Page 72 of Bossy Trouble

“More like he can’t fathom the fact that you hid it from him for this long,” Garrett suggested.

“Garrett, I really can’t do this right now,” I pleaded. “I already feel bad enough. I don’t need you making me feel worse.” Especially since I saw how good Donovan was with Avery. I always thought he would be neglectful at best toward his children, but he treated Avery with a gentle fondness that was surprising.

And Avery adored him in return.

It made the whole thing all the more heartbreaking and my guilt all the more potent.

“Sorry, I can’t help it,” Garrett said apologetically. “The whole thing’s just been gnawing at me for a while now. And I know it’s my fault that you didn’t tell him. Maybe that’s why it’s bothering me.”

“Yeah, well, it’s too late to go back now.”

“I don’t know about that. But we’ll discuss it later. Tell me what the fight was about.”

I began from the beginning, explaining to my brother in detail everything that happened. I told him how I’d been furious with Donovan for stealing my company, how I met Lupin, and how we came to the agreement that I would spy on Donovan. I also explained that Lupin found out about Avery and was now threatening to release the secret about Avery’s identity as a way of making me do what he wanted.

Garrett was quiet for most of the retelling, but I could feel his surprise over the phone.

“Wow,” he breathed out when I was done. “That’s…a lot.”

“I know,” I mumbled. “And I know it’s my fault for getting myself into this mess in the first place. I should never have gotten involved with either of them. I should never have approached Donovan and just accepted losing my company instead.” It was my pride, my refusal to admit defeat, that brought me to this point.

“No, that wasn’t the answer,” Garrett said. “And that bastard accountant stealing from you is the entire reason this whole fiasco is happening. I swear if I ever catch him, I’ll give him the beating of his life.”

I laughed. “You and what army?” My brother might be tall, but last I checked, he was a string bean pole, and Red was a stout former linebacker. It would have been an easy loss, but it was nice knowing Garrett cared that much.

“I’ve changed a lot since we last saw each other,” he said, sounding amused. “You should come up and visit soon.”

“I will.” I’d had plans to go visit him before my entire business imploded, forcing me to put those plans on the back burner. “Right now, though, I have to fix the mess I caused and save Avery. I don’t even know where to start with Donovan.”

“It depends. How mad was Donovan when he found out that you met with Alexander?”

“He was furious,” I said. I’d spared my brother the whole tale of our angry sexcapades. “Although, I’m not sure he knew the exact reason why I was meeting with Alexander.”

“What do you mean?”

“Donovan thinks I’m sleeping with him—Alexander, that is. I think he was furious for that reason.”

There was a poignant silence at the other end. “Are you trying to tell me that Donovan was jealous?”

I shrugged, even though Garrett couldn’t see it. “It seemed like it. He kept asking me if I was fucking Alexander and getting madder and madder.”

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, no, he didn’t.” Even at the height of his anger, Donovan had only touched me with care. He barely even raised his voice. But his rage radiated from him regardless. “It was mostly just that I could tell he was super mad.”

“Hmm,” Garrett said thoughtfully. “That’s interesting. It’s just that I’ve never seen Donovan jealous before, not over anyone. Whenever anyone tried to steal his girl, he usually either let it go or turned it into a whole competition. It’s fun for him.”

“He didn’t look like he was having any fun today,” I commented.

“I know. That’s why I mentioned it’s curious. Why do you think he was like that?”

I shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you why.”

“Are you sure Donovan doesn’t have any feelings for you?”

I snorted, not even entertaining the thought. “Gar, this is Donovan we’re talking about here. He wouldn’t know what feelings were if it bit him in the butt.” I heard someone approaching the door handle and could feel quick feet bouncing. “Anyway, I’ll talk to you later, Gar. Avery’s back.”

“Alright, we’ll talk later. Give her a big kiss for me, okay?”

---