Brandon (Anderson Billionaires #3) - Melody Anne Page 0,42

her composure. But he was fascinated as she pulled herself back together again. She hadn’t had an easy time lately—that was for sure. Though he knew there was no chance he had a child with her, he had slept with her and owed her a few minutes of his time. Even if that meant he was going to have to do a lot of groveling with Chloe because of this.

“We have a child,” she insisted. “He’s two months old.”

“I can do math, and it’s been fourteen months since we were together, so unless you have the longest pregnancies ever, there’s even less of a chance it’s my son than before, and that was slim to none,” he said.

Her shoulders slumped. Maybe she hadn’t been expecting him to remember exactly when the two of them had been together. He might have been a bit of a dog, but he didn’t forget when he’d been with a woman.

“No, it wasn’t that long ago,” she insisted.

“Tell me what’s going on, Alexandra,” he said, his anger draining. She was obviously in trouble.

She broke down, her cool exterior evaporating as she looked at him with helpless eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she slid onto the bench they were standing by. She leaned her head into her hands and wept. He didn’t want to touch this woman, but he was left with little choice. He sat next to her and put an arm around her shaking shoulders.

“I don’t know what to do. My father has disowned me. My son doesn’t have a father, and I’m all alone,” she gasped.

“And you thought I could make it all better,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

“You were good to me, Brandon,” she said as she regained her composure. “And we were good together. We can be again.” She leaned into him, trying to connect their mouths.

He stopped her this time, placing a hand on her shoulder and holding her back. “I’m not interested, Alexandra. I’m with someone else now, and you know the two of us were never going to turn into a relationship, anyway. Go back to your father, and show him this side of you. Tell him you need him, and maybe he’ll soften. We all make mistakes in life, but that doesn’t have to define who we are or who we’re going to be in the future. Ask him for help with your son.”

“That’s not how it works in my family,” she told him with another sob.

“I’m sorry you’re going through this. I really am. But you can’t lie to me and tell me I have a child I don’t have and expect me to be your white knight. You’re stronger than you realize, and you’ll be okay,” he told her. “And sometimes you’d be surprised how a family reacts when you are completely vulnerable with them. I tried pushing my family away when I was hurting, and they didn’t allow me to go away.”

“You don’t know my father.”

“You’re right. I don’t know your father because I don’t know you. I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry I took sex so callously before. I’m not the same guy I used to be. I’m also not the guy for you.”

She was quiet as her tears stopped. “You are different,” she said. “I wish it was because of me. One night with you wasn’t nearly enough.” The final words came out barely above a whisper.

“Go to your father. Tell him you’re scared. Tell him you need help, and tell him what your plan is to help yourself. I know most people respect you if you have a plan,” he assured her.

She didn’t reply. She simply sat next to him and cried. It took another hour for him to get away. By the time he’d made it back to the restaurant, Chloe was long gone. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking, and it might do him good to give her a night to calm down before he tried explaining himself.

That also might bite him in the butt. He’d soon find out. But right now he was drained. He’d been callous and hadn’t once thought of the women he’d slept with before. That showed a flaw in his character he didn’t respect or like. He couldn’t change the past, but he could certainly be aware of how he acted in the present.

Sometimes it took a reality check to wake up. Sometimes it took looking in a mirror. And sometimes it took a blast from the past to make