Page 10 of The Daddy Claus

“Hollie," I say carefully, trying like hell not to read into anything she's saying or twist it to mean what I want it to mean. "Why were you really at the club that night?"

"It doesn't matter." She exhales a breath. "All that really matters is what we're going to do now."

"About what?"

"The b-baby." Tears well in her eyes. She places a hand over her stomach, cradling it as if it's the most important thing in the world.

Fuck. Right now, it is. She's carrying my kid.

I lock my legs to keep myself from falling to my knees and thank God.

"I didn't get pregnant to trap you, Jordan," she hurries to say. "I don't want anything from you. But I'm keeping my baby. "

"Our baby," I growl.

"Our baby."

"Why were you at the club? We both know it wasn't because you were looking for a daddy."

"I was," she lies.

"So, what? You thought you could sleep with me and then go running into the arms of some other motherfucker, and I'd let you?"

"Some other…" She blinks at me. "What are you talking about?"

"You sleeping with me five minutes before you told me that you were in love with someone else," I growl. "I should turn your little ass red for that."

"You aren't spanking me."

"You've earned it. Daddy is mad as hell, princess."

"Don't." She flinches.

"Don't what?"

"Call yourself that."

"You were screaming it a month ago," I remind her.

"That was before," she mumbles.

"Before what?"

"Before you broke my heart!" she cries, emotion snapping in her eyes.

"I broke your heart? You ripped mine out of my goddamn chest, baby girl." And yet, it still beats for her.

"I didn't do anything! You're the one who decided to walk it back, Jordan. I didn't need to figure out anything. I already knew exactly how I felt. I was there because I knew how I felt about you. I was in love with you." Tears well in her eyes again, spilling over in two drops that crack my heart in half. "And I was just something you needed to figure out."

"You told me you were in love with someone else."

"No, I did not. I never said that." She stares at me, her sad expression killing me. "I told you I was in love with you."

Is that what she said?

Because… because… because I don’t want to figure it out. I'm in love.

Ah, Jesus, no. She was trying to tell me that she's in love with me. That's what she meant. And I let her walk out of that fucking room believing I didn't feel the same.

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