Page 89 of Break Me

“She has a kid,” I told him.

He snickered. “So you told me. I take it you like this kid. Does this kid have a name?”

“Emily. She’s like this little bright star that you see in the sky. I mean her smile could light up a room and when she calls me Mr. Boyfriend, I swear to God I want to wrap her up in my arms. To keep her safe. You know what I mean.”

The elevator doors opened and I huffed noticing the look on my cousin’s face. “Not once in my life have I seen you this… tormented over a woman. I dare say you’re falling for this girl and her little family.”

“Not a chance in hell.” I took long strides down the hallway toward the set of offices. Meanwhile, Sasha continued chuckling.

“Right. That’s why you’re so tongue tied. So what happened to make you so frustrated?”

I almost tore the hinges off the door in trying to get inside, immediately heading to Sasha’s office. He closed the doorbehind us and I could see by the reflection in the window he still wore a huge smile. Why did I feel like I wanted to punch something?

Or someone?

Slapping my hands on my hips, I paced the floor. “Her daughter had as asthma attack and I took them to the children’s hospital where Nina was born. You would have thought I crucified her child in front of her.”

“Okay. How so?”

“What I gathered was that with her insurance, the hospital wasn’t approved on the list for her carrier.”

“And the children’s hospital is terribly expensive otherwise.”

“Yeah, well, I made arrangements to have the best pulmonologist flown in from his vacation and paid for everything. No matter the cost. Yet she acted like I’d run over her left foot.” When he didn’t say anything, I finally turned to face him. “What? I was trying to do the right thing.”

“Did you ask her if she wanted your involvement first? Did you mention something like don’t worry about the cost, I would like to take care of it for you. Anything? Or did you just bulldoze your way into making decisions for her?”

I rubbed my hand through my hair, grabbing the back of my head. “Ah, fuck. I just assumed it would be okay. That she’d be happy and relieved.”

“You can’t assume that about a woman, cuz. Send her flowers. Or better yet. Apologize in person.”

“Do you honestly think she wants to see me again? Hell, no.”

“Then give her some space. Try not to be the pushy guy I know and love. She’s going through some serious personal crap from what you told me. She’s trying to handle being a single parent by herself. I was lucky in that I had a huge family to help and money. She has neither.”

“Yeah, I know. Get this. On top of the fact she’s working two jobs, living in a shitty place and her daughter isn’t healthy, her brother-in-law used the insurance money owed to her after her husband’s death.”

“What a shithead.”

“Oh, it gets worse. There was a lawsuit filed by her husband’s family, wrongful death based on faulty equipment. The company settled for two million.” I’d had the corporate attorney track down the lawsuit in question. He’d gotten back to me that morning.

He narrowed his eyes. “Whoa. Halle doesn’t know about this?”

“No.”

“You’re certain?”

When I bristled, he threw his hands up. “Did you have Alessandro check her bank accounts just to be sure?”

“She doesn’t have shit in them.”

“What about an offshore?”

“What the fuck? That’s not who she is,” I snarked, certain she had no clue.

That piece of information had permanently driven my mood into the gutter.

I saw spots of blood in my vision, my rage was so significant. If I could put my hands around Liam’s neck, it would only take a matter of seconds before he’d leave this earth going straight to hell.