Page 51 of Next Door Billionaire's Surprise Baby

"I need her back, and to do that, I'll have to be close by," he continues.

His constant mentioning of her irritates me to the point where I can't help scowling, "I don't care. You had the chance to get it right with her, but you screwed it up. I'm not putting my HR team under pressure just because you feel the need to chase a woman."

The booth is filled with heavy silence.

Tim stares blankly at me as I fume, wishing he would just drop the topic. It's bad enough that I can't tell him another reason why I don’t want him to work at K-Synch. He's making it worse by pushing.

For a second, I consider telling him that Chloe has moved on if I can get him to stop talking about her.

"Besides," I continue, "Relationships among staff are not allowed. You wouldn't want to put her at risk of losing her job, would you?"

He shakes his head slowly, and I start to pat myself on the back for a job well done until he opens his mouth, "If you don't want me there, just say it."

It’s Tim’s first day in Austin, and what I feared most is already happening. In my effort to prevent him from finding out about Chloe and me, I’m putting a strain on our already fragile relationship.

I sigh, “Tim..."

He rises to his feet and barks at me, "Fine. I'll leave you and your company alone. So much for wanting to make up for lost time."

He turns around to leave, but I grab him by the sleeve and pull him back.

Why does it have to be like this?

"If I employ you, promise me you're going to stay away from Chloe," I say with clenched teeth.

I feel nauseated all of a sudden. I'm going to regret this. I just know it.

He hesitates for a second before turning back to me. "I have no choice, do I?" He sighs and collapses back into the seat. He places his face in his hands, groaning, "It's going to be so fucking hard, Kane," then he looks up at me and says, "But I'll do it."

I'm a bit relieved as I see his determination on his face.

Chapter 19

Chloe

I've Moved On

Drops of water land on me when Skye splashes around in her bath water. I rinse out the last traces of soap from her hair before lifting her out of the tub and wrapping her up in her pink baby towel. Then I take her back to the room and place her on the bed to dress her up.

The door opens, and I look up to see Kane already dressed immaculately in a suit. He comes over to join me in slathering lotion all over her body. Then, we put her in a diaper before dressing her up in a tunic top and leggings.

Kane picks Skye up, bouncing her as she claps and giggles. “She’s getting bigger fast,” he comments as he pinches her cheeks. He smiles at me, “You’re doing a great job, Chloe.”

His soft gaze warms my heart. Even though it’s my responsibility to take good care of Skye, it’s nice to be told I’m doing a great job.

My response is to stand on my tiptoes and press my lips to his, kissing him slowly. When we pull away, he whispers, “I have to meet with my friends.”

My face scrunches up, “But it’s a weekday morning.”

“I know, but Nico says it’s important. I’ll see you at the office,” he kisses me again before turning to Skye and pecking her on the forehead. He tells Skye, “You be good for Aunt Fiona, okay?”

He hands her over to me and leaves.

Minutes after he has left, I’m still standing and staring at the door, trying to imagine he’s still behind it. I can't stop smiling, thinking about how loving and perfect he is. My chest starts to hurt from how much I love him, and I know I need to confess my feelings to him sooner.

“Kane.”

I look at my daughter and realize she is trying to say his name again, “Kane!”

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