Page 43 of Triplet Babies for My Billionaire Boss

Danielle’s face fell. “What? You’re kicking me out?”

“Tommy is already awake. I don’t know how to explain this to him. And your dad is worried about you. That’s on top of everything that we’re already doing wrong.”

Danielle stared at me for a moment before she nodded slowly. “Right,” she said. “That’s how it’s going to be, huh?”

I swallowed. I felt like a dick for running her out of the house after we had sex. I felt like a dick for kicking her out at all when she was such a big part of my life. But we were looking for trouble, and I shouldn’t have done this. I shouldn’t have acted on my feelings for her, just because I’d been drinking.

The thought of the alcohol I’d had brought back my dull headache as if the slight hangover had only receded long enough for me to handle the situation.

Danielle got out of bed and found her clothes strewn across the floor. I pulled on boxers and a T-shirt. Tommy was ten. He was still a kid, but he was at an age where he could start putting two and two together, and I didn’t want him to get to four.

When Danielle was dressed, she checked herself in the mirror. She ran a finger beneath her eyes to fix the makeup that had smudged slightly. When she turned to me, her face was serious. I found my wallet in my pants pocket on the floor and opened it to pay her.

“Don’t,” Danielle said.

“I always pay you.”

She shook her head. “But you don’t always fuck me. We had a great night, only for you to kick me out in the morning? Add in the cash, and the whole thing feels really wrong.”

I understood what she was saying. I hadn’t meant for it come across that way. I put the money back and closed my wallet. Danielle left the room first. I waited a moment before I followed her out. She was with Tommy in the living room, giving him a hug.

“I’ll see you soon, nugget,” she said, ruffling his hair.

“Do you have to go?” Tommy asked.

Danielle glanced at me. She wouldn’t be leaving if I hadn’t kicked her out, but it was how it had to be.

“Unfortunately, I have to,” she said to Tommy. “My dad’s worried about me.”

Tommy hugged her again, and Danielle stood, walking to the door. I opened it for her and walked her out, but things were awkward and strained.

“Well, thanks, I guess,” Danielle said when we stood next to her car. She opened the door and climbed in. She didn’t roll down the window to tell me goodbye one last time. She reversed out of my driveway and drove off without looking back. I stood outside, staring at the road where she’d left before turning around and walking into the house.

“Where did Danielle sleep?” Tommy asked when I walked in. I didn’t know what to say. “She wasn’t on the couch when I came to watch TV this morning.”

Thank God, I thought.

“She stayed in the spare room. Did you check there?”

Tommy shook his head. “We never have anyone sleeping there.”

I nodded. “It was a last-minute thing,” I said.

Tommy was satisfied with the answer. I left him to his cartoons and walked to the kitchen. The box of Fruit Loops was out, and the entire counter was spattered with milk. Looked like Tommy had taken care of himself. It was a relief to know he hadn’t tried to bother me. I couldn’t imagine how scarring it would have been to see Danielle in bed with me.

I scolded myself for being a careless father. I drank too much and ended up doing something I regretted. I was only lucky that it hadn’t turned out worse than it already was.

I started wiping up the milk, putting away the cereal, and putting dirty dishes in the sink from last night. I thought about how I had acted when I had gotten home after my meeting. I’d had too much to drink, and when that happened, I acted foolishly. I did things I shouldn’t, like fuck Danielle. And I said things I shouldn’t.

I froze as last night rushed back to me. I remembered the words I had said to her. I had been too drunk to think about the consequences of my actions, but not too drunk to remember what I had done and what I had said.

I had told her that I cared for her and that I was falling for her. I hadn’t only left it at sex, which was bad enough after we’d agreed we wouldn’t do it again. I had practically told her I was in love with her.

Shit. What was I going to do now? No doubt, Danielle would have been thrilled to hear those words come out of my mouth. She was only twenty-four. What if she had never been loved before by another man? What mess had I gotten myself into?

My headache worsened the more I thought about it. I would have to talk to her about it and tell her it was a mistake. All of it. The sex, the confession, letting her stay over. I was the adult here, and I had to start taking responsibility like one. I couldn’t keep saying I couldn’t do this, and then still end up doing it.

Fuck, I felt like such an idiot. Regret and embarrassment set in. I hated this part of drinking, the part where I knew I had made a complete fool of myself.

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