Page 25 of Faking with the Bad Boy Billionaire

"All of this could have been different. I would have been there from the start. I want to be there now. I can make you both happy. I know I can." Steven felt his heart sink, knowing that one moment, being spotted with Mace sent everything spiraling downward. "I want you to be happy. I have always wanted you to be happy. I want you both to be happy. I want to give you everything you want."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Josie's exasperation hit him in one big tidal wave.

Chapter fifteen

Josephine

"Allofthiscouldhave been different. I would have been there from the start. I want to be there now. I can make you both happy. I know I can. I want you to be happy. I have always wanted you to be happy. I want you both to be happy. I want to give you everything you want."

Josephine could not believe the words that came out of his mouth. "Are you kidding me right now?" She looked at the front door as it opened, and Lana came in with Lucas. Josephine slipped into her sandals, backed the stroller out, and glared at Lana.

"Josie, where are you going?" Steven yelled after her.

"Away!" She started walking up the walk, and she heard Lana following. "Oh, no! You let him in there, and now you can get him out."

She walked for a little bit until she heard his footsteps behind her.

"Go away, Steven." Josephine tried to pick up the pace but knew he could make it to wherever she was twice the time with his long strides.

"I'm not going anywhere." His resolve stopped her in her tracks. She felt her heart stop and her world tip on its axis. She had always wanted to hear those words from him, and they also were words she knew to fear from him. He was never going to let her and Lucas go. They were a package deal, and he was like a dog with a bone.

"Now, after every terrible thing you said about me and thought about me, you just want me to move forward like it didn't happen." Josephine felt the tears coming, but she steadied herself, holding onto what little dignity she felt she had left after the last twenty-four hours of dealing with him.

"I know what I said, Josie. I messed up. I didn't think-" He grabbed at his hair and flung his arms out to his sides.

"No! You didn't!" At this point, Josephine was sure the neighbors were peeking out at her, trying to hear every word. Old, nosy Mrs. Jenkins had always pried for information about Lucas and his father. After all this, she would have every piece of information she needed on her child.

"I didn't think that you would have kept something from me. It did not matter if I was talking to someone else, sleeping with someone else, or seeing someone else. I thought you would have come to me immediately if it was true because my Josie, the one standing before me, loved me and would never have hurt me like that." Steven slid his sunglasses on his face and over his eyes. Josephine could no longer look into them for the truth behind his words. He was shielding himself from her, and in a way she deserved it. In another way, he messed up, and there is no taking back everything he said.

"I did not think you could have moved on so fast, but come on! MACY?!" Josephine pushed ahead on her walk with her child. Again, she tried to get away from him and the conversation, but to no avail.

"Josie, I already told you that nothing happened! I had her removed from my office and my club. She has not been back since." Josephine kept walking, and Steven growled, "Stop walking away from me. He is my son, too."

"No. He is my son." She hissed out in his face. Every single ounce of anger bubbled to the surface, "You lost every right the second you looked me in the eyes yesterday and called me a liar. You lost every right when you denied him. He does not need you to give him money and a good life. I have been doing that. I have been here for every cough, cold, hiccup, dirty and explosive diaper. I held onto him for his shots. I cuddled him when he had trouble sleeping." Josie stepped back while clinging to the stroller, "So, no, Steven. He is not your son. He is mine."

"You didn't even give me a chance. You are shutting things down when they get hard. Like you always have, like you always will." Steven followed a few steps behind her. To her best guess, it was so he could stay out of arms reach. "I want the chance to get to know him, provide for him, care for him, and be a part of his life."

"You are unbelievable." Josephine turned the stroller around and walked back to the house. She knew he would stay a few paces behind her, which gave her the chance she needed. She got the stroller in the front door and whipped around to slam the door directly in his face. She clicked the lock and looked at Lana sitting at the island, finishing her muffin and smoothie.

"So, I take it that went well?" Lana sipped from the bottom of her empty smoothie cup, immediately annoying Josephine. "His keys are on the counter. He can't leave."

As if on cue, a knock sounded at the door. "Josie. I kind of can't leave. You have my keys." Steven said as if he had won, but Josephine was more prepared than that.

Josephine grabbed them from Lana, unlocked the door, and chucked them in the air. He scrambled to catch them, and she took that opportunity to slam the door shut and lock it again. Lana had bent over, cackling at how fast Josephine moved. Josephine took Lucas out of the stroller and set him in his play area. She turned on a sing-along video and snagged a smoothie off the counter. He instantly was making little noises, trying to mimic the TV. He was up on his knees, crawling a little bit at a time. Her son was the light of her life, and that was no exaggeration to her. He made what was a dark and confusing time seem bright and joyous. He made all of the doubt Steven left her with fade away. Every bad thing she thought about herself did not exist after Lucas was born.

"You know he will come back now, right?" Lana tried to say it in a light and teasing tone, but it had such a serious undertone that Josephine felt the weight of her friend's words weigh her down until she sat on the floor with her back against the island and her knees tucked up to her chin. She knew that the fight for Lucas would begin at some point, and it would be sooner than later.

"I should have never engaged with him. I should have not answered the phone. I should have kept Lucas all to myself." Josephine felt the tears she had held back finally fall down her cheeks.

"He clearly wants to dote on you both. It did not seem like his goal was to take Lucas. At least from the parts the neighborhood could hear." Lana put an arm over her shoulder, and Josephine rested her head on Lana's shoulder.

"Don't side with him on this." Josephine was so mentally exhausted from everything she had to endure from both rounds of arguing with Steven.

"I would never side with him over you, but I will side with my nephew over anybody. I know you will, too. However, I think you are closing yourself and Lucas off to the possibility of Steven being involved." Lana was quietly tiptoeing through the conversation. Josephine knew she was not trying to pick sides, but it sounded like she already had.

"I hope my makeup stains your shirt." Josephine kept crying on her shoulder.

"I can always get a new one." Lana sounded like nothing bothered her, and that bothered Josephine. "Now, do you want to tell me why you decided not to tell him?"

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