Page 103 of Breaking News

Hot, unbridled rage roared through my entire body. My nostrils flared, fists clenching in my lap. It took two to makea baby—I was certain of that. This wasn’t just my daughter’s mistake.

“I know,” Andrea said, reading my silent reaction. “I had a few choice words for that woman. She hung up on me.”

“She’s lucky she did,” I muttered. “God. What a piece of work. What about his dad? Is Richie still working for him?”

Andrea nodded. “He’s trying to remain neutral it seems, but at the end of the day, he stands by his wife. Richie’s been heartbroken over it. That boy cried to me about it a couple nights ago, Graham. He calls me Mom. It only makes sense that he’s calling you Dad.”

I nodded, feeling a pang of sadness in my heart for the kid. Nobody deserved to be pushed aside by their parents like that.

“And Graham.” Andrea held my gaze, tilting her head to one side. “Will Richie be welcome at your house?”

“Of course,” I said with a shrug. “He had dinner with us last week.”

“No, I mean… overnight.”

I hesitated. “You mean in her room?”

Andrea raised an eyebrow. “You gonna make him sleep on your couch?”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Shit, I just hadn’t really considered the idea of them living under the same roof. But it’s not like he can get her pregnant again, huh?” I paused to laugh, dragging a hand down my jaw. “I didn’t want her to be this grown up yet. She’s still just a kid in my eyes.”

“But our kid is having a kid, Graham.”

“I know.” I swallowed hard, my eyes drifting to the framed portraits of Caleb and Olivia on the wall. They were from a couple years ago, when Olivia still had her braces and Caleb was going through his long hair phase. It was a family photo session with Pete, but Andrea had invited me to get some portraitstaken with the kids, too. I could still remember Olivia asking the photographer if she could edit her braces out.

That felt like a lifetime ago.

And the next time we had family portraits taken, there’d be a couple more people, wouldn’t there?

“Of course he can stay overnight, too. I guess he’s part of the package now,” I said. “But a little part of me is still afraid that one day she’s going to decide she doesn’t want to come around at all. Especially after the way I just humiliated her.”

Andrea’s face softened. “I’m sure she’ll forgive you soon enough. You’re her dad, and she loves you. Give her time.”

I just nodded, hoping she was right.

“And for what it’s worth, she really loves Jill. She talks about her every night when I get home from work. What she learned, what they did–it’s ‘Jill said this,’ and ‘Jill wore that.’ She covets that woman’s wardrobe,” Andrea said with a laugh. “I do too, but I don’t think I could pull off some of those dresses. I’ve got a few years on her.”

I managed a faint smile, knowing in my gut that Olivia admired Jill. That should’ve brought me some peace, but all I felt was the weight of what might come next pressing harder on my chest. If this thing exploded, it wouldn’t just hurt me. It would drag Jill down with it. It might ruin her career. It might shift the way Olivia looked at both of us.

And for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t sure if I had it in me to fix it all.

Still, I had to try.

No matter what came next, I couldn’t let that woman slip through my fingers. I wasn’t sure I’d survive the regret.

chapter thirty-nine

Jillian

“Bad news,” Marco said as I leaned toward the mirror, blinking carefully as I coated my lashes with mascara. I always did my hair and make-up at the studio before we went live. It was easier than having to do my make-up at home only to have to touch it up when I arrived.

Marco’s words made me freeze. Could this be about Graham and me? But he slid a few pages across the vanity table toward me, saying, “The water main break was fixed, and they lifted the boil order. I had to cut that and make some adjustments. Just look over it.”

“Got it,” I said, breathing a quiet sigh of relief as I turned back to the mirror. I smiled, moving my mascara wand to the other eye. “And I think most people would call thatgood news, Marco.”

He grumbled something and walked away. A moment later, I thought I saw him return in my peripheral vision as I swiped the wand through my lashes. “Don’t tell me we have to scrap the story about the new police cruisers now.”

“I wouldn’t know anything about that,” a deep voice responded. I lowered my hand to see Graham standing there looking a little more dressed up than usual with a suit jacket over his usual button-up. God, he looked good.

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