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I take his hand in mine. “Thank you.”
“How is she?”
I give him a wide grin. “Really good. She sleeps most of the day away.”
Ray chuckles. “I’m excited to meet her.” He looks at the ground and asks, “How is Savannah?”
“Exhausted but amazing. She’s a natural at the mother thing.”
Ugly green jealousy consumes him. The corner of his lips turns upside down. “Mother? That’s a heavy title for the woman who was your surrogate. Is your contract with her not complete?”
“A baby needs a mother figure, and Emery isn’t here. Savannah wanted to stay and help.”
Ray falls silent, and his stony eyes stare past me. I can see him putting parts of a puzzle together without having all the pieces. He taps his fingers on the desk. “Is she replacing Emery’s role in your life as well?” The accusation is loud and clear.Am I fucking her?
“No. We aren’t sleeping together.”
“Were you sleeping with her?”
I lean forward to assert my dominance. “No,” I snarl. “I was married, and then I was grieving for my wife. I did not betray my promise to my wife like you broke your word. Or have you forgotten that you were sleeping with her after I specifically told you not to?”
Ray raises his brow at me. “Is that why you told her I ordered the hit on her father? You wanted me out of the picture.”
Backing down, I lean into my seat. “I don’t concern myself about her personal life.”
His brown eyes come to life as he lets me see his anger. “So why tell me she was off limits?”
“Health reasons. Not that it matters,” I shrug. “You went behind my back and then lied to my face for months.”
He straightens his jacket. “And you knew about it and lied tomyface the whole time. Why pretend that you were unaware of what we were doing?”
This is the point in chess where the next move is critical. It would be easy to lose the whole game. I swallow the lump of disgust as I bite out a half-truth.
“Because I saw how happy you were. You couldn’t hide it even though you tried. You’ve smiled more in the last year than in the fourteen years I’ve known you. I didn’t want to take that away.”
The truth is too hard for him to handle. Ray stands up and prepares to forfeit the game. “But youdidtake it, Zav. You could have spun any story that didn’t include me.”
I look up at him as he aimlessly seethes. I won’t give in to him and argue. “I’m not a liar. I wasn’t about to lie to her face.”
“Why does it matter to you? You snatched her away from me.” No matter how hard he tries to mask it, he fails to hide his heartbreak. His shoulders slump as he looks away. “She was it for me.”
It’s hard to feel sympathy for him when I know he’s not the one for her. He was a temporary stop, butI’mthe final destination.
Regardless, I offer him a sombre look. “I am sorry. I never would have said anything if I knew it would push her to end things.”
My friend doesn’t look appreciative of my apology. In fact, he seems irritated. “I greatly respect you, Xavier, so please don’t feed me bullshit. You knew what would happen. But I don’t understand why you would do that to me? To her?”
His tragic, pleading look has anger burning in my blood. I should tell him she never wanted him. Maybe if he knew she wanted mefirst,he would move on with his life. But instead of wasting my move, I end the conversation.
“This conversation is done. When Savannah returns to work, shewillresume as your PA, and youwilltreat her with respect and fairness.”
He walks until he is standing in front of my desk. “I know avoidance when I see it. Fourteen years of friendship,” he reminds me. “You should have told me you wanted her, and I never would have gone there.”
I stand up. “Ididtell you not to go there, but you went anyway. You betrayed me.”
“I turned her down for six months because I gave my word to you. I walked away when I found out about the surrogacy!”
He speaks as though he never ran straight back into her bed. He stands before me as though he is a nobleman.
