Page 41 of Bobby

“For one, I have a hunch that if something was going on with the girls, you might know before me.”

“And two?” I can hear his smirk even if I don’t look to confirm it. We both know he has more of a pulse than he lets on when it comes to things related to me. I’m comfortable ignoring it for now.

“I know who it is.”

“Do tell.”

This time I do look at him. The smile on his face has me thinking this is some juicy piece of gossip and not the sad truth.

“My ex.”

“What does he want?” All humor leaves him as his voice drops, and I feel a bit of frost in the air.

“It’s nothing.” I shake my head again before taking another drink.

“Can’t fix what I don’t know.”

This time I chuckle more than snort. “There’s nothing to fix, so no need to know.” I give him a smile that I hope he sees as me dropping the subject. Just like he’s done several times before when I’ve reached my limit of knowing things about him.

“Willow Amia Frazzer.”

I startle at him using my full name. Half in wonder that he knows my middle name and half in awe that the tone he takes sets parts of me on fire. Any irritation I had for my ex and why he’s calling is momentarily forgotten.

“If you don’t stop evading me, I might have to threaten you once more—like when you refused to call me by my first name. Now tell me, what does he want? I am not going to let this go, so you might as well tell me or just expect me to get Marco to find out. Which will be worse for you in the end, and I’ll have to actually carry out my threat.”

He means it. I can tell. And while I might enjoy the spanking, even though I’ve never experienced that before, I don’t think I want my ex to be the reason he does it.

So him doing it is okay, just not if your ex-husband is the catalyst?

Yes.

“Fine. He heard about the fire. Happy now?” I glare across the room at no one in particular. All the warm fuzzies are gone now that the truth is out.

“And…?” he draws out. Of course the man would pick up that it’s more than just Trevor calling in concern.

“And he wants to use it to prove I’m unfit.”

“Unfit for what? Taking care of the girls?” When I nod, he says, “That’s crazy.”

“Right?” I turn to fully face him, so happy to talk to someone about this and have them on my side. “It makes no sense. When we divorced, he was fine with custody being mostly mine, with him only getting the girls every other holiday. He even canceled the last two holidays. I thought he was playing the typical ‘bad dad’ part and ignoring them so he doesn’t have to pay child support. Which I’m okay with now that I can afford things on my own—thanks again, by the way. But now he’s getting all nosy about them. I don’t know. Maybe something is going on that I don’t know about. He would only be after the girls if it benefited his career. He only saw them as a tool to achieve the ‘family values’ look his last company saw as a sign of good leadership. It got him a promotion, and through that, he made contacts that got him the job in New York.”

Letting all this out is kind of cathartic. I’ve never talked about Trevor with anyone. I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it, for one, but I also didn’t want to be judged. But Bobby doesn’t judge. He takes the data, looks at it from all angles, then finds what he wants and goes after it.

Not sure what he’ll get from this, though. Me dumping all my drama on his lap does nothing to help him in the long run, but it makes me feel better.

“Bobby, baby.”

I roll my eyes at that voice and turn back to the table to give him some space to address whatever this woman wants. I guess she does something for the event for his mom, so he needs to talk with her. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

But the second I turn away, his hand molds around my cheek, gently but firmly pulling me back to face him. I barely get a second to look at him in question before he leans in close and seals his lips against mine.

My eyes close on instinct as my lips part and let Bobby Leone, my boss and someone who has become sort of a savior to me and my girls, destroy my mouth with his wicked tongue, and I just sit here and take it.

Chapter 16—Bobby

“What was that for?” Willow asks in that breathy way that only a person who was thoroughly kissed can after the mere parting of lips.

I watch her eyes flutter open before I push a piece of hair behind her ear. She wore it half down today, and I enjoy the feel of her soft strands in my hand.