t ready

ding in my doorway like the storm he

calculating way of his. His presence filled the room like smoke, suffocating the

" I asked, already

mething I couldn't quite place. "I saw the he

d feel like something out of a dream-a magnetic pull, the rush of excitement. But here he was, s

It's not the first time my life's been

his gaze steady as steel. "This isn't so

the words stuck in my throat. He wasn't offering pity. He w

a sharp creak, and my heart skipped i

rd

The air thickened, charged with the kind of tension you feel when two men

a low growl, each word dripping with frustration. "I leave

ened, an almost predatory gleam lighting them up. "You'r

akable arrogance of a man used to getting his way. "And what does that mean

m not offering anything but

o tell me what's best for Lila. I'm here because I care about her. You

I had been trying to maintain. Declan and Jordan, both billionaires, both so sur

eat between them was suffocating. Declan's calm was an oasis in a storm

said, his voice soft but firm. "You don't have

like a whirlwind, and I didn't know which way to face. How had I

ion dark and desperate. "You think I'll let you ra

g. "This isn't about you, Jord

out, raw and unrefined, but the

men f

egizing. They saw this child as leverage. Declan might offer su

r. It was about who would control my f

g. I wasn't ready for this battle.

. "We'll figure this out," he said, but I could tel

tight. "You think you can walk away from me? You th

'm not your possession

ticking of the clock on the wall, the t

h of their faces. I didn't care what their plans were, what their intent

shouted through the door.

he weight of my decision settling over me. The two of them c

in a long while,