Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
“I’m not sure what you think you’re doing here, Noah, but I suggest you do it elsewhere.”
“You act like I’m here to ruin your career. It’s not about you at all.” Whether she’s Liv, a one-night stand, or Olivia, the boss’s daughter, doesn’t affect the course of my life, so I add, “So do whatever helps you get over this because I’m not going anywhere.”
Tugging the door open, she narrows her eyes over pursed lips. Still so fucking beautiful it’s become frustratingly annoying. Her gaze swings away from me, and I catch the minutest of nods before she takes a step forward, pauses, and then leaves.
At least she has the courtesy to shut the door behind her.
Fuck.
2
Olivia Bancroft
Noah Westcott changed the course of my life forever.
I rush to my office, carefully closing the door behind me as if I could act normal under these circumstances. Scrambling to grab my phone from my purse in the drawer, I push the number in my contacts.
“Mom?” I say before she has a chance to greet me.
“What’s wrong?” Panic shreds her tone.
“I didn’t mean to alarm you.” I try to calm the shake to my voice before I worry her more than needed. What kind of concern is required in this situation because this feels like a four-alarm fire. Steady, Liv. “He’s here.”
“Who’s here?”
“Him.”
Silence begins to stretch before she asks, “What do you mean him? Maxwell is napping right now.” My heart clenches. Maxwell. My sweet boy.
Shaking my head, I can feel my hands doing the same. “No, not Maxwell. Noah.”
“Honey, who’s Noah?”
I hold the phone tight in my hand and walk to the window to pace in some feeble attempt to calm myself. “No-ah, Mom.”
“You can say it as slow as you want, but I still don’t know who you’re talking—” She doesn’t have to finish that sentence for me to know that she’s realized exactly who I’m talking about. I hear her breath on a slow exhale before she asks, “How? Why? Did you know?”
I’m still shaking my head in disbelief. I finally take a deep breath and stop, staring at the Financial District’s skyline. Lowering my voice, I reply, “He’s the new accounts rep. Dad hired him, recruited actually.” I can’t stop annoyance from coating my tongue. It’s not fair that I feel betrayed. I know my father had no idea who he was hiring, but that one decision has major consequences for my life.
“I don’t know what to say, Olivia.”
“Me either.” When my knees buckle, I sink into my desk chair and drop my head into my hand. With the phone still pressed to my ear, I whisper, “I can’t lose him.”
“You won’t. I promise.”
“He’s . . .” Tears fill my eyes, but I tilt my head back, hoping they won’t fall. “He’s my whole world, Mom.”
“I know. I know, honey. Don’t do anything rash. We’ll figure this out when you get home.”
“And by rash, you mean try to convince him to quit on his first day of work? If that’s rash, it’s too late.”
“You’ve spoken?”
“I panicked. It’s all I could think to do.”
“Okay.” She sighs and pauses. I don’t have to see her to know she’s pacing like I was seconds ago. Much like me, I’m sure my mom has all the scenarios playing out in her head. I wonder if any of hers come with a happier ending than I’m envisioning. “Until we can make a plan, you need to avoid him. Do you understand?”
“Should I call my lawyer?”
“No. Let’s not escalate the situation before we know what we’re dealing with.”
“And who we’re dealing with.” I nod again, knowing I have at least one ally, my mom, in my corner. Relief doesn’t wash over me, but it does trickle through me. “You’re right. We’ll get a plan together before I need to tell him that he has a son.”
“Olivia?”
“Yes?”
“It’s going to be okay.”
I know she can’t see me nodding, but those damn tears roll down my cheeks from the reassurance my mom has always given me. I’m lucky to have her.
She says, “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Love you.”
“I love you, too, honey.”
A rap on my door startles me before I have a chance to hang up. “One moment,” I call out just as I hit the end button.
I’m wiping my tears away when the door opens. “Hey, Liv—”
Dammit. I spin around, hiding my face from Noah. I refuse to give him the pleasure of seeing me upset. “Don’t walk into my office without permission.”
“I thought you said to come in.”
“I didn’t. I said one moment.”
“Are you okay?” I hate how nice he sounds, like he actually cares about me.
After a quick double swipe across my cheeks, I spin back, holding my chin up. “I’m fine. What do you need?”
“Need?” The word sparks something in his eyes—an idea, a rogue thought, or maybe it’s revenge he seeks. He looks like the type with his great-fitting suit and smirk that sends butterflies scattering in my stomach. The only thing I can’t force myself to be mad about is the color of his eyes. They’re so close to the ones I love that I’ll never tire of staring into the wealth of colors that make up my son’s.