Page 32 of Secret Baby Daddies
I slowly backed away, not wanting her to catch me listening in. Moving back to the counter, I stared blankly at my phone and rubbed at my chest. There was an ache there that had only formed once Harley showed up in our lives. It screamed at me to go to her, to scoop her up, and to hold her for as long as she’d allow it.
She was an addiction. No matter how hard I tried to focus on the work I needed to get done, I couldn’t pull my attention from the woman in the other room. It was so far outside of my character to get wrapped up in a woman but there I was, staring at the doorway into the back, itching to go see her again. It wasn’t about the baby, either. I knew I would’ve been clinging to Harley even without the kid.
Harley strolled into the storefront with a handful of bouquets, a smile on her face which hit me in the chest hard and swift. She stood next to me and put the flowers in the display case, her eyes slowly moving over to me.
“Regretting staying here yet?”
“No.” Never. Not even a bit.
My answer seemed to surprise her. Her smile slowly slipped away as her eyes moved down to my mouth.
“You seem pretty sure of that answer.”
I wrapped my arm around her waist and turned on the stool so she was standing between my thighs.
“I am. Maybe it’s hard to understand but wanting to be with you isn’t about control. Not in the way you think, anyway. Imagine you came across a rare flower, one you didn’t know existed but once you see it, you’re amazed. Wouldn’t you want to keep it safe and hold it close to appreciate it?”
Her eyes went round and she swayed into me.
“You used a flower analogy. It wasn’t a great one because I would never hold a rare flower close and risk hurting it but it was still a flower analogy.”
I smiled, the stretch more than a little foreign.
“Glad you approve, little girl.”
She took a deep breath and looked up at me through her lashes.
“Would you be here if there wasn’t a baby?”
“No.” I felt like an asshole as soon as I saw her face crumple with sadness. “Not because I wouldn’t want to but because without the baby you wouldn’t have let us cart you around. That baby is letting us get away with a little more than normal. A lot more than normal. So, no, I probably wouldn’t be here if our baby wasn’t growing in you, only because I wouldn’t be able to get away with it. But make no mistake, Harley, I would want to be here. I would ache to be able to watch you and have you exist so close to me. Got it?”
Her smile lit me up from the inside out. She rested her hands on my thighs and leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek.
“If only you weren’t wealthy beyond belief…”
She twisted away from me before I could grasp what she was saying. I watched her unlock the front door and then hurry to her flowers in the back like we hadn’t just shared a moment that was deeper than any I typically allowed.
I frowned at the doorway, wondering what the hell she meant when she mentioned my wealth. It was past time we figured out what the fuck happened with her dad because until then, I felt like we’d just continue messing things up.
The front door opened and I looked up to find Hunter from Club Devil staring at me with her mouth wide open. Being found sitting behind the counter at her mother’s flower shop was just strange enough that I felt the tips of my ears heat.
Harley came from the back and froze when she saw Hunter.
“Um… What are you doing here? It’s not Monday.”
Hunter cleared her throat.
“I came to check on you but I’m guessing you’re doing just fine.”
Harley glanced over at me and rushed out to grab Hunter’s arm. Tugging her into the back, she shot me a look.
“No eavesdropping.”
I made no promises.
CHAPTER 26
Harley
