Chapter 21

AIDEN

“You like dogs!” I asked Gia, handing her the cone. I’d noticed her sweet tooth, and while indulging her felt nice, I'd have to resist those puppy-dog eyes in the future.

“Yes,” she answered. She’d been eyeing every dog in the park since we arrived. Currently, a French bulldog had her complete attention.

“Do you have one?” She shook her head.

“Want to go and get one!” This finally drew her eyes from the dog to me. The corner of her lips turned down, and for a second I thought I’d upset her.

“We can’t—”

“And why’s that?” I asked, glancing at Freya. She looked at our daughter with a slightly guilty expression. Maybe she had an allergy—

“Noah doesn’t like dogs,” Gia supplied, cutting off my thoughts. “Can you imagine? He doesn’t like dogs! They’re so cute.”

I noted the widening of her eyes and the incredulous expression on her face. I couldn’t resist playing along.

“Oh, I can’t imagine that. I mean, who doesn’t like dogs!” I looked at Freya; her expression was exactly as I expected—a raised eyebrow of disbelief. Gia, on the other hand, looked relieved I shared her views.

“Right? He’s weird,” she said, annoyed with Noah. She was smart.

“Gia,” Freya warned, drawing her attention back to her ice cream. A few minutes of peaceful silence followed before Gia spoke.

“Do you… like… Mommy?”

I froze. That was unexpected, especially with her mother’s boyfriend in the picture. Freya was equally, if not more, shocked. Meeting my gaze, as if sensing my stare, she inhaled sharply.

“I do.” I held Freya’s gaze, my voice firm and convincing. My thoughts were far more intense, but I kept them to myself; I didn't want to scare her.

“Then you can become Mommy’s boyfriend?”

Gia’s unexpected question made my lips twitch. Freya, however, looked mortified, blushing deeply.

“Gia!” Freya scolded, more of a squeal, her eyes flicking to mine.

I tilted my head, considering my daughter. “You want that?”

Her eager nod was my answer. “We can stay together and get a dog. Two dogs!” The hope in her eyes tugged at my heartstrings. She didn’t know I was her father yet, but she would. First, I had to take care of one thing. Then we would be a family, just as Gia wanted.

“Soon, sweetheart. Very soon,” I promised, kissing her head. I never broke a promise.

We walked past security into the club. It was less crowded than usual for a Friday night. Cillian nudged me and nodded toward the secluded VIP lounge. There he was, Noah, sitting alone with a drink.

“The IT guy who looks like an average gym bro? Don’t tell me that’s her type,” Cillian muttered disdainfully as we approached. I would have been amused if I had any amusement left. All I felt was simmering annoyance.

“Mr. Knight?” He looked confused as we sat on either side of him.

“Rivera,” I uttered, letting my gaze sweep over him. Silence stretched for a few seconds as he pondered the situation.

After a moment, he asked, “Is this about my girlfriend?”

Chapter 21

“You see, brother! He’s not that dumb after all.”

Noah’s offended frown was surprising; I’d expected him to take it as a compliment.

“If it is, I don’t want to discuss my personal life or girlfriend with anyone,” he said, as if he actually had a say in the matter. Cute. I smirked faintly.

“Well, I do have a daughter with her. I wonder how you took the message. You must have been ecstatic.” My stance was polite, but my smile was anything but.

“Look, if you want your daughter, then take her.” He sounded unconcerned. He looked between Cillian and me before lowering his voice.

“I’m sure it’s no big deal for you to get custody. I can help you. I can be on your side if you want. But Freya can’t know about this. That’s all.”

Cillian raised a dryly amused eyebrow. I was glad he was here; alone time with this man would have tested my endurance. I was close to shooting him. Bloody fucker.

I chuckled, my voice devoid of humor.

“The only place I’d want you is six feet under if you let any more shit come out of your fucking mouth.”

“What—” He stopped when I grabbed his collar and pulled him forward until we were face-to-face. Up close, I saw the panic in his eyes. He was pathetic.

He looked around frantically, hoping to catch someone’s eye. He was really stupid for an IT guy.

As planned, our staff had upgraded him to VIP access to the lounge. The absolute idiot lapped it up. The lounge was unavailable until we were finished, leaving only the three of us.

“No one’s going to help you. They’re on our payroll,” Cillian said, smirking as he took a sip of his drink. He was enjoying this.

Our staff wouldn’t question anything that happened here. We’d conducted less-than-legal business here, and the workers respected both discretion and the handsome bonuses.

“Listen well. You will go back and break up with Freya. Tell her you want out of this relationship.” I spoke slowly and clearly, hoping it would penetrate his thick skull.

“Why would I do that? Are you trying to threaten me?” Despite his strong facade, I smelled his nervousness. I released him and leaned back, chuckling.

“If I wanted to threaten you, I’d ask if you valued your life. I’d tell you I could make you disappear, and no one would lift an eyebrow.”

I smiled maliciously. “Just like that, I can make you cease to exist…”