LIKE A LION by Cole McCade

Author:Cole McCade [McCade, Cole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-18T16:00:00+00:00

[9: HATED YOU FOR LEAVING ME]

FOR A HOMICIDE DETECTIVE WITH a hunter’s finely honed instincts…

…Mal could, at times, be an absolute oblivious jackass.

He’d been so worried with at least getting the apartment navigable enough for company, so distracted with the case, that he’d only thought about getting the baby junk out of the way and hadn’t considered maybe, just maybe that his somewhat overly perceptive ex-wife might happen to notice the fucking crib sitting in its box in the corner, and maybe have a few questions here and there.

He had too many things on his mind right now.

But he’d picked a hell of a detail to let slip through the cracks.

Anjulie groaned, closing her eyes and slamming her head against the back of the couch. “Way to go, fuckface.”

Gabi’s wide, coppery eyes flew to Mal. “…is there something going on?”

Shit. Shit shit shit. He glanced at Seong-Jae, but Seong-Jae only gave a tiny, helpless shrug, hovering near the door like he might escape any minute; no help there.

Shit. Fuck.

Here we go.

Mal spread his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said. “This wasn’t how I wanted you to find out. I should’ve…fuck, it wouldn’t have killed me to throw a blanket over that shit.”

“To hide it? Why?” Gabrielle asked, then stopped. Her lustrous bronze skin went ashen, pale. The color even seemed to drain from her shining curls until she was a washed-out cutout of herself, staring at Mal with her lips parted, her breaths a barely-there hush, comprehension turning her eyes glassy with fragmented edges sharp enough to cut. “You had a kid?” she whispered, and yet it was less a question and more confirmation as her gaze darted to the crib again. “You had a kid. Are you adopting? Or…or…”

Of all the insensitive, shitty things to do to Gabrielle…

Malcolm could honestly say he hated himself right now. He stepped forward, reaching for her hand, wanting to offer something, anything—but she pulled back from him, shaking her head sharply and tucking her arms against herself in a defensive ball.

Helpless, he let his hand fall, just staring at her. “It wasn’t intentional,” he tried to explain. “I didn’t even know for the longest time, and then…”

“Then?” she demanded, her voice sharpening, thickening. “Then what?”

“Gabi,” Anjulie whispered, starting to stand, but Gabrielle sliced a hand out, cutting her off.

“Don’t,” she said fiercely. “I need to hear this. Then what, Mal?”

Slowly, Anjulie sank back down against the couch. A deadly look flashed at Mal: Don’t fuck this up.

It might already be too late.

He shook his head slowly. “It’s okay to be angry, Gabi. You have a right to be angry. This was the shittiest way for you to find out.” He took a deep breath. “It was just…one night. About a year ago. Just…another distraction, no names, no contact after, but…the condom broke. Her birth control failed. And she didn’t tell me until just now.”

Wetness welled up in Gabrielle’s eyes, threatening to overflow the dam of her lashes; she stared at Mal, face stricken. “Why? Why now?”

“She can’t handle her doctoral program and raising a kid alone.

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