Page 31 of The Wrong Boss

“I have to tell him.”

“I know that. But you’ve had a shock. You fainted. It’s your first day. Just take a breather, sleep on it, and the answer will come to you. You’ll figure out how to tell him about Evie.”

“Yeah,” I replied. Biting the end of my thumbnail, I stared at the tile floor and let my cousin’s words calm me. After two deep breaths, I could almost think clearly. But once the haze lifted, all I saw was the shape of the fear that had been hiding behind my panic. I had to put it into words and speak it aloud to see if it really was as terrifying as it felt: “What if he wants to take her away from me?” I whispered.

“Hewon’t,” Hailey replied vehemently. “He can’t.”

“He’s got so much money…if he wants to…”

“He won’t,” Hailey insisted. “Just—make it through today. We’ll order takeout when you get home, watch a movie, all four of us, and then once Evie’s in bed, we’ll crack open a bottle of wine and figure this out. Seth will help,” she added, brightening.

“Seth is a real estate lawyer, Hailey. And you can’t have wine.”

“Yes, but he’ll know someone in family law. He’ll know what to do. And I know I can’t have wine, but more importantly, you can.”

I exhaled the worst of my stress. “Okay. Yeah.”

“Don’t panic. We’ll figure it out. Got it?”

“You’re going to be such a good mom, Hailey.”

“I’m not sure how me encouraging you to get drunk off a bottle of wine translates to my mothering capabilities, but I’ll take it.”

I laughed, and we said our goodbyes and hung up. Sighing deeply, I slipped my phone into my pocket and turned to look at myself in the mirror. My face was blotchy and red, and my eyes still held an edge of panic.

But everything would be fine. I’d walk out of the bathroom, get the information I needed to deal with the wedding invitations and drop them off, and by the time I was done, my head would be clearer.

That was the plan, at least, until I walked around the corner and saw Cole Christianson leaning against my desk. His dark head was bent over his phone, long legs stretched out before him in casual repose. His clothes fit him like they were made for him, which they probably were. Side-lit as he was by the window next to my desk, I was punched in the chest with memories of him.

The late afternoon sun streaming through the hotel windows as he grinned at me, wicked and charming. The look on his face when he held me, too tender for how brief our encounter had been. The feeling of his lips against mine. The way he’d stripped me bare like he knew every secret my body had to offer. The press of that goodbye kiss against my forehead, and how much it had ached to watch him walk away.

He was so beautiful, and he could so easily destroy me.

I paused, and as if he sensed my presence, Cole glanced upfrom his phone. He stood, and I reminded myself that Hailey was right.

I had time. I didn’t have to blurt out my—our—daughter’s existence right there and then. I could get my ducks in a row and protect myself—protect my daughter—from any claim this man might make on us.

As I approached, it took all my concentration to keep my steps steady. I noted the fine lines at the corners of his eyes, the glint of the sun against his dark hair. Tightness gripped my lower abdomen.

The man was as gorgeous as he’d been seven years ago. I could still feel the press of his warm, broad palm over my hip when I’d woken up to him kneeling next to the couch in his office. Could feel the weight of his arm behind my neck while he made sure I sipped the water he offered.

It felt like being transported back in time to the day my life changed. That irresistible, undeniable pull of his energy tugged at me like a magnetic field, and I knew, before I even came close enough to see the striations of lighter brown in his dark irises, that this situation was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

“Carrie,” he said, his voice raising goosebumps over my skin. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” I answered, which was a blatant lie.

A twitch of his eyebrow told me he could tell, but he didn’t call me on it. He straightened, standing close enough that I could smell the faint traces of his cologne, could remember the way it had felt to bury my face against his neck and inhale the scent of his skin.

I had to stop reliving that night. He was engaged to another woman. He was my boss. At best, he had the power to snatch away my one chance at financial stability. At worst, he could take my daughter away if I didn’t approach this situation carefully.

This wasn’t just some guy that I could allow myself to be attracted to. This man was an existential threat to me. The danger he posed was so big I could hardly see the outline of it.

“Kaia told me she’s sent you the details about the invitations.”

“That’s right,” I answered. “I was just about to head to the subway.”

“Don’t bother.” He took a step closer, his hand pressing against my mid back as he turned me toward the elevators.

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