Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

December 9 th

11:52 A.M.

“Do you have any intention of listening to a word I say today?”

Guiltily, Jessica looked up from her phone to see Adam looking at her from his desk across from hers. Her partner didn't look annoyed with her, in fact, he looked a combination of amused and pleased.

Ever since Donovan had turned up at the precinct a few days ago, Adam had been as interested in the handsome billionaire as her son had been. Both men in her life had peppered her with questions, and while she’d done her best to be as vague as possible because she honestly didn't know what she was going to do about it all, she couldn’t deny it was exciting.

Having a man show genuine interest in her, even knowing she had a kid, was new for her. Donovan was being respectful, not pushing too hard, while making his intentions more than clear.

He wanted to take her on a date.

Her.

A single mom who worked long hours as a cop .

Him.

A billionaire who looked like a model who almost definitely had women falling at his feet.

So why wasn't she?

Because this all felt too good to be true.

One burned twice shy.

While she liked to pretend that her ex dumping her the way he had, just walking away like everything they’d shared meant nothing, hadn't affected her, it had. It had messed with her self-confidence. Claiming she was too busy to date, while undoubtably true, was also a good excuse to not have to put herself out there. If Donovan wasn't being so persistent, she wouldn't have given him asking her out that first day a second thought.

Okay, maybe a second thought or two but nothing would have come of it.

“I've been listening to you,” she told Adam. Which was pretty much a lie. While she wasn't ignoring him or anything, her attention kept getting captured by her phone.

Since Friday afternoon when Donovan had come by right when she was about to leave with Freddie things had changed. Even though she’d had his number from the first bouquet she hadn't used it because she’d been so sure that he would lose interest as soon as he learned she was a mom.

Only that hadn't happened, and after tucking Freddie into bed that night, she’d caved.

Ever since, they’d been exchanging texts and it made her feel so young and desirable, something she hadn't felt since she’d been made a single mom at twenty-two.

“You’ve been obsessed with your phone,” Adam corrected with a chuckle. “Are you going to go for it with Donovan?”

It helped that her partner was so supportive. Although she had other friends, most involved in law enforcement, he was definitely her closest. They spent most of their time together, and before Adam and Jasmine got together, they’d helped each other out with the kids. Even now Adam still helped her with Freddie, she was just relying more on sitters these days to respect his new relationship .

“Yeah, are you?” a voice asked from behind her, and she swallowed what would have been a most unbecoming given her job and the toughness it implied squeak.

“Donovan,” she said, turning to see him standing there. In his hands he had his customary bouquet. Since she’d had the weekend off, this morning she’d been surprised to find that he hadn't skipped either day, two bouquets sat on her desk waiting for her. Along with them had been a Lego set for each day, and she saw another in his hand now.

He was including her son.

While she wouldn't admit it to anyone, this morning when she’d seen the Lego boxes sitting alongside the flowers she’d actually teared up. Freddie had good people in his life, role models, people she knew he loved and trusted, who cared for him, but he didn't have his dad. Her ex hadn't just walked away from her but their child as well and she hated that now her son had to suffer for the choices of someone who should have always put him first.

“I took a guess on the Lego. I knew my brothers and I loved them when we were Freddie’s age. If he doesn’t like them just tell me what he does like,” Donovan said.

In the few days he’d known she had a son he’d shown more care for Freddie than her ex had in the last five years. “He loves Lego. He’s going to be very excited tonight to see that you got him some gifts, but, Donovan, you don’t have to get him anything. Me either. It’s not necessary.”

“Course it’s not. That’s why they're gifts,” Donovan said, brushing off her concerns.

But they were concerns.

It wasn't like she was poor, she was able to pay her rent and bills, put food on the table, treat her son every now and again, but Donovan was a billionaire. He could afford anything he wanted, and she didn't know him well enough to gauge if he was the kind of man who threw money at things and used it to get what he wanted.

She and her son weren't a prize to be bought.

“So, are you going to give me a chance?” Donovan asked a tiny flicker of doubt in his gray eyes.

“I have a son, I have to put him first.”

“Wouldn't expect or ask you to do anything differently. Is Freddie’s father in the picture?”

“No.”

“Do you want him to be?”

Jessica couldn’t help making a face at that. “For me? No way. He walked away from us. For Freddie? Yeah, I wish his dad cared enough about him to be a father. But I’ve accepted reality, and if you're really trying to ask me if I want to get back together with my ex then the answer is absolutely not. Those feelings died a long time ago.”

The smile Donovan gave her made her toes curl and her stomach flutter. “Happy to hear that, green eyes. So, what's stopping you from letting me take you out on a date?”

That was an easy question to answer, and a simple one.

Fear.

Fear of getting her heart broken, fear of Freddie getting his broken, fear of rejection, fear of not being enough for a man like Donovan Davidson.