AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Twenty-One
Time should have quelled the pain.
It should have, but it hadn’t.
Royce had turned over the last personal conversation he’d had with Taylor every day since it’d happened, and had arrived at the same exact conclusion every time.
He’d blown it.
She was pregnant and he hadn’t reacted well to that news, either. To learning he was going to be a father and could “choose his level of involvement.” Like this was a video game and he had the option to choose his starting level. In his defense, he hadn’t had time to react considering he’d had an audience—his tart assistant. Had he been eased into the news rather than overhearing it, maybe his reaction would have been more favorable. Then again, who the hell knew? He had zero experience hearing he was going to be a father before last week.
God. A baby. The fact that he would soon be a parent to a living, breathing human being still hadn’t sank in. Probably because he was excellent at compartmentalizing.
The baby wouldn’t be born for months. No reason to rush to a decision. Plus, he’d told Melinda not to disturb him because he’d had a packed week ahead of him. It hadn’t been hard to fill his time with myriad tasks considering he was still wearing the CFO and CEO hats.
Though now that he’d completed his round of interviews with three very qualified candidates for the position of Chief Financial Officer, and the follow-up interviews were scheduled with Brannon and Taylor, Royce was left with a lot of time on his hands. With nothing but quiet in his head so that he could figure out how he felt.
How did he feel?
Elated.
Devastated.
Buoyant.
Enraged.
Ridiculously happy.
But that happiness was a balloon that couldn’t fully inflate, as if there was a microscopic pinprick letting out a stream of air. Arguably he was the “prick” in this case. Which pissed him off more.
He’d funneled that anger, that rage, and aimed it directly at the version of Taylor in his mind. How dare she make plans and exclude him? She’d told him he could be involved as if it was optional. Like he would be too busy to spend time with his son or daughter?
Son.
Daughter.
He’d have one or the other come winter. It was terrifying. Exciting.
Inevitable.
Bran let himself in without so much as a knock, interrupting a rare bout of silent time and earning a solid scowl from Royce.
“I waited until Melinda went to lunch to sneak in.” Bran shuddered theatrically. “She’s scary.”
“She’s thorough. What do you want?” Royce asked, tired. “If this is about the follow-up interviews, I’ll indulge you.”
“It’s about Taylor.”
“In that case, you can go.” Royce was only half kidding.
“Much as I’d like to leave you alone with your righteous anger,” Bran said as he lounged in a chair in front of Royce’s desk. “I’m going to have to call you on your bullshit.”
“Did you misunderstand me? I don’t want to talk about Taylor with you.”
The pregnancy was common knowledge. Not only did Melinda and anyone within earshot overhear Taylor, but Royce had immediately told his siblings. Gia was hurt that Taylor hadn’t come to her, but Royce wasn’t taking his chances where his brother and sister were concerned. The last time he’d kept a secret from them, it’d blown up in his face.
“Taylor informed me that I can choose my level of involvement. As if my not being involved was an option,” Royce grumbled anyway, ignoring his own earlier statement that he didn’t want to talk about it. The truth was he did need someone to talk to. “How could she say that to me? Did what happened between us mean so little to her?”
