Page 25 of Wicked Little Secret

“It’s you and me, kid,” she whispered. “I promise I will always protect you if you promise to forgive me when I mess up along the way.”

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Maverick

He stood quietly in the doorway, watching the intimate moment between a mother and her child.

The love she felt for her newborn was obvious, and had he been observing the exchange between anyone else, he would have felt like he was intruding.

Instead, he was pissed.

She’d tried to steal this from him, and that was bullshit.

“Hello Olivia,” he said before slowly entering the room with methodical steps.

Her expression started as confusion—he assumed as she tried to place him—then her eyes widened when the pieces fell together.

“Pete?” she gasped.

“Well, at least you remember my name.”

Nick entered behind him, still humming from the excitement of being a part of his brother—although he didn’t know that part yet—coming into the world.

“You two know each other?”

Maverick nodded slowly, keeping his gaze glued on the child suckling from his mother’s breast. “We do. And I think Olivia has some things she needs to explain.” Finally, he drew his eyes to his oldest son. “Would you mind giving us a minute?”

Nick’s gaze volleyed between Olivia’s now pale face and Mav’s clenched jaw.

“Um, sure. I’ll go down and grab something to eat in the cafeteria. Do you want anything?”

“Coffee would be great.”

Without another word, Nick disappeared, and Maverick sat down on the edge of Olivia’s bed.

“We can skip the part where I ask for a DNA test; we both know that’s simply a formality. How about you explain why you thought it would be a good idea to keep my son from me, and then I’ll explain what’s going to happen next.”

She was quiet for a beat, and at first Maverick thought she wasn’t going to respond. At least she had the decency to not try and deny the paternity. Then she shifted the baby to her other breast—leaving the boob he’d just been feeding from exposed. The angry-red nipple was in stark contrast to her creamy white skin. A part of her anatomy he’d taken so much pleasure from the night they were together was now providing sustenance for their child. He found it erotic as fuck, and had to give himself an internal shake.

Do not let her distract me with her boobs. I’m fucking pissed.

“I didn’t try to keep him from you,” she said quietly. “I wanted to tell you.”

“Oh, come on, Olivia. You knew exactly how to find me.”

Her chin lifted defiantly. “I thought so, too. Turns out, it wasn’t so easy. After I found out I was pregnant, I went back to Flannigan’s to try and get your last name, or your phone number, or some way to get in contact with you. The men behind the bar all acted like they’d never heard of you and treated me like I was some crazy stalker.”

Fuck. He remembered Derrick telling him how he’d saved him from one of his bad dates looking for him. He’d had no idea it’d been Olivia.

Her voice was soft but strong as she continued. “And even though I was humiliated, I still left my name and number and asked them to give it to you. I emphasized how important it was that I talk to you. When a month went by and I hadn’t heard from you, I decided it was for the best.”

That calmed his ire a little. He didn’t like admitting he’d played a role in why she hadn’t been able to get in touch with him. Had he told his brother why he’d been coming into the bar every week, this could have been avoided.

Still, that didn’t excuse when he woke up the next day and found her gone.

“Well, darlin’, if you hadn’t snuck out of the hotel like a thief in the night, you’d have had my name and number. Imagine my surprise to find your side of the bed empty and cold the next morning when I reached for you. I thought we’d had a real connection that night.”

“I know.” Her whisper sounded contrite now. “I was ashamed of what I’d done.”

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