He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head.
“Baby, look at me.”
Finally, he softened and slowly opened his eyes.
“Take a breath.” I inhaled, hoping he’d follow suit. He dragged in a big breath through his nose and exhaled as I did. “Good. Again.”
Reluctant, he did it again.
“Now listen to me,” I urged. “Right now, you’re not going to confront Rafael. What you’re going to do is send this voice recording to your lawyer so she can have proof that Rafael does not have Aleesa’s best interest in mind. After she has it and you speak to her, then you can go to Rafael and demand him to drop the request for custody. You’ll give him an ultimatum: If he doesn’t drop it, we can send the recording to the press and leak it, or have your lawyer play it for the judge in court. Either way, it’ll destroy his chances. The last thing he’ll want is news getting out to the press that he only wants Aleesa for financial gain. It’ll destroy his brand and his business.”
“I should’ve known,” Javier grumbled. “I knew he wanted something from this. Damn, Octavia.” He clutched my face in his hands and kissed me so hard, so passionately, I nearly stumbled. But he kept hold of me, and I laughed behind the kiss. “You are incredible. Do you know that?”
I could only smile ... and blush.
“Seriously. I do not know why you fight so hard for us, but I am so thankful.”
“I fight because I care about you both. And I’ll be damned if anyone takes advantage of my Leesa.”
He chuckled.
Aleesa walked toward us with pouty lips. “I hungry.”
I scooped her up. “You know, I’m hungry too. Let’s go make a sandwich while Daddy handles a few things.”
“And strawbebbies,” she said, grinning.
I couldn’t help my smile. “With strawberries.”
Forty-Nine
Javier
I sat in my car for several minutes while parked in the lot of Rafael’s building.
If I went in too worked up, I would probably punch him in his face as soon as I saw him.
So I sat behind the steering wheel, breathing as evenly as possible and staring at the lock screen wallpaper on my phone. It was a photo of me and Aleesa that Octavia had taken when we were at Disney World. Aleesa was on my shoulders, and I held her hands and smiled as she cheesed really hard for Octavia.
A smile tugged at my lips. My daughter had such a beautiful soul. And after dealing with Rafael, I was going to keep her. There was no doubt in my mind now. With that in mind, I climbed out of my car, slipped my phone into my pocket, and headed for the front door of the building.
After signing in, I rode the elevator up to floor fourteen and was immediately greeted with the secretary’s desk. The sight of it made me pause. I’d never been to Eloise’s job before, but knowing this was the place where she’d worked—where she’d encountered Rafael every single day—caused my stomach to twist.
“Can I help you?” the secretary asked. She was young, with big blue eyes and brunette hair. She forced a smile as she stood with wariness. Something told me she knew exactly who I was. After all, she did manage this man’s schedule and handle his affairs.
“I am here to see Rafael.”
“I’m afraid he’s busy at the moment, but if you leave a message for him and your number, I can call back to arrange a meeting with you.”
“Oh. A message?” I approached her desk, raising my chin. “Tell him he has two minutes to get his ass out here or I will start my countersuit right now.”
The woman’s eyes rounded. With a large step back, she said, “Uh ... one moment.”
She took off in a flash, rounded a corner, and disappeared. I folded my arms. It took a minute for her to return with Rafael trailing behind her.
“What the hell, Javier?” he snapped, marching toward me. “How dare you come to my workplace with this shit.”
“Would you rather deal with your bullshit in court?”
