Page 10 of Reed

How did my life come to this?

She’s the only thing natural to ever touch me, and she left me.

The sound of a door slamming has my eyes darting toward the ‘Staff Only’ exit, and without giving the blondes another thought, I head toward it. I need a break from this hellhole.

No wonder Fanzio wants to get rid of it, yet people actually protest to keep it open—absurd.

My mind can’t comprehend their reasoning. Then again, when dealing with such simpletons, how the hell can you level with them?

My feet propel me toward the door at warp speed, a man on a mission for some clarity, for sure. Stepping into the open space, I breathe out a sigh of relief. There’s only a handful of people milling around, making it possible for me to reset my spiraling thoughts.

A laugh echoes from the other side of what appears to be a warehouse, and I freeze. That laugh, I’d know it anywhere. It’s haunted my dreams and plagued my thoughts daily.

Holy shit, this can’t be happening.

She’s here.

She’s actually fucking here.

My eyes dart toward the laugh, and it’s like the universe has finally granted me something worthwhile—her.

My pulse hammers, and I take measured strides in her direction while I scan over her face, pleased that nothing has changed about her. Not a damn thing. She’s just as perfect as I remember. Even more so, perhaps.

She sits behind a table, stuffing soft toys into a box, then writes on it, and as if realizing my presence, her eyes latch onto mine from above the box. The smile, that only moments ago played out on her face, now falls, and I narrow my eyes at her disappointing reaction toward me.

The woman beside her turns to face me, but I don’t give her my attention. Nope, that is directed at the beautiful woman who blinks several times, as if disbelieving I’m here. I smile brightly back at her. “Hello, beautiful.”

GIA

My mind short-circuits as I stare up at him, and a loud chuckle erupts from his throat.

“Terra, could you give us a minute?” I ask my friend when she glances back at the man beaming down at me.

“Sure.” Terra turns and walks away, and I don’t miss the questioning look she gives me over her shoulder.

“What are you doing here?” I whisper-shout.

Amusement plays out on his handsome face, and the flirtatious grin and delight in his eyes make me fidget. He won’t be thrilled by what I have to say to him.

“I’m a lawyer.”

I nod, knowing this already. Fuck, he’s hotter than I remember. His shirt stretches over his chest, and my fingers itch to explore the ridges hidden beneath the fabric.

Then he takes in the warehouse we use for donations before his eyes land back on me. “I want to buy this shithole and turn it into something profitable.”

All the tiny pieces of hope I had in my heart are obliterated with his words, and my shoulders slump. Yep, he’s an asshole. He’s everything I didn’t want him to be, but I need to push aside his master plans and focus on what’s important.

I take a deep breath, then broaden my shoulders. “We need to talk.”

“Or we could pick up where we left off?” His eyebrows dance, and my core fills with heat.Oh, dear god, stay on target, Gia.

Rubbing my temple, I shake my head and rise to my feet, allowing him to see what our last encounter left me with.

My bump.

His bump.

“We need to talk about this.” I rest my hand on the obvious swell, then his eyes dart down to where I cradle my baby, and he rears back as if burned. His face pales and his breathing escalates.

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