Page 2 of Protective Boss
His lips tug upward in a sad smile, his kind brown eyes taking a faraway expression as he leans in his chair. "My wife… she passed away eight months after she had our son. We found out she had cancer during her pregnancy, but she was determined to have the child against all odds, and she did. Oh, she fought hard, even after the rigors of childbirth but… I lost her in the end. Our son is the most precious gift she left behind; he is my saving grace.
"So, I understand your position more than anyone else. I know what it means to want to hold on to a piece of someone you loved and lost. But I feel compelled to present you with a choice, Bianca. You have your whole life ahead of you and adopting a baby at this stage can change things in unexpected ways. So, I'd like you to give this a good thought before making any decision."
“I'm sorry about your wife, Mr. Thompson, but I've made up my mind,” I say, holding his gaze squarely. “I'm not giving Oliver up.”
Clark Thompson must have seen the stubborn determination in my eyes because he nodded, his lips slightly tilting upward in a gentle smile.
“I respect your decision, Bianca,” he says, sitting forward again. Then he grabs a file from the pile on his desk, pushing his spectacle up the bridge of his nose as he flips the file open. “So, regarding the finalization of the adoption process, we'd have to contact Mr. Daniel Graham who is the child's biological father.”
“W-what?” I stutter, biting down on my lip as apprehension crawls up my chest. “Do we have to involve him?”
“I'm afraid we do, yes.”
“Daniel doesn't want to have anything to do with Oliver. He made that clear when he left.”
“I'm sorry but it's the law of the state,” Clark Thompson says, sounding genuinely apologetic. “A child's biological father, if alive at the time of adoption, has to either consent to the adoption or agree to his parental rights being terminated.”
My heart sinks at his words. The thought of having to deal with Daniel Graham leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. He's a scumbag through and through and I don't know why Rose chose to love him.
“Is there something I should know about Daniel Graham?” Clark Thompson asks, searching my face with a concerned frown.
There's something about Clark, a genuineness that makes it easy to open up to him. I usually don't like to talk about Rose and Oliver with anyone, but it seems like Clark Thompson is the only one that can help me–the only one that's willing to help me.
"Daniel, h-he's not a good man," I start, clearing my throat lightly. "He and Rose were together for three years. She loved him but he didn't feel the same way about her. He stayed with her because of the things she did for him. He was a deadbeat. She housed, fed, and did everything for him. In return, he verbally and emotionally abused her. He chipped away at her self-esteem until there was nothing left. Then, when he found out she was pregnant, he left because she wouldn't have an abortion. He never looked back, not even after…" I let my voice trail off, swallowing the pain and anger that rose in my gut. "Anyway, he doesn't have a right to decide whatever happens to Oliver."
Clark nods and writes something down in the file in front of him. “Do you know where Mr. Graham is at the moment?”
“N-no. No, I don't.”
“Alright, I'll do some checks and try to locate him but be rest assured I'll do my best to keep him away from Oliver and you. You don't have to talk to him unless he contests something and we have to go to court for hearings but if he's anything like you described, I'm sure you wouldn't even have to deal with that.” Clark pauses to give me a quick reassuring smile. “I promise to do my best to see this through, alright?”
I nod, and for the first time in weeks, I feel hopeful. “Thank you,” I say, returning his smile with a reluctant tug of my mouth. “Thank you so much.”
“It's my pleasure, Miss Harris,” he replies, his smile widening.
Forty minutes later, I find myself seated in a corner of the small cozy cafe where my best friend Ronnie works. Oliver is sleeping now. My heart feels full just staring at him. He looks so peaceful. So beautiful… Little as he is, he reminds me so much of Rose.
"Here you go, honey," Ronnie says, placing a tall glass of iced tea in front of me.
She lowers herself to the chair, opposite mine, swinging her long dark curls over her shoulders in that subtly elegant way of hers that I secretly admire.
Ronnie Fox is stunning, and she knows just how to use that beauty to her advantage. She carries herself with undeniable grace and confidence. Despite her beauty, she's unpretentious and kind and that's what drew me to her the first time we met.
"Thank you," I say, holding the glass to my parched lips. I take a long gulp and let out a soft sigh. "I didn't know how much I needed that," I say with an embarrassed smile when I notice the light amusement in Ronnie's pretty green eyes.
She smiles and shakes her head. “You seem like you had a long day.”
“You don't even know the half of it,” I reply with a soft sigh. “The lawyer says that Daniel has to be involved in the adoption process. The whole thing can't be finalized without his consent, can you believe that?”
Ronnie remains quiet for a while, her expression indecipherable. “Do you really have to go this far, Bianca?” She asks after a while, her eyes hooded with genuine concern. “I know firsthand how difficult the past month has been for you, how do you intend to do this for the next eighteen years of your life? What about your future? What about school? What about falling in love and all those crazy things you're supposed to do in your twenties? Are you giving it all up, Bee?”
My chest tightens painfully at her words. Ronnie is asking the same questions that have been churning in my head in the past month, questions that I've refused to acknowledge because I'm scared... I'm so scared of the choice I made. But I'm determined to stand by it irrespective of the uncertainties and hardship that comes with it.
“I promised Rose on her deathbed that I'd take care of Oliver,” I say to Ronnie. “And that's exactly what I'm going to do.”
Even if it means putting my own life on hold.
Chapter One