Page 15 of Daniil
“Hey, this isn’t a board room or hotel,” I say to him, scowling.“Don’t sit on my couch like that.”
Marcus looks surprised and then nods his head.“I apologize.”He moves to sit on the couch properly, resting his arms on his thighs.
Then no one moves.
No one says anything.
The room is deadly silent other than Micah making little cooing noises as he chews on his fist.
“Courtney.I’m sorry if I’ve upset you.”Daniil looks uncomfortable.
Good, the stupid jerk.
Why couldn’t he just leave things alone?
“Can we just talk?Please?”His tone is softer, the hard edge gone, but he’s a great actor.He puts on a show every time he’s in Parliament, pretending to be a cutthroat politician when I know damn well he hates every minute of it.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”I stare back at him without blinking.“And yes.He’s yours.Now what?”
Chapter7
Daniil
I saw it,knew in my heart it was true, but it doesn’t hit home until she admits it.
She had my child.
My son.
A little boy named… Micah.
My heart is racing and suddenly I’m afraid I might be the one heaving into the toilet next.
This was nowhere on my radar.I never dreamed she not only got pregnant but hid the pregnancy from me and almost everyone she knew.That she went to such great lengths to hide him from me is mind-boggling, and it’s like a knife to the heart.
How could she be so cruel?
I just don’t understand what I did to deserve this kind of treatment.
“Well?”she asks, folding her arms across her chest.“Now you know.Are you going to take him from me?”
“Take him…” My head is spinning, and I’m not sure which emotion to tap into first.The angry, betrayed part of me wants to rage—yell, scream, and throw things.How could she hide my son from me?In what universe is that okay?Even if she didn’t want to be with me, which is blaringly obvious, I deserve to know my child.
Meanwhile, the politician in me is trying to figure out how to spin this, to make things right—for her and for me.For us to come to an understanding for the child’s sake.
Worst of all, the man in me is heartbroken.A woman I was genuinely into—whom I caught feelings for almost immediately—dislikes me so much that she hid my child from me.That’s the part that wins the internal struggle, and I try to articulate something that makes sense.When I come up with nothing, I say, “Why would you do this?”
My voice sounds weird, like a man on the brink of losing control.Because that’s what I am.
“Why?” She stares at me like I’m an idiot.“You have to ask?You can’t think of a single reason why I would hide the fact that you have a son?”
“No!”I snap, controlling my voice despite the anger brewing just beneath the surface, threatening to explode in a torrent of fury.“I can’t think of asinglereason.”
“Why don’t we sit down?”Landon suggests quietly.“Standing here isn’t going to solve anything, and emotions are high.Let’s relax and have a conversation like adults.”
Landon is as tough as they come, and most people listen when he talks.
I’m not most people.
