explain.”

“There really isn’t a need,” she assured me as Kaia started whimpering. “She already ate. She needs a bath and to get ready for bed.”

“Lainey, we need to talk.”

“I already told you what we can talk about, Mr. Briggs,” she said gently but firmly. When I started trying to explain myself anyway, she set her jaw. “Let me leave now, or I won’t come back.”

I reluctantly reached behind me for the button and felt something inside me cleave when tears gathered in her eyes. “You don’t understand.”

And how was I supposed to explain? I couldn’t want her. I didn’t even know how she’d heard about my conversation with Rush.

“I understood just fine,” she said as she focused on the closed doors behind me. “It’s you I don’t understand, and I’m not sure I want to anymore.”

Her glassy eyes shifted to Kaia when she let out a cry but quickly returned to the elevator. “You should get her ready for bed. Besides, I don’t needthe way she gets on an elevatorto be added to the list of things about me that frustrates you.”

“Lainey—”

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