Page 23 of Faking with the Bad Boy Billionaire

Steven ran a hand down his face, "How would I know that, Josephine? We have only talked a few times in text since I left." He leaned forward towards the phone and tried to stare her down on the screen. He knew she was studying his face, trying to read him. He was refusing to let her get a read on him.

Steven realized how long it had been since he had taken the time to notice even the most minor things about her. They had not physically talked much, if at all, since he had left her house. Promises hung in the air, and then they were gone. He left, and then she left.

"You were supposed to trust in me. You have been my lifelong friend. Now, I am a cheater and a liar?" Josie was not just angry; she was hurting. He had hurt her.

"You can say everything you want, but Lucas couldn't be mine." Steven could not handle the fact that Josie went through it on her own. He could not bear the thought of her not needing him or either of them not needing him.

"We didn't have any protection, you moron! He absolutely could be yours!" Josie was crying on the other end of the call, and As Steven realized what was happening, his heart bent a little.

"Josie…" Steven huffed out a breath, clearly thinking everything over in his mind. Josie ended the call before he got a chance to apologize for talking to her that way. He knew he was wrong. The only thing he wanted was to take it all back, to take back how he reacted, to take back every negative thing he had said to her in the heat of the moment.

"Boss?" Stacey had knocked twice and opened the door, as per her usual, before poking her head in. She waved a napkin through at him and smiled.

"Funny," he watched her toss it onto the table near the small seating area, "What's going on?" Steven rubbed the back of his neck roughly. The stress was tensing up every single muscle within him. He was waiting for Stacey to ask, but he was also not sure she would try to get answers out of him until he was fully calmed down.

"The main floor is almost done. We should be able to get a trial run going this weekend." She was tapping away on the tablet, marking things off her checklist. She was the best member of his team, and at this point, she was also his best friend. He was lucky.

"Perfect. Can you get the invitations out for that, then? I would like the obvious investors, promoters, and the staff from the Keys location." Steven wanted to show it off and give the staff who wished for an option the chance to head up to Miami to start somewhere new.

"Sounds good." Stacey set her tablet down and looked at him. "Anyone else?" He smirked, knowing the prying was coming at some point and having it happen were two completely different things.

"For now, no." Steven gave her an awkward and crooked smile. "Sorry about earlier, Stacey. I was caught off guard by someone."

"I saw, so are you going to tell me?" She sat back. "Is there something to tell?" There was a Cheshire-like grin across her face.

"Right now, I can tell you that I am a jackass." Steven looked up to the ceiling and groaned out.

"That I do know." Stacey laughed and stood up. When she turned, she found the broken glass on the floor from the glass he had thrown earlier. "Also, I am not cleaning that up."

"Understood." Steven stood up and looked at the pile she stared at. "Thanks, Stacey."

"Anytime, Boss." Stacey disappeared behind the door. As much as Stacey was a big part of Steven's life and business, they both had an unspoken agreement: their relationship is that of a best friend who owns a business and the other best friend who helps maintain it.

Steven sat there wondering about every moment, every kiss, every touch, every word of his night with Josie. Not once, in his memory, did he stop to put a condom on. Not once did they discuss birth control. Neither of them thought about things as they went down the delicious rabbit hole of passion. They just dove all in it together.

Steven closed his eyes and realized that it was the truth. Every single word that came out of Josie's mouth was the truth.

Lucas was his child.

Lucas was their child.

Steven had to fix everything he destroyed in a day's worth of bad spur-of-the-moment decisions involving Josie and Lucas. He wanted to sleep on it and try to start things over again in the morning. If she would let him, he hoped she would give him a chance to fix his mistakes.

The next morning, Steven woke up and got ready for his day. He pushed back all of the appointments scheduled, and he went on a hunt to find out where he could locate Josie and Lucas. Once he was so sure that he knew where to go, he picked up her favorite muffins, some smoothies, and, just in case, some apple juice. The next stop was flowers. He knew she loved lilies when they were growing up, so he hoped she still did. Then he picked up a stuffed polar bear from the flower shop.

When he pulled up and saw two cars in the driveway, he wondered if someone else was living with her. He was worried that someone else had taken on the role he should have been in. He was concerned his son would call someone else "Dad," and the reality of being a parent was settling in.

The doorway loomed over him, and he cleared his throat several times before knocking. His hands were full, and he almost dropped things when the door opened wide.

"And here I thought you were getting the message she didn't want to talk to you last night on the phone." Steven ran through a few names in his mind before he remembered who the woman in front of him was.

"Lana. Always a pleasure to see you." Steven held up the bag of goodies and the smoothies in front of her.

"You can come in, but I don't think anything you have will be helping you now." Lana moved to the side and let him pass her.

Steven looked at the high, vaulted ceiling and the brightness of the space. He took in the mess of toys in the living room and the messy boy in the high chair. The boy was cooing and smiling, sitting upright. Steven walked to the counter and set everything down. Josie was nowhere in sight.

"My nephew deserves better than what you said to his mother last night." Lana grabbed the green smoothie and pulled out a muffin. She took a long drink and then a bite of the muffin.

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