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“It’s my ex-boss’s baby. I never stopped sleeping with him.”
Parker’s eyes widen at the same time her lips part in shock. “You cheated on Hendrick?” she asks.
I don’t know why it would surprise her so much. I was the mistress more than once. But I never did cheat on them. I was loyal to cheaters. How ridiculous am I? Parker knows this, which is why she’s completely surprised, but she shouldn’t be. I toed the line with the fact that I knew the men I dated were in relationships and I still slept with them.
“Is this that shocking?” I ask, sounding more annoyed than anything else.
She moves toward me, closing the distance between us, and reaches for my hands. She holds them, her grip firm as she stares into my eyes. She’s looking for something, for the lie. And if anyone can find it, it will be her.
Shifting my gaze to the side, I let out a heavy sigh before I take a step backward. I need to get away from her analyzing gaze. Her hands fall from mine. She takes another step forward, her eyes never leaving my own.
“Allison,” she whispers. “Tell me what’s going on.”
I plaster on the fakest smile of any smile I’ve ever worn in my entire life. “I told you,” I say. “Well, I didn’t tell you the best part.”
Parker tilts her head to the side, obviously wary of my words, because I’m a lying bitch, so she should be wary. “What’s that?” she asks.
“My ex-boss doesn’t really want much to do with the day-to-day part of this baby or my life. He’s given me a store. He’s paying for the lease, and it’s for twenty years. I get my own shop.”
Parker frowns, pressing her lips together and rolling them a few times before she releases them. Then she turns her back to me, facing the racks of clothing that I have set up in my living and dining rooms.
“You gave up love for this,” she whispers before she turns around. “Because I know that this baby isn’t your ex-boss’s. You haven’t mentioned or even thought about him since you locked eyes on Hendrick.”
She knows me better than anyone else in the whole fucking world. I should have known that I wouldn’t be able to snow her. And I didn’t. I can’t. Sucking in a breath, I hold it for a moment, then let it out in a single whoosh.
“It doesn’t matter,” I whisper. “This baby isn’t Hendrick’s.”
Parker lets out a laugh, placing her hand on her belly for a moment, then she stops, and her gaze locks in on mine again. I cannot get away from her eyes. She is judging me, reading me. She knows me, and I want to scream and run.
“Then you’ll be living a lie.”
Chapter
Fifteen
HENDRICK
Standing at the back of Cousin Samson’s house, I know he’s got top-notch security, mostly because I’m the one who set it all up. I’m the one who sets all the security up for the family. Which means I am the one who can disable it all, too.
And I do.
Once I double-check that all the security alarms and cameras are off, I slip through the back door. Everyone in the house is gone, the men working, and his wife and daughters on a trip to their condo at Broken Bow for the week.
Moving through the house, I quickly set up cameras and microphones in every nook and cranny I can find. They won’t be looking for them. Plus, they’re all so small that they’ll never see them. When I’m finished, I take a good look at his place and wonder if I’ll get something as nice when I say my vows.
Turning around, I leave, walk out of the door, and head straight for my car, which is parked down the street and around the corner. Once I reach it, I peel the fake magnetic plate off and climb inside, starting it before driving away, but I don’t go home.
Instead, I go to the one place that I have no fucking business being. I head straight for her—for Allison. It only takes me a few minutes to reach the building. Parking in the visitor parking spot, I throw my car door open and unfold from the front seat.
I climb up the stairs of her building, move down the hall, and stop in front of her door. It’s quiet inside. I should probably be worried that someone is going to be sleeping beside her, but I’m not, because I’m pretty positive it was all a lie.
Using my key, I open the door before I slip inside, then lock it behind me. Quietly, I move through the small apartment, careful not to run into her racks of bras and shit. When I make it to her door, I stand right outside and look at her.
I watch her.
She’s asleep and beautiful.
Stunning even.
