Page 18 of Cinderella's Secret Baby

“Because you knew the company was coming to you? Or were you working there by then?”

“Both. I barely remember a time when I wasn’t getting a paycheck from Wave-Com. Even before Mom died, Dad would pick us up from school and take us back to the office. We were sitting through high-level meetings before we had our times tables memorized.”

“That sounds like he was at least trying to connect with you and your sister.”

“In his way, maybe. Once Mom was gone and he was married to Irina, going to the office was the only way I could see him without her there. I was fourteen when the first board member came to me, complaining about her and asking me to ‘talk to’ my old man.”

“That’s a terrible thing to ask of a kid.”

“It was, but someone had to. It helped me in the long run. I had relationships with all of them. They backed me when Irina tried to take control of Wave-Com after Dad died.”

“Did she really think she had a chance? Did she have experience?”

“God, no. But ignorance of little things like the law never stopped her from doing what she wanted. At one point, she decided she didn’t have to pay her maid. Dad didn’t find out until the human rights tribunal got involved.”

“Oh,no.”

“Oh, yes. She did childish, tacky things, too. When Vi got married, Irina had a penis cake brought out instead of the wedding cake. She thought it would be funny. She was always doing things like that. If there was an occasion where one of us was being celebrated, she had to bring us down a peg and grab the spotlight for herself. Today, when your dad showed up, I honestly thought for a minute that she’d hired him, purely to embarrass me.”

“Really?” Amelia lost her grip on her chopsticks. They skewed, sending the round she held rolling off the edge of her plate.

“Really.” He caught it with his fingers and ate it.

“Does she have mental health issues? Trouble processing appropriate behavior?”

“Perhaps.” He shrugged. “That’s no excuse for being mean. And greedy. And criminally irresponsible. She has never tried to curb her own behavior. Trying to help her was a no-win situation. If anything, she enjoys the control of inciting chaos. Of making others fix whatever she breaks.”

“Why didn’t your father divorce her?”

“Great question.He didn’t want to.” Hunter’s rage was so cold and condensed, his clothing should have frozen and shattered, dropping off his body. “I genuinely don’t know what he saw in her. Can anyone be that good in bed that you would let them humiliate your kids on a regular basis?”

An acute pain stabbed in the middle of her chest. “I’m so sorry, Hunter.”

“It’s nothing to do with you,” he dismissed brusquely. “Thankfully our grandparents—the ones who are taking your father to Lake of the Woods—took us as often as they could. They’re my mother’s parents. Prairie folk. Steady as you get. And Irina is in Palm Springs now, married to some other unfortunate twit. You don’t have to worry about her.”

“No, I mean I’m sorry for today. Like, really sorry.” So sorry, she felt sick. “You must hate us.”

“No.” Shadows shifted behind his eyes. “But don’t do it again.” There was no levity in his flat order. He meant it.

Peyton started to fuss, allowing Amelia to escape the intensity of his hard stare.

Peyton immediately began to root, so Amelia brought the receiving blanket with her and sat back at the table, settling Peyton to nurse before she picked up her chopsticks again. Her stomach was still in remorseful knots.

“The truth is, I was glad when you brushed off my text,” she admitted. “I didn’t know how to face you. I felt stupid for getting pregnant.” She had felt like a cliché. Who got pregnant on their first time in this day and age? “I thought you’d be angry, or think I did it on purpose, and I was grieving Jasper so hard.” Her eyes stung and her chest burned whenever she talked about him, but she pushed on. “I didn’t have the energy to work out custody. Ineededher to be mine.” She cradled Peyton closer and breathed through the ache that sat like a knife in her breastbone. “But if I had known you would find out like this, I would have come to you sooner.”

“I believe you.” He nodded, but a small spasm flickered across his face. His voice became gruff. “Thank you. I would have loved for Irina to apologize just once. To mean it.”

“I do.”

“I know.” He looked to the window and flicked his hand with weariness. “I make it a policy not to apologize for Irina’s history because it implies I’m responsible for her behavior, but I realize her notoriety colors all of this, making it that much more difficult for you.”

“Why couldn’t you just be the guy at the hardware store?” she said, but bit her lip. He was probably thinkingWhy couldn’t you be rich and influential like me?“I will play ball with your PR people,” she assured him. “We can do photos or whatever, so you look like a helpful dad. I realize it’s in Peyton’s best interest.”

“Amelia.” Her name was tinged with exasperation. “I intend tobea helpful dad.That’sin her best interest.”

“Nanny remark notwithstanding?”

He didn’t crack a smile. He ran his tongue over his teeth behind his lip, watching her and seeming to consider his words. He picked up his coffee and sipped, then stared into it.

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