Page 24 of Massive Size Mountain Man
I take a moment to pause, hoping to defuse the situation.
“No, I do own a vast estate on the outskirts of St. Cloud. And yes, Magda lives there with Madison, and Belinda with Ellie. But it’s not a farm, nor is there any pressure to relocate. Magda and Belinda moved to the estate willingly with their daughters because they have luxurious homes on the property, complete with every amenity. I make sure everything is paid for, and the two women are able to spend their days relaxing, although actually, both Magda and Belinda still work.”
“Really,” Avalon snorts. “So your two babymamas are there of their own accord. You didn’t force them to move with a promised fifteen million dollar payout.”
Oh shit. This is going from bad to worse. Why did Jimmy Warren call Avalon without my permission? What the fuck?!?! Yes, I had a conversation with him that morning about Avalon’s pregnancy, but I never gave him permission to contact my girlfriend. Goddamn, the situation’s blown up, and I can only hope the injury isn’t permanent. In the meantime, I take a deep breath in the hopes of doing some damage control.
“Yes, Belinda and Magda received fifteen million dollar payments from me, but the payments weren’t conditional. They received the money as a gesture of my gratitude for bearing my two daughters, and they earned every cent of the fifteen million. But I want you to know, Avalon, that I never authorized any payment to you, nor did I ask Jimmy to ask you to relocate. He spoke to you on his own, and I had no knowledge of it.”
Avalon puts her hands on her hips, her chin jutting out.
“And I’m supposed to believe that,” she says in a sarcastic tone. “That your number two just went out on a limb and decided to contact me.”
I nod slowly, blue eyes serious.
“Yes, and I’m not sure why. Jimmy’s been my right hand man for a long time now, but everyone errs on occasion, and this is a big lapse of judgment. I had no idea that he contacted you.”
Avalon’s still disbelieving though, and narrows her blue eyes to a squint.
“Oh really,” she drawls sarcastically. “So you’re going to blame it on your fall guy.”
I shake my head with frustration.
“He’s not my fall guy because believe me, the buck stops with me. I’m CEO for a reason, and I’ve never shirked my responsibilities, either personally or professionally. But things have definitely gone off course, and I can see that we’re not making any headway here today. I’ll leave, and please, call me when you’re ready.”
With that, I get up and begin to head for the door, my back straight but my soul crushed. Damn, the damage is even worse than I thought, and to be honest, Avalon is so hurt that I’m not sure there’s any coming back from this. But as my hand reaches for the knob of the front door, her voice cuts into me.
“Why haven’t you contacted me then? Why have you been incommunicado for the last week? Surely, you noticed that I wasn’t at the mansion anymore.”
I pause for a moment, breathing hard, before turning and fixing her with a serious gaze.
“I know this sounds crazy, but after I found the positive pregnancy test, I went to work and saw Jimmy. Yes, we talked, and yes, I was probably somewhat agitated during the conversation. So I took off for the cabin immediately afterwards because I wanted to wrap my head around what’s happened.”
Avalon pins me with a look.
“And what’s happened?”
I take a deep breath.
“What’s happened is that I wasn’t expecting to have a third child because, believe it or not, there has never been any kind of breeding program in place. I don’t do that, and find it repulsive and despicable. So I was shaken to my core by the news of your pregnancy, and took off for the cabin to collect myself. I needed time to process the news of a third child, and I only got back a couple hours ago. I only discovered your absence recently, and I came here when it hit home that you were no longer living at the mansion.”
Avalon stares at me.
“Do you expect me to believe that?”
I shake my head.
“Honestly, no. But it’s the truth, Avalon. I suffered postpartum depression after Ellie was born, and didn’t think I could handle another child. I went to a therapist for almost a year after her birth, and my conclusion from spending six figures on therapy, in addition to hundreds of hours of time, was that I couldn’t handle another child. But now, I’m having a third.”
Avalon squints at me.
“You had postpartum depression as a guy? How does that even happen? I know new moms can get it, but the dad? Really?”
I shrug my shoulders.
“Having two children just got to be too much. You know that I have two companies, and that I’m CEO of both. I have a difficult schedule, and yet I prioritize my family too. I’m present in both of my daughters’ lives, and I don’t want my kids raised by nannies. That’s why I was at the cabin when I met you. Ellie’s mom took a week-long vacation, and instead of passing my daughter off to a nanny, I decided to do it myself. I was with Ellie almost 24/7 for seven days, and exhausted from the effort. So I sought solace in the cabin afterwards, except that bastard Rick Purdy decided to send you along.”
Avalon squints at me, her posture relaxing a bit.
