Page 73 of Her Possessive Daddies

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ABBIE

"Holy crap, what happened?" Tessa jumps up from the couch as I slam our apartment door. "You're supposed to be at some fancy dinner. And I thought there would be an act 2, at least. I need to live vicariously through you."

"Oh, it was fancy alright." I kick off my heels, letting them clatter against the wall. "Fancy enough for my ex-boyfriend to show up."

"Wait, what?" Tessa mutes the TV. "Chandler? At Corey's house?"

"Turns out Chandler is Corey's son." My laugh comes out hollow. "And he brought his girlfriend of four months. You know, while trying to get back with me earlier this week?"

"No fucking way."

"Oh, listen to this. It gets better." I collapse onto our worn leather couch. "Seth was there. And Donovan."

"The guy from the double date?"

"Who may have fingered me in the upstairs hallway right before everything went to hell." I hold my palms against my eyes. "God, what is wrong with this picture? I've turned into some kind of..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." Tessa grabs my hands. "That asshole Chandler called you enough names tonight, didn't he?"

"In front of his father. Who I've been sleeping with. Along with his business partner. And now his best friend wants me too." My voice cracks. "I'm such an idiot."

"Hey." Tessa pulls me into a hug. "You're not an idiot. You're exploring. Living. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Tell that to the three men I've managed to completely screw things up with. Not to mention Chandler..." I wipe at my eyes, careful not to smear my mascara. "You should have seen Corey's face when he realized who I was. Who I'd been to his son."

"What did you do?"

"Called an Uber and got the hell out of there. What else could I do?" I grab one of our throw pillows and hug it to my chest. "I just... I really liked Corey. And Seth. And now Donovan too. God, I'm such a mess."

"Listen to me." Tessa grabs my shoulders, forcing me to look at her. "That entitled little shit put you through hell. Three years of making you feel boring and worthless because you had actual goals in life."

"But-"

"No buts. Remember when he made you skip that psych final to go to his frat party? Or when he called you fat in front of his friends?" Her eyes flash with anger. "He doesn't get to dictate your happiness now just because he's insulted that you found better men than him."

I sink deeper into the couch. "His father, though."

"So what? He lost his chance with you. End of story."

Three new messages come in, one right after the other. I don't dare look.

"What if..." The words are stalled. "What if Corey chooses Chandler over me? I mean, he's his son. They already have a rocky relationship."

"And that would be Corey's loss."

"But it wouldn't just be Corey." The truth of it hits me hard. "If Corey steps back, that means no more Seth. No more Donovan. All three of them, gone in one night because of Chandler."

Tessa’s eyes widen, and her green eyes sparkle with curiosity. “Wait, who the hell is Donovan? You’re skipping over the juiciest part. What happened with him again?”

I let out a laugh that’s half-hysterical, half-exhausted. “Oh my God, Tessa. It was… I don’t even know how to explain it.”

“Try,” she demands, poking me in the side. “Start from the beginning. What did he do? What did you do? Did you do him? I need specifics, Abs.”

I sit up, still clutching the pillow like a lifeline, and take a deep breath. “Okay, so… I went upstairs to find the bathroom, right? Donovan offered to show me where it was. He was all polite and gentlemanly, like he always is, but there was this… tension. Like, the kind you can feel in the air, you know? Pure animal magnetism.”

“Uh-huh,” Tessa says, nodding eagerly. “Go on.”

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