Who's the Boss Now (Managing the Bosses 3)

She discarded the thought as soon as she had it. Everyone did that, including her.

"Alex?" Mark called out as they walked through the front door.

"In the back."

"He's on the patio. I'm going to use the powder room and then I'll join you guys."

"Alright. I'll get him to sign this shit so that we have it out of the way." Mark smiled at her, pausing. "Hey... thanks for today. Best fun I've had in years. Just felt good."

She nodded. "It was fun. Thanks for letting me tag along."

He laughed. “I think I was the one tagging along.

Turning, she walked to her apartment and tried to shake off the feeling that her time with Mark would come back to bite her. Alex was the jealous type, which was perfectly fine and even a little flattering, but he was the one who’d sent her to get Mark. It wasn't fair for him to set up the encounter and then get raging pissed because she and Mark had fun in each other's company.

She washed her hands and checked herself in the mirror, noticing that her face looked a little fuller than it should.

"Probably the ice cream, donuts, and pizza. Life's not been too kind lately," she growled and turned the light off, not wanting to add any more issues for the moment. Hanging out with Alex and Mark would be enough for the night.

She walked out onto the patio, in the middle of the guys talking about Annette from what Jamie could tell. She took the seat closest to Alex and smiled kindly as he glanced over at her.

"Right, so why she decided to wait this long to say something just seems ridiculous. I've been with Jamie for six or seven weeks now. The bitch had to know that she was pregnant before now. Why wait?" The vein in the side of Alex’s neck was bulging.

"Because she's lying, or it's not yours. There would be no other reason for it. Is she in love with you?" Mark asked just before his eyes shifted to Jamie. There was a hint of sympathy in his gaze, and she was grateful for it.

"I don't know if she loves me. I don't care." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I just want to do what’s right. You know?"

Alex glanced at her, as if trying to get her to agree with his stance on the situation. The neediness in his gaze sliced through her, and the heavy emotion that she'd pushed down began to bubble up. She didn't mind the child being part of the scenario, but losing someone who felt very much like her forever was too much.

"Get her to take a pregnancy test, Alex. With who you are, I’d demand a pregnancy and paternity test. The whole thing. Don’t change your whole fucking life over this chick if you don't even know that the baby is yours. Be smart about this. It's not just you involved." Mark sat forward, the intensity on his face almost scary.

It was nice to see someone fight part of the fight for her, but why wasn't Alex doing it? Why wasn't she considered in his decision? He seemed to have put her on a shelf and moved forward, trying to figure out what to do as if it were just him. Jamie inhaled deeply. Why was she blaming him? The guy was trying to step up to the plate. She had to respect that.

"I realize that, but this is my life. It's my decision, and being a good dad is more important than anything to me. You have to understand that." Alex turned his attention back to his brother.

Jamie stood and walked toward the edge of the patio. "I'll see you guys later. I'm going for a run and all that good stuff."

"Jamie... stay with us." Alex stood.

"Yeah. Let's make dinner and hang out." Mark turned. The sympathy in his gaze was too much.

"No thanks. I'll see you both tomorrow." She turned and jogged toward her place as tears slid over the rims of her eyelids, burning a trail down her cheeks.

Alex's decision not only changed their relationship, but everything in her life. It annoyed her that she wasn't even asked her opinion in the matter. It was his future and possibly his choice. He claimed he wanted to love her, but, realistically, she worked for him and they’d only been seeing each other for about a month, with another month of random sex acts. Commitment wasn’t required. His excluding her now hurt, but it might make it easier in the long run. Maybe they weren’t meant to be together.

They had a crazy-strong sexual attraction, but was that all there was to it? If the layers were stripped away, Jamie was afraid of what she might find.

Chapter 13

She ran hard, pushing herself and cranking her iPod to drown out her thoughts. The run did her good, and by the time she settled on to her couch, her worries were tucked away behind weariness. She’d showered and just put on stuff to sleep in.

A knock at the door interrupted her aimless channel-surfing through the Apple TV for a movie.

Alex. She checked the keyhole to make sure Mark wasn’t with him. He was alone. She opened the door. “Hey.”

"You got a few minutes?" His eyes moved down the length of her, leaving chill bumps in their wake. He was in a t-shirt and jeans that fit almost too well. His hair was a bit of a mess from running his fingers through it. He was beautiful. Breathtaking.

Her nipples budded immediately and her body tightened with the promise of what he was capable of, but by the look on his face, 'talking' didn't mean 'making out'. She almost wished sex would obliterate her thoughts and the ache in her heart.