Page 63 of Broken Daddy

“I don’t like to give him more credit than is due.” Jenson clenches his jaw. “Had no idea he was in analytics. I got into it myself, found my own way. Roy Dupont…he’s been like a father to me. A real one.”

Our eyes meet. This time, the anger in me is snuffed out. We’re level, he and I. We’ve seen the same things—more or less. There’s an understanding now, a connection, that wasn’t there before.

I’m almost okay with it. Until the alarm in the house goes off, in testing mode, jerking me back to reality.

Gen. The stalker. The baby. Keeping this secret from my best friend.

No, the last thing I need in my life right now is a half brother to bond with over teary-eyed trauma stories.

Standing, I put on my business face. One that Jenson knows well, because as soon as he sees it, his eyes narrow.

“I have things to take care of today. I heard you out, and if I decide to take you up on your offer, I’ll reach out. But I think it’s time for you to leave.”

This time, he can’t say no. He walks stiffly in front of me, back around the house.

His gaze catches curiously on the barn. I’ve left the doors open again. A bad habit of mine; Gen’s been sniffing around, too, praising every project she comes across.

In the driveway, Jenson turns and offers his hand.

This time, after a moment of hesitation, I reach out and shake it.

Chapter25

Genevieve

Saturday night, Nathan surprises me by coming into the kitchen and saying, “Why don’t we order out?”

Tucking away the notebook I scribble menu ideas on, I look at him with wide eyes. “What?”

One corner of his mouth quirks in a smile. “You too good for takeout, Walker?”

The casual use of my surname has me returning his smile. “Definitely not. You like Thai?”

Nate laughs, coming lazily farther into the room and leaning against the counter. “I do. Love it, actually. But…it’s not Eva’s favorite.”

My smile softens. Nate managed to spend the whole day at home without setting foot in his office once. A thunderstorm rolled through earlier, and at the whir of a table saw, I looked out and saw him working in the barn. Making out his muscular form through the deluge of rain had my heartbeat picking up.

I’m not sure what’s changed, but something has. Maybe the alarm system getting installed yesterday? He seems calmer, less stressed-out, and I heard him on a call early this morning tellingsomeonenot to reach out unless it was an emergency.

Maybe he’s finally learning to take a step back from work and focus on what he loves.

The thought of Nate as an attentive dad, fully present, stirs something primal in me. I have to bite my lip to keep from swaying forward and finishing that almost-kiss that happened the night after Russ came over.

“What’s she up for then? Pizza? Italian? Mexican?”

Keeping eye contact, Nate smiles and pulls open a little drawer. Inside is a stack of take-out menus. I half groan and half laugh, a hand on my forehead.

“Nathan…you’re kidding me. This isbad.”

He shrugs with a sheepish grin. “Before you, we were a mess, Gen.”

My heart pounds again, a feeling I’m growing used to these days. It seems like every time our eyes meet, I have to catch my breath. And we haven’t even been intimate since that day in the barn.

Except for that almost-kiss.

Why am I so stuck on a kiss when I’ve had this man literally on his knees?

Shaking off the flash of memories, I leaf through the menus as Nate calls Eva down. She perks up at the mention of a night in with takeout, maybe a movie.

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