Alpha CEO

“It’s so easy for you to say that now, in retrospect, but back then … it wasn’t like this. You weren’t like this. You spent years pushing me away. Years, Julian!”

“I know, and you don’t have to remind me every chance you get. I was there, Autumn.”

“You’re so fucking arrogant. How can you sit there and make all these demands when the only reason we’re in this situation is because of you and your choices in the first place? You’re the reason things went down this way.”

I slammed my fist on the table, making her jump. “Don’t you think I know that? I’m trying to make it right. I’ve been trying to make it right all week.”

“It’s going to take longer than a week to make things right between us, and now you’re throwing our daughter in the mix, and it’s not fair!”

“You want to know what’s not fair? I’ll tell you what’s not fucking fair! First and foremost, missing out on your pregnancy, watching your stomach grow with our baby. Feeling her kick, seeing you pregnant with my child, glowing, radiant, and fucking breathtaking. The first ultrasound, finding out we’re having a baby girl, and then preparing for it. Her birth, cutting the cord, seeing you hold her for the first time, me holding her for the first time, taking her home from the hospital, her first bath, her first steps, her first word, her first birthday! All the firsts I missed! Every. Single. One. Now that’s not fucking fair! You took everything away from me, and you’re damn lucky I’m not demanding to knock you up, so I don’t miss out on those first again!”

She didn’t just fall back—she stumbled from the truth of my words. With wide eyes, she replied, “Knock me up again? Are you hearing yourself? We’re not together, Julian!”

“Again, not by my choice, sweetheart. If I thought for a second there was a possibility of you saying yes, I’d get down on one knee and ask you to marry me, right here and now.”

“I’m not eighteen anymore. You don’t need to marry me because you got me pregnant.”

“That’s not the only reason I’d ask you to marry me, kid.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Great. Sign the papers then.”

“Julian, please… I don’t want to keep her from you. She deserves to know who you are and to have a father. I promise I’ll do whatever I can to make this easy on all of us.”

“If I agree to wait this out, what do I get out of this new arrangement?”

“You’ll get to know your daughter.”

“I’ll get that regardless.”

“I don’t know. What do you want?”

I folded my arms over my chest. “I want a month.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“What does that mean? A month of what?”

“A month of getting to know our daughter.”

“Julian, I don’t understand—”

“For the next month, I want you and Capri to move in with me.”

She jerked back. “Move in with you?”

“Take it or leave it.”

“I can’t move to Miami for a month.”

“Not Miami. Here. In Texas.”

“You want us to move into a penthouse suite?”

“No. I own a ranch about an hour out of Fort Worth. We can live there. It’s close enough to your parents where we can see them, and I can try to fix what I broke with your parents and your brother.”

“I have to work.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do.”

“I’ll handle Laurel.”

“Laurel? What, you’re on a first-name basis with my boss now?”

“She’s going to make you partner, and that means you’re in control. You can start your new position next month.”

“I can’t work, but you can?”

“I haven’t taken a day off since I started Locke Enterprises. I’m more than due.”

“What about the rest of your tour? Your announcement is in four days.”

“My tour is over tomorrow, and I can make my announcement anywhere. Including the ranch.”

“People are going to think we’re a couple.”

“They already do.”

“Ugh! You have an answer for everything!”

“It’s what makes me Alpha CEO.”

She shook her head. “You’re delusional if you think I’m going to agree to this.”

“From where I’m sitting, you don’t have much of a choice. Either you agree to my new terms, or you deal with settling this in court, where I go after full custody of Capri.”

“Wow. Now you’re bribing me?”

“Again, you’ve left me no choice.”

Her stare shifted to her attorney. “Greg.”

“Autumn, I think this is the best it’s going to get. If he does take this to court, there’s a huge chance he will win.”

“How? He doesn’t even know her.”

“I know, but you’re leaving it up to the judge and they could rule in his favor. He has money, and you lied to him about having a daughter— that’ll hold up in court. I’ve seen it happen before.”

Anderson added, “Mr. Locke is being more than fair, Miss Troy.”

“Unbelievable. Now it’s three against one?”

“Believe it, kid. This is your best option. You’ll be there, and you can help me get to know our daughter and her to get to know me.”