Page 69 of Billionaire and the Barista

“What’s so funny? You thought you would get away with suckering me into paying child support without a DNA test?”

“Who asked you for child support?” I looked around me as if I was looking for someone else in the room. When my gaze returned to him, he looked perplexed, concerned. “Do the math, Nathan. I was a virgin when we met. You’re the only man I’ve ever been with. Of course, he’s yours.”

“How come he knew, and I didn’t?”

“Are you just going to stand in the middle of my kitchen? Sit down. We are in for a long night I think.” I was faking being calm really well. At least I didn’t think Nathan knew I felt like throwing up. I was so nervous.

My phone buzzed, and I looked at it.

“Everything good? R says his daddy is there?” It was a text from Lacey.

“All good, yes his father is here.” I texted back.

“It’s that guy you’ve been seeing, isn’t it? I knew there was something else going on.”

I laughed and typed, “I’ll catch you up later.”

“What’s so funny?” Nathan asked. His attitude hadn’t changed, but at least he was now sitting down.

I put a steaming mug in front of him and sat across the table.

“His name is Robbie. And he knows about you because he started asking questions about his father. I didn’t want to lie. And you didn’t know because I didn’t want you sweeping in here and either breaking his heart by not sticking around or”— I swallowed hard, this one was a fear deep in my gut— “for you to try to take him from me because this is how we live.”

“Why would I take your son from you?”

“Because he’s your son too. Because you’ve been trying to get my property. Because you take away the things I love. The list is pretty long Nathan. Your family sent you away because they didn’t like you hanging around people like me. What would they do if they found out your child lived here?” I gestured at my apartment. It wasn’t derelict or run down, but it certainly wasn’t extravagant and high rent.

Nathan’s elbows were propped on the table. He leaned into his hands, raking his fingers through his hair. No wonder it was such a mess.

“I fucked up everything, Gabs,” he said. “I can’t believe I have a son.”

I held the cup close to my lips and blew a cooling stream of air over the coffee. I didn’t know if I would actually drink it, or if I was simply holding the mug as some sort of shield. I nodded, he had a son, and he definitely messed things up. We had been good together.

“How do I fix this? I want to be in his life. I want him in mine.”

I clenched the mug a little tighter.

Nathan’s eyes flashed and then relaxed as he made eye contact with me. “I want to be in both of your lives.”

This time I maintained my grip on the mug because I thought my hands would start shaking uncontrollably if I let go. “I don’t know, Nathan. There is a lot of trust I don’t have. You came back and I stupidly thought it was for me. But then it turns out you’ve just been after the—”

“That’s not true.” He cut me off.

I tilted my head and stared at him. My hands fell to the table. The mug landed with a thud, and hot coffee splashed over my hands. I wiped the back of my hand against my shirt, forgetting I didn’t have an apron on to catch the coffee I was trying to get off my hand. I then wiped at the tears that suddenly were streaming from my eyes. “Ow, shit, ow”

Nathan was out of his chair. He grabbed one of the clean dish towels I had hanging and ran it under the tap. He returned to kneel in front of me. He took my hands and wrapped the cool wet towel over the bright pink skin where the coffee had burned.

“What do you mean that’s not true?” Of course, it was true. He had said his cousin had set it up, and that it was a smart idea. That sounded an awful lot like he was trying to get my property to me.

I couldn’t wipe my face. I lifted my shoulder and tried to wipe my tears off that way. Nathan pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and gently stroked it under my eyes. His eyes had never looked so sad before.

“My work priorities and my life’s desires have not aligned for a very long time. Yes, I saw this building and lot on a wish list of expansion properties once we had Lake Moore next door. I came down here to try to find you. I thought it was a complete shot in the dark and hoped that someone would know where you had gone. And then I saw you. You were still here, more beautiful than ever.”

“And you kept letting those real estate agents harass me. Why?”

“I know there is so much I need to atone for, but please believe me when I say, my goal was you. Not the property. Only you. I may not have understood. But Gabriella, I think I get it. This isn’t just a building for you.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was Nathan, but he seemed to have turned the corner and understood so much more.

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