Page 32 of Fateful Hearts

I chuckle, placing my hand out for her to shake. “All right, forty it is. You drive a hard bargain.”

Hailee sits on her knees and shakes my hand aggressively. “Pleasure doing business with you, Blake.”

Chuckling, I shake her hand. “I’ll have a contract drafted tomorrow.”

Hailee giggles, flopping back on the sofa. “You’re silly!”

Smiling, I raise my brow. “Not normally. Seems you bring it out of me, Starshine.”

Hailee sits up from the sofa and throws her arms around my neck in a tight embrace. It catches me off guard for a moment, but then I relax and slide my arm around her, hugging her back. “I’m so glad we have you, Blake. You’re so much nicer than my dad.”

My stomach flips upon hearing those words. It’s disgusting that Kyle makes her feel she isn’t worthy of him. This asshole doesn’t treat her with the respect and care she deserves. I give her a little squeeze, then pull back, looking at her. “Your father does the best he can, but I am going to be here for you, okay? Now and when you’re forty and have kids of your own, I will always be here for you. Promise.”

Hailee sniffles like she’s holding back tears as Zoey clears her throat. “Okay, Starshine, you need to go to bed. You have school tomorrow.”

“Aww…Mooom, can’t I stay up just a little long—”

“Bed.Now,” Zoey states in a much firmer voice than I’m used to hearing from her.

Hailee huffs and hugs me quickly once more. Then she jumps off the sofa and moves to her mother, hugging her. “Good night. Thanks again, Blake, for so much fun.”

“Night, Hailee. I’ll see you soon.”

She smiles wide, then takes off running for the stairs, her thunderous feet stomping the entire way, letting us know she is unimpressed with having to leave. I turn to face Zoey, and the expression crossing her features tells me she isnothappy.

I furrow my brows as she glares at me. “You okay?”

She folds her arms over her chest and sighs. “You shouldn’t promise her shit like that, Blake.”

I jerk my head back. “That I’ll see her soon? But I’m sure I will. With us doing this fake dating thing, I am sur—”

“Not that, theotherthing.”

“What other thing, Zoey?”

“Where you said you would always be there for her in the future. We don’tknowwhat the future holds. Youcan’tpromise you’re going to be around for her, Blake. Shit like that will stay in her mind. Sheadoresyou, and she will want you to be in her life. We are only fake dating. How are you supposed to be there for her when you find a woman, get married, and have kids of your own one day?”

My chest squeezes as I think Zoey’s words over.

Yeah, we are only fake dating, and I know this can’t go any further because we work together, but if I look at my life in the future, the wife, the kid, all I can see is what I have here tonight.

I can’t picture anything else.

What the hell does that mean?

It means I am well and truly fucked, is what it means.

“Zoey, I mean it when I say I will stick around. Sure, I don’t know in what capacity, but I care about Hailee. I want to be there for her however I can.”

“She already has a father, Bla—”

“Her father is a dick.”

“But you can’t come in and take over like that. In reality, you’renother father, and there’s no chance you’ll ever be in that role for her. So youcan’tput thoughts in her head only to disappoint her. It’snotfair, Blake. She doesn’t deserve that. She gets enough disappointment from the father shedoeshave.”

Inhaling sharply, I gently pull Mr. Muggles from my lap and move to stand. “I see I have overstepped. I’m simply trying to navigate this whole thing, Zoey. Hailee is a great kid. I want to be a part of that.”

“Maybe this was a mistake? You’re my boss, and I don’t want to make things awkward at work. I’ll find a workaround when it comes to Kyle’s wedding. I am sorry I pulled you into my family drama, Mr. Branson.”

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