Boss Daddy: A Secret Baby Romance by Black, L. (big screen ebook reader txt) 📗

I took a deep sip of the cold ice water and closed my eyes as I leaned my head on the bricks behind me. I didn’t want to sit. Sitting meant complacency and rest, and I wasn’t in the mood for rest. Just a break from the noise and the heat. And Hannah. I needed a break from Hannah before I said or did something really dumb.

My mind kept wandering back to the conversation we had on the beach the day before. She blew me away with how well-rounded she was as a person. At only twenty-eight, she seemed far more my speed than some of the other almost-thirty-year-olds who came into the bar on the regular. She was smart as a whip and creative and talented. She was insanely easy to talk to.

She was also stunning to look at. I couldn’t get that part out of my head. People as gorgeous as her shouldn’t be so damn interesting and funny and talented, too. It wasn’t fair for the rest of humanity. No one should ever have to compare themselves to a knockout with a perfect figure, who was smarter than they were and more talented, too.

I took another sip of my water and sighed, staring into the middle distance. I had to get a grip on myself. She was an employee and a budding friend. Nothing more. I was nearly a decade older than she was and again, one of her bosses. It wasn’t something that was feasible. She was new, and she was fun, and she was cool. Leaving it at that was where I needed to settle. A little more time and she’d just be another person I enjoyed hanging out with, like Luke or Ava.

Who was coming through the door. With Mason.

Fuck.

“Hey, guys,” I said, “need me back in there?”

“No, no,” Mason said, putting his palm up at me. “You’re good. We thought we’d take a break for a second, too. Tyler and Hannah can handle the tiny crowd we have in there for a minute.”

“Oh, well, I probably should get in there,” I said, moving away from the wall.

“Can’t stay away from Hannah for too long, eh?” Ava asked, taking a sip from her own water and feigning innocence.

“What? No,” I said.

“Right,” Mason said, looking at Ava and making some silent married-people connection that I didn’t understand.

“What?” I asked.

“We just noticed how you really seemed to like her,” Ava said innocently.

“She’s nice to talk to,” I said, sighing a little. “I enjoy our conversations. That’s it. Besides, I know what you two are getting at, but I also know about the policy here about dating employees.”

Mason and Ava laughed and looked at each other again.

“Uhh,” Mason began.

“Hush, you know that’s different,” I said. “You two are married.”

“We weren’t always married, remember?” Mason said.

“We started dating again when I came to work here,” Ava said. “That policy doesn’t matter if you actually are planning on trying to have a relationship.”

“I barely know this girl,” I said. “I think you two are getting ahead of yourselves. We clicked as friends. I like talking to her. Let’s slow the train down.”

“You can keep telling yourself that,” Ava said, “but one day you’ll figure out the truth.”

“I just hope it’s not too late,” Mason said, putting his arm around Ava.

I rolled my eyes and went back into the bar, determined to give Hannah a little space and maybe calm things down for myself a little.

The next day, I got a text from Luke, responding to one I had sent him the night before. I wanted to meet him somewhere other than the gym or our places, so he suggested the same restaurant Matt had me meet him before. Glad I got to eat another plate of sweet potato fries, I headed that way.

“Hey, man, thanks for meeting me,” I said as I approached the table. “Before anything else, I just wanted to apologize for how I acted at the gym. I shouldn’t have gotten so upset with you, and I am sorry.” I held out my hand, and Luke shook it instantly.

“No, stop,” he said. “I am sorry for acting the way I was. I was a dick. You obviously really like this new girl, and I was being a frat boy about it. I’m sorry, dude.”

I shook my head. “No worries,” I said, sitting. “Let’s just let it go, yeah?”

“Fine by me,” Luke said, sitting down across from me. “So, tell me about this girl. I promise I won’t be crude.”

“She’s just a friend,” I said. “But she’s really cool and easy to talk to, you know? Like, you know how you can have instant chemistry with someone? Where it’s like you’ve known each other for a long time, but you have all these things to find out about them still? That’s what it’s like. She’s comfortable to be around and to talk to, but she’s also interesting and full of stories and life experiences.”

“She sounds great,” Luke said. “But if I may say so, as your best friend, I can tell you right now that you want more than just being friends. That’s why I was making jokes. I didn’t mean any disrespect—I was just ribbing you.”

I didn’t really have a response to that, instead just shaking my head and being thankful for the break in conversation when the waiter came by. I gave my order, and Luke gave his, but before he could walk away, Matt popped his head up behind me.

“Can I join you guys?” he asked.

“Christ, can you not surprise me like that?” I asked.

“My bad.” He came around to sit beside Luke. “Hey, Luke, good to see you.”

“You too, Matt. You come here often?” Luke asked.

“Came here just a few days back with Jordan,” he said. “I had a hankering for their fries.”

“So did I,” I said. “I ordered a plate for the table.”

“Awesome,” Matt said, then made a separate sandwich order to the