The CEO and Fate✔️

Chapter 20

"You'd be surprised," he muttered, but with my ushering, he reluctantly disentangled himself from me, stood up, and took the call.

It's a sign. You need to man up and talk to him, not talk pillow.

I got up as well, and I blew the messy strands of hair out of my face. Once again, even in just a large t-shirt, I felt like I was on fire. Because that was what he did to me. He fanned the flames.

I tried to calm myself down by checking my phone while he was out of the room.

But I wasn't prepared for what I saw next.

The summer is almost over. I'm in Michigan. Will you come and spend a couple days with me and the family? —Seth

I read and reread the message but it never gave me more than what was sent. I hadn't talked to Seth in three years. And that was only a brief text to congratulate him on leaving college early and being drafted into the pro's.

And he never responded.

I was furious that this was the way he chose to make his grand reentrance. By practically demanding me to come see him because it suited his schedule.

Wether it was the adrenaline from the morning or the shock of him reaching out, I was teetering on the edge.

My wedding gift wouldn't fit on the plane

With that response, I shoved my phone into the corner of the counter and tried to calm myself down as I waited for Blake to finish with his call.

I returned to the stove and finished cooking the last of the pancakes. When Blake was finally done, I had arranged them in a stack truly fit for a king, and even added whip cream because I knew he couldn't resist it.

I smiled as he joined me at the table. I tried to act like my heart wasn't beating out of my chest. I needed to ignore it.

"Is everything good now?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes. "Jake used the company phone to
call me because he knew I would answer it. He needed to ask me how to work the coffee maker," he scoffed. "Because starbucks is too far and I'm the one that always makes it in the morning."

I nodded, amused. "That's cute."

A smile returned to his face as he raked his eyes over the food porn I had laid out in front of him. "He's a child," Blake admitted. "But he's my child sometimes."

"I thought you said he wasn't family."

"Oh, I didn't say he was my child. My child would be dressing in suits before he could walk, let alone working the coffee maker."

I smiled, but did not laugh. I was irritated at how quickly Seth's text kept resurfacing in my mind. Even when I tried to focus on the happiness in front of me, there he was pulling me back to reality.

And eventually, Blake noticed.

"Something happened."

"What? No."

He set down his fork. "Alexa, you're digging your fingernails into the table. What happened?"