Page 54 of Wasted On You
It was more than nice.
And that was a problem. Because, dammit, how could Ivy even consider the possibility of having a child when the only man she wanted one with was the one man she’d sworn off? And why had she sworn off Mike Paul?
Because hewouldbreak her heart.
Again.
But would he?
The thought snuck in as she inhaled the yummy scent that only babies had, and cradled the little girl close to her chest. Her insides had melted along with any resolve she’d mustered. Ivy watched Mike Paul walk away with the teenage boy and realized things had just changed. He wasn’t the man he’d been before. Or maybe he was, but she was seeing him clearly for the first time.
She couldn’t ignore how she felt just as much as she couldn’t ignore her engagement, even if it was fake. She was in a pickle and the real question became…
What was she going to do about it?
Chapter15
“What’s up, Jacob?”Mike Paul asked quietly. The kid was moody, and truthfully, he’d been surprised the kid had lasted this long.
Jacob shrugged and sank his hands into his front pockets but said nothing. Instead, he fixed his gaze on some interesting spot across the way, though when it was obvious Mike Paul needed an answer, he gave a heavy, exaggerated sigh. “This is lame.”
“Sorry, you feel that way.”
Again, Jacob shrugged. “Maybe I should just go home.”
“When you say home, you mean what?”
“Dad’s.”
Now, Mike Paul knew he couldn’t make Jacob stay, but he had to at least try. “We had a deal.”
“No, we didn’t.” Jacob straightened a bit, though he kept his eyes on the floor.
“You agreed to stay the night, and I agreed to go and see your father tomorrow after he’s had some time to cool off.”
Jacob slowly shook his head. “Talking won’t change anything.”
“Maybe not, but I still think a cooling-off period is a good idea.”
The teen stayed silent.
“Look, did you grab some of that food?” The kid gave a slight lift of his chin, which Mike Paul took as an affirmative. “I get that you’re not in the right headspace to socialize. Especially with a bunch of folks you don’t know all that well. But you can’t go home. Not yet. Let’s deal with that situation tomorrow. I can get a ride back to my place if you want to take my truck and go back now. You know where the key to the door is.”
Jacob finally looked up, his interest piqued.
“Maybe look in on the animals and let out Weiner and Bun. Can you do that for me?”
Slowly Jacob nodded. “Sure.”
Relieved, Mike Paul dug in his pocket for his truck key and handed it over. “Do not drive over the speed limit, and text me when you’re there. If I don’t hear from you within thirty minutes, I’ll be hot on your ass. Trust me on that.”
“Christ, I’ll be careful.”
“No cursing.”
“Whatever,” Jake muttered.
“Don’t forget about Weiner and Bun.”