Coffee, Brownies and the Ruthless CEO (MxM)| FILLING THE VOID series, BOOK 1

41. Chapter - Boundaries

I sighed, thanking God or whoever was up there looking over me for finding someone like Josh and sending him my way. It was hard at times, believing someone like him actually existed and was part of my life. Moments like these always brought back up the self-doubts I had had since the moment we met. It was way worse when we first started dating. I was still hung up over Victor and the fact he cheated on me with a younger and more attractive guy, so believing there was someone who genuinely wanted me was hard. Before that, I never had a problem with having confidence. But Victor's affair changed it all, and I hated myself for letting him affect me in that way. My trust towards potential love interests was completely and utterly broken, shattered to pieces, and Josh had to work hard to put the shards back together. He was one in the million of the guys out there, and I couldn't describe how much I was grateful for having an opportunity to have him in my life even if I tried to. He was the best thing that had happened to me; right after having Matt, of course.

"Ready?" his voice brought me back from my nonsensical thinking, the reality of our current situation coming back to me. I didn't have time to think about the past.

Looking at him, I smiled, nodding. I wanted to be through with our meeting as soon as possible. I was sure it would be one of the hardest conversations I had ever had in my entire life, and I wasn't looking forward to it. And I sure as hell wasn't ready. There was nothing to be done but go, though, so I sighed and tried to come to terms with the fact I was most likely about to have an afternoon full of yelling and negative energy.

"Let's go! I would love to be back before it's too late to pick Matt up." Looking at Josh, into his beautiful eyes, I relaxed, a new wave of confidence and determination filled every corner of my body. With him by my side, I was sure I could do everything that was necessary.

***

The tension in the air was terrible. From the moment we entered the shop and Victor noticed I wasn't alone, the atmosphere changed drastically. His whole posture tensed, and his eyes narrowed. He looked like he was getting himself ready to fight, which was the last thing we needed. The matters to be discussed were too serious to have a stupid quarrel.

"Hello, Victor," I said when we got to the table he was at, sitting down with Joshua right next to me. I tried to act as friendly as possible, not wanting to make a terrible atmosphere even worse, but it was in vain. Based on Vic's sharp eyes digging holes into my fiancé, Joshua's presence was irritating on its own, and whatever tone I used wouldn't have any effect on his mood whatsoever.

"What the hell's going on?" he asked, his eyes never straying from Joshua. He was clenching his fists to the point of his knuckles turning white, and his face turned a slight color of red. I was surprised he didn't yell. His voice was firm and harsh, but not loud at all. It was actually quite calming, seeing him trying to control his anger like this. I wasn't sure why or how he managed to do it, but I was glad. The discussion awaiting us required some rationality.

I found Josh's hand under the table and squeezed it. As much as I wanted to play the strong guy, it was still too heavy for me. I needed some mental support, and his warm hand was more than enough at the moment.

"As I said on the phone, we need to talk." I took a deep breath, looking right into his eyes in hopes he would somehow get the message without me having to spill it. Which wasn't the case at all, of course, so I continued, bracing myself for his reaction. "We are talking about future here, a future Josh is going to be in, so he deserves to be here. Moreover, after what happened last time, I don't feel comfortable being alone with you." I stole a short look at Josh to see his expression. He looked calm and almost confident. As someone who was sure he was going to leave as the winner.

In any other situation, I would've smacked him because he was obviously trying too hard to impress Victor, maybe even provoke him, but not right now. His whole demeanor was reassuring, and that was exactly what I needed.