Page 8

GIA

My mind short-circuits as I stare up at him, and a loud chuckle erupts from his throat.

“Terra, could you give us a minute?” I ask my friend when she glances back at the man beaming down at me.

“Sure.” Terra turns and walks away, and I don’t miss the questioning look she gives me over her shoulder.

“What are you doing here?” I whisper-shout.

Amusement plays out on his handsome face, and the flirtatious grin and delight in his eyes make me fidget. He won’t be thrilled by what I have to say to him.

“I’m a lawyer.”

I nod, knowing this already. Fuck, he’s hotter than I remember. His shirt stretches over his chest, and my fingers itch to explore the ridges hidden beneath the fabric.

Then he takes in the warehouse we use for donations before his eyes land back on me. “I want to buy this shithole and turn it into something profitable.”

All the tiny pieces of hope I had in my heart are obliterated with his words, and my shoulders slump. Yep, he’s an asshole. He’s everything I didn’t want him to be, but I need to push aside his master plans and focus on what’s important.

I take a deep breath, then broaden my shoulders. “We need to talk.”

“Or we could pick up where we left off?” His eyebrows dance, and my core fills with heat. Oh, dear god, stay on target, .

Rubbing my temple, I shake my head and rise to my feet, allowing him to see what our last encounter left me with.

My bump.

His bump.

“We need to talk about this.” I rest my hand on the obvious swell, then his eyes dart down to where I cradle my baby, and he rears back as if burned. His face pales and his breathing escalates.

Great, just great. He’s freaking out.

A flurry of activity from behind him sees him being pushed forward, but it’s almost like he isn’t aware of his surroundings. Even when my son barrels toward the table with a bunch of his friends, he somehow remains frozen in place during the chaos, staring at me as if seeing through me.

“Mom, can we go on the Helter Skelter?” Bryce pleads.

“Please, can we?” Leroy adds with his hands in a praying gesture.

“Mom?”

“Can we? Can we?” Julian bounces up and down, knocking the box to the floor in his excitement. Any other time, I would ask them to calm down, but I can’t think straight.

The walls feel like they’re narrowing in on me, but the boys remain oblivious to the man staring daggers in my direction, and all I want to do is get them out of here so I can have a sensible conversation with him.

I bend down to grab my purse, then remember I gave all my change to the soft toy stall this morning. “Shit,” I mumble, and chew on my lip. “Go find Terra and tell her I asked if I could borrow ten bucks.”

The boys take off like their asses are on fire.

“Tell her that I’ll pay her back later,” I shout in their direction, and the door slams behind them, with no acknowledgment of my words.

Red-hot anger radiates from the man opposite me, and I swallow back the nervousness creeping up my spine. I’ve faced off in a courtroom with men like him and have never felt as intimidated as I do now, and I hate it. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not weak.

I blow out a deep breath, lift my chin, and say, “I’m pregnant and the baby’s yours.”