Page 17 of Nothing to Beat

“If you have a suggestion…” He was edging nearer to scrunchy until he figured her out.“If you want the job, it’s yours.Can you shoulder two divisions?”

“Just to be nice, I won’t slap you in the face for your doubt.I think choosing someone internal makes more sense than breaking in a stranger.I’m assertive, I’m loyal, I’m tenacious—”

“You’re my girl.I was sold before you started talking.”His fingers were slower in combing through her hair.“Love, you could have my job if you wanted it.Hell, if you wanted Dad’s job, I’d find a way to give it to you.”His other hand rested on her thigh, high up, so his fingers could graze her abdomen.“How will you handle two divisions with a baby?”

“Women work and have children all the time.How can you doubt me?”

“I do not doubt you.But this is a good time to remind you there’s no need to do it alone.”

“Breckenridge have daycare.”

“They do.And would you expect me to walk past my child every day and fail to acknowledge them?”

Perhaps he’d meant that to be somber or sharp, instead a laugh whispered past her lips.“I think it would be easier for you than it would be for your mom.”

And as he explored her, his probing curled around her heart.No matter the laughter, he could read deep truths within her that even she couldn’t interpret.

“You’re worried about your father.”

All frivolity fled.

“Why did you do that?”she asked, mood flipped on its head.“We were having a perfectly nice conversation.”She tried to get up.“Please don’t talk about him.”

He caught her hips to clamp her down.“We can protect you.”

“That’s not your job.”

That truth didn’t make a jot of difference to him.“How far do you think he’ll go?”

“With my father, I’d never venture a guess.He’ll always surprise us.”

“My brothers own one of the largest security firms in the country—”

“I know that.”

“We can have you surrounded twenty-four, seven.”

“That’s not the way I want to raise my child.”

“What’s more important than their safety?”The sheer struggle written in his expression cut her deep.He literally couldn’t figure it out.No matter how hard or long he thought about it, he’d never come up with an answer because there wasn’t one, not a happy one.“Coy, I’ll keep you safe.”

“I am not your burden to bear.”How many times had she said it?“This isn’t your responsibility.If he doesn’t know it’s your child—”

“I don’t give a fuck who the father is,” he said.“Look me in the eye, Coy, and tell me it would matter.Tell me I’d fight any less for you, and this baby, whether it was biologically mine or not.”

He’d move heaven and earth for her.All those corny lines about a guy switching the sun and moon and rearranging the stars?Yeah, it was all talk, no man would be capable.None except her Breck.

Any other guy might say he didn’t care about parentage.Any other woman would be right to hesitate.Except Breck’s squadron of brothers weren’t biologically related, some were, some weren’t, and it didn’t matter.Genes were irrelevant, love was love, family was family.They were all Breckenridges just the same.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen this way.”Everything was all screwed up.Why couldn’t life just go to plan?“People weren’t supposed to know.Why did you have to open your big mouth?”

“If you’d talked to me in person…”

“Oh, no, don’t put this on me.It was private.It should’ve been private.I told you it was private.We’re private.”

“My family don’t lie to each other.Did you think they wouldn’t notice you pregnant or with a baby?How long would it take them to ask?”

“Haven was right, I should’ve used a sperm bank.It worked for her.”

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