Page 14 of The Daddy Claus

"I'm not."

"Oh, really?" Gabbi crosses her arms, arching a brow. "Four hundred roses, Jordan. Really?"

Okay, so maybe that was overkill. I didn't anticipate exactly how much space that many flowers would take up. Or how tired Hollie would be when she got home and saw them covering every surface. Or how long it'd take Colter and Noah to remove them from her apartment. By the time they were done, she was exhausted.

I felt like an asshole.

I'mactinglike an asshole. Every time a player gets near her, jealousy rattles through me like a fucking demon. She has to touch them to do her job, but I don't want her hands on them. I don't want them smiling at her or laughing with her. I don't want them looking at her.

She's been my obsession for years, and I had her right where I wanted her, only to watch it all slip away. I know I don't deserve her, and I'm worried as fuck that she knows it, too.

I was supposed to be her daddy, the one man she trusted above all others. And I broke her heart. What if she can't forgive me for that? The thought is giving me nightmares.

I know I need to ease off and approach things in a different way. But the thought of losing her and our baby for good this time is literally my worst nightmare. I can't stop worrying about it.

"You're afraid you're going to lose her, aren't you?" Gabbi asks, her expression softening when several minutes pass without me saying anything. I don't know how the hell she always sees so much, but she's done it since she was a kid. Roman and I never could keep anything from her.

"Like a motherfucker," I admit, scrubbing my hands down my face. "I fucked up, and I'm trying to fix it. But if I can't fix it, I'm going to lose them both."

"Why didn't you ever tell me that you were in love with her? All these years, and you never said anything. I had to figure it out myself."

"Figured you'd kick my ass."

"I still might if you don't fix it."

"I'm working on it," I mutter.

She snorts at me. "If this is you working on it, I don't know how you became a billionaire. You suck at it."

"Is this supposed to be a pep talk?" I question, one brow arched.

"Nope. Atlas and Roman can give you one of those tonight. You're having dinner with them."

"Uh, no, I'm not."

"Uh, yes, you are."

"I have plans."

"Well, they aren't with Hollie because she's having dinner with me." Gabbi makes a face at me. "So, if you want to see her, you're just going to have to do it from a table across the restaurant with Atlas and Roman." She pops up from her chair like her ass is attached to a spring. "You're welcome."

"For what?" I ask, genuinely mystified how she thinks saddling me with Rome and Atlas when I could be having dinner with Hollie is helping me. Maybe she's the one who hit her head when she and Atlas were lost in the woods. She acts more like the crazy goalie every day.

I'll never admit it, but it's good to see. She's so happy she glows. I've never seen her so peaceful and at ease in her own skin. And I've never known this version of her, the girl who dives headfirst into life. I may give Atlas ten kinds of hell, but he's the best thing for her.

"For keeping your pregnant future-wife from having to hide your body." She blows me a kiss, grabbing her coat off the back of the chair. "See you at dinner tonight. Mind your business and stay at your own table. No boys allowed at ours."

She sails out as quickly as she sailed in, leaving me shaking my head.

Fuck, I guess I'm going to dinner with Atlas and Roman tonight.

* * *

"Why the fuckcan't we switch waiters with them?" Atlas growls, glaring daggers at the bastard currently grinning at my sister as he jots down her order. He's been awful fucking smiley since he approached their table.

"We're in the wrong section," Roman says, his eyes locked on Raven.

"We're literally two fucking tables away," Atlas points out. "How is that a section?"

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