Page 94 of Get Me to the Starting Line
“Is it this guy? Fucking Julien Richard now, are you?”
“Watch it,” I practically growl.
Leah half turns, placing a hand on the centre of my chest. My shoulders still tense but I calm under her touch. Ian watches the interaction, anger flaring on his face.
“Who I fuck is none of your business,” she says calmly, almost sweetly. Does he know her well enough to hear the dangerous edge he’s walking on?
“Maybe not, but if he’s in my son’s life—” Ian starts, but I don’t let him finish.
“He’s not your son.”
The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. I’m not only feeling protective over Leah—that little kid,mon petit loup, deserves better than this shithead.
“So he’s yours then?” His tone drips with sarcasm. I know men like him, men who are dangerous when they feel threatened.
“He’s Leah’s.” At my words, she holds her head higher.
No, he’s not my son, but I ... I care about him. I don’t want him to suffer more because his sperm donor, as Leah calls him, walks in and out of his life on a whim.
“The answer is no, Ian. You can’t be part of Levi’s life. And you’re certainly not a part of mine.” Pride washes over me. She’s so strong, I never doubted she wouldn’t cave.
“Come on, Lee, give me a chance. When I heard about your developments, I realized how much I missed you. And Levi.” He adds the kid’s name like an afterthought.
Leah goes so still, I’m not even sure she’s breathing. “My developments?”
My eyes have not left Ian’s face, and I see the flash of regret before he can school his features. I don’t think he meant to say that.
He stumbles for words. “Yes. I mean, I follow your work, of course, and the research came across my desk. Seeing your name, it brought up so much.”
What is this guy after?
“And what research was that?” Leah asks. She’s dropped her hand, but I’m so close to her I can feel her body trembling with restrained anger. Now I’m confused.
Ian clears his throat, finally realizing he’s in a precarious spot.
“It was the, um, the brace research. It’s brilliant.”
“It is.”
“Well, I saw the developments you made and the applications across the entire industry, and I knew you had something. It reminded me of how well we used to work together.”
A loaded pause.
Leah bursts out laughing, the sound reverberating off the dark wooden walls of her empty classroom. It’s a little unhinged and not at all full of humour.
“So that’s what this is about. I shouldn’t be surprised—it’s always about this with you.”
Ian looks like someone stuck dogshit up his nose.
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, come off it, Ian. You can let the remorseful ex-fiancé facade go and forget about ever meeting the kid your sperm created. You’re here because you want to worm your way into my life and into my project.”
The dogshit look worsens, his features scrunched in disgust and disbelief.
“No, I want to help you. Remember when you used to get stuck and you’d run your ideas by me? That’s when you did your best work. With me.”
She snorts. “You probably heard how much money I stand to make.”
