Page 54 of Hard and Unprotected
“What are you doing here?” was my breathless gasp.
The billionaire stared at me with his eyes narrowed and his mouth open. That handsome face was thinner than before, with a heavy five o’ clock shadow on those razor-sharp cheeks. Even in the dark, I could see his eyes flickering from Ryan to me, and then back again. It was a long time before he spoke.
“Is that my child?” were his harsh words.
I never thought this day would come. I’d taken every precaution to leave no trace of my past. But I wasn’t prepared to lie either. So instead, the words came slowly.
“Yes. This is your son. Evan meet Ryan. Ryan, this is your daddy.”
My words seemed to free the billionaire from whatever spell he was under. Cursing, he stormed into the store and slammed the door behind us.
“What the fuck, Maggie?”
His voice was loud and intimidating as always. It rumbled deep like an earthquake through every inch of my soul, making me shiver. But I wasn’t scared. Even after all this time, I knew Evan. He’d never hurt me or his child.
The alpha’s blue eyes flashed in the darkness.
“You had my baby and never told me?” he growled menacingly.
Mentally, I gathered my thoughts.
“It’s fine, Evan,” were my soothing words. “I know you didn’t want this child. I know that what we had was fake, so I kept things to myself, for obvious reasons. Ryan doesn’t need any illusions in his life. I want my son to start with a clean slate, happy and positive. So please, respect me and my choices and respect the life we’ve made for ourselves,” were my firm words.
Evan stared at me, a muscle in his cheek pulsing.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he bit out, angry and harsh.
I stared right back at him before beginning.
“I was your fake fiancée,” came my slow words. “Remember? We had a transaction. Twenty thousand dollars in return for a song and dance so you could get control of your family’s company. But our deal was done in a month. That’s what I mean. Don’t you remember?”
Evan stared at me again.
“I remember. Trust me, I remember only too well,” he rasped.
Emboldened, I continued.
“Plus, you gave me a fake diamond at the end. I get it. I’m not worth the real thing. No harm done, no hard feelings,” I managed stiffly, rebalancing Ryan on my hip. “But it was time for me to move on, and if you’re not happy with the results, I can give you your check back. I never spent the twenty thousand dollars, Mr. Lincoln.”
But unfortunately, my brave words were undermined by the tears that began to fall. Because my Wonder Woman act wasn’t going so well. I wanted to be strong and positive, but the real Maggie just kept popping up, and to make it worse, my baby could sense my deteriorating heart.
“Mama,” Ryan patted my cheek again, his own face scrunched up like he was ready to cry too. I couldn’t upset my child so I tried to keep it under control, but that only made things worse. Swallowing back the last of my sobs, I hugged my little boy tight.
“You don’t have to do anything for us, Evan,” I managed in a choked voice. “Please go. Just go now.”
But the billionaire wasn’t going to listen. He reached out for me, one big hand warm and flat.
“Maggie,” he said roughly. “Please don’t cry. You have no idea what it does to me. There’s no need for this.”
His big hands seized my upper arms, hard and firm. But this wasn’t right. I’d already suffered for two years, delivering a child on my own. It was too much, and I shied away.
But he wasn’t deterred, blue eyes warm.
“You’re beautiful, Maggie. My perfect girl. I want you. I’ve always wanted only you,” came that hard growl.
That did it.
“Don’t lie to me!” was my anguished cry. My sobs broke loose and baby Ryan started bawling too, our wails twining around one another. “You-you don’t have to pretend anymore,” I stammered as tears poured down my face. “There’s no one here to see, there’s no reason to do this make-believe.”