Page 45 of Silver Fox's Christmas Scandal

I had to press my hand to my chest, flattening my tie down across my stomach to mask how shocked I felt.

I was in love with Tessa Wynn.

Completely, irrevocably in love with her. And watching someone disrespect her—even my own son—made me want to tear the room apart.

"No," I said, my voice quieter but no less firm. "It's not all right. Blake, you need to apologize to Tessa. Now."

My son looked between us as confusion and bitterness oscillated in his expression. "I apologize if I gave the wrong impression, Tessa. That wasn't my intention."

It was a politician's apology, meaningless and self-serving. But Tessa nodded graciously.

"Thank you, Blake. No hard feelings."

Her grace in the face of his rudeness only made me love her more. And made me angrier at him.

"I think we should reschedule this conversation," I told Blake. "After you've had time to think about whether you're ready to conduct yourself professionally."

Blake stood, his jaw tight with humiliation and resentment. "Fine. But Dad, I hope you'll think about what I said. About maintaining appropriate boundaries."

After he left, slamming the door behind him, the office felt eerily quiet. Tessa remained seated, her hands folded in her lap.

"I'm sorry," I said. "That was inexcusable."

"He's young. He doesn't understand how things work yet."

"That's not an excuse for disrespect." I wanted to reach for her, but we were in the office and I knew the hellfire that would rain down.

"I've dealt with worse." She stood gracefully, smoothing her dress. "Much worse."

"You shouldn't have to deal with it at all. Especially not from my son."

She looked at me then, something soft and questioning in her eyes. "Why did you defend me so forcefully? He's your son."

Because I love you, I wanted to say.Because the thought of your having someone else's baby makes me insane with jealousy. Because I want you to have my baby, carry my child, build a life with me.

But the words stuck in my throat. What right did I have to those feelings, to those wants? She was twenty-six with her whole life ahead of her. I was a forty-eight-year-old man who'd already failed at fatherhood once.

"Because you deserve respect," I said instead.

She nodded slowly, but I could see she sensed there was more to it. "I should get back to work."

"Of course."

She stood slowly and walked out of the room, and I slumped into my chair and ran my hands through my hair.

My emotional awakening at that very moment was anything but liberating. I felt suffocated and trapped and yet on cloud nine all at once.

I loved her. And she was planning to have another man's baby.

The thought of some anonymous donor's child growing inside her made me physically ill. It should be my child. My baby she was carrying. My future she was planning.

But what could I offer her? A relationship with a man old enough to be her father? A stepmother role to adults almost her age who could barely tolerate me? A life constrained by scandal and gossip?

My phone buzzed with a message from Daniel Mercer, my CFO.

Daniel: 3:47 PM: Need to talk. Board members asking questions about Tessa's role. Patterson specifically mentioned her presence in executive meetings? This is moving beyond gossip…

My blood went cold. Of course the board had noticed. Nothing happened at Cross Capital without eventually reaching the top tier of management.