Page 12 of Theirs to Take

“You didn’t do anything to be sorry for, Alex,” she insisted.

“Didn’t your lawyer tell the judge that Simon had repeatedly cheated on you during your marriage?” he asked.

“He did, but it didn’t matter. Alex convinced the judge that I was an unfit mother because of my crappy apartment and lack of funds, and well, that was the end of it all,” she said.

“What about the abuse—was that disclosed?” he questioned.

“No,” she whispered. “That was my fault though. I never called the police and filed a report when Simon did that to me. He convinced me that if I did, they’d take everything that we had, including our home, and then where would Jack grow up? I was a fool for falling for it. I should have called and put in a complaint against him and now, I might have my son. Instead, I let him talk me out of it. Hell, he even had me believing that I deserved it.”

“You didn’t,” Alex said.

“I know that now,” she said. “But love makes people do crazy things, you know?” she asked. He didn’t have a clue what she was talking about since he had never been in love with anyone in his life.

“What am I going to do now?” she asked. “If I go home, he’s going to show up there, and then what will he do?”

He wasn’t going to let her figure it out on her own. “You’ll come home with me,” he insisted.

“What?” she asked. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “I can’t come home with you. I work for you, Alex. What will peoplearound the office say if they find out that I’m staying at your house?” she questioned.

“They won’t say anything because my employees have learned to mind their own business and stay out of mine. No one will find out, Nova,” he promised. “This way, we can work on your case, and I can keep you safe from your ex. You saw how he backed down when I told him that I’d be with you when you pick up and drop off Jack, right?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “But I can’t just move into your place,” she insisted.

“How about you move into my place until you can find a new apartment? We’ll keep looking and you can take your time and find something that works for both you and Jack. I have excellent security and you will be safe over at my apartment,” he said. He worried that she wasn’t going to be reasonable and take him up on his offer, but there was no way that he’d take her back to her place. Especially not after the scene that her ex had just caused, and the threats that he made against her.

“Fine, but only until I find a place, Alex,” she agreed. “I’ll admit, I’m scared of what Simon will try to do to me since he’s so pissed off at me. I just hope he doesn’t take out his anger on Jack,” she said.

“Has he ever done that before, Nova?” he asked.

“No,” she breathed. “Not as far as I know.” He wouldn’t put it past the guy to take his anger out on his own kid. He seemed pretty torn up about being served papers suing him for custody. For now, all Alex could do was find a way to keep Nova safe, and then, he’d help her get her son back.

Nova

By the time they got back to her place, and Alex helped her to pack some clothes and personal items, it was nearly midnight. They loaded up his SUV and got to his house just after one in the morning. She was exhausted, but thankful to have a safe place to sleep for the night. If she would have stayed the night at her apartment, she would have gotten zero sleep.

“You had a big day,” Alex said, “with your first day at work and everything that happened with your ex, you must be exhausted.”

“Sex,” she mumbled as he helped her into his home with her bags. “Don’t forget the morning sex. And I am exhausted.”

“I don’t think that I’ll be able to ever forget the morning sex, sweetheart,” he taunted. “Let me show you around and then, we can get some shut-eye.” Nova wondered if he meant alone or together, but she was too much of a chicken to flat-out ask him. “Just drop the bags by the stairs and I’ll carry them up in a minute,” he ordered.

“This place is massive,” she said. It had old-world charm and looked like something out of a magazine. “It’s beautiful.”

“It was my grandfather’s home,” he said. “I have others, but this one is my favorite.”

“Wait, you have other homes?” she questioned.

“Yes,” he said. “I haven’t hidden the fact that I’m loaded from you, honey,” Alex defended.

“I never said you did,” she said. “I’ve just never met anyone with multiple homes before.”

“Well, now you have,” he said. She wondered if she somehow hurt his feelings as he continued the tour. “This is the kitchen and through there is the pantry. Help yourself to whatever you want. I have someone who does my shopping for me, so if there’s something that you need, just add it to the grocery list on the fridge.”

“Thanks, but I’m not too picky,” she admitted. He showed her the rest of the downstairs of the house and promised to show her the lower level in the morning.

“How many levels does this place have?” she asked.

“Four, but the top floor is just a ballroom that no one really uses anymore. I sometimes let some of my friends use it for weddings or charity functions, but it doesn’t get as much use as it used to. My grandfather used the ballroom just about every weekend. The man seriously loved his fancy parties.”

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