" How did you know I went to Paris ?! " Teddy sighed , a flicker of patience in his eyes . " You had your assistant book the flights and hotels . I'm a major shareholder in the company . Do 09:54 Chapter 2 you really think it's that hard for ine to find out my CEO's travel plans ? " 09:51 He leaned in closer , his voice softening with a teasing , affectionate tone . " Honestly , I'm a little worried about the intelligence of our future child . " I met his scorching gaze , and my heart skipped a beat . This strange , electric chemistry ... I'd never felt anything like it in seven years with Max . A cacophony of car horns from the backed - up traffic behind us shattered the moment , conveniently masking my flustered state . " Are you gonna move or what ?! " " The light's green ! " " Get a room ! " " Are we part of your foreplay or something ?! " a driver shouted , rolling down his window . My face was burning , my heart pounding . " Can you just move your car ? We can talk at home ! " Teddy deliberately misinterpreted my words . " Good , " he said , his voice a low , suggestive murmur . " Let's go home and talk . " He emphasized the word " home , " and my cheeks grew even hotter . I found myself unable to meet his direct gaze . While I was distracted , he leaned in and pressed a quick , soft kiss to my cheek . By the time I registered what had happened , he was already back in his car . His little maneuver left me completely flustered for the entire drive back . I followed his car back to the apartment complex on autopilot . But there was no point in hiding anymore . We needed to sit down and figure this out . As soon as we were inside my apartment , I cut straight to the chase . " This baby was an accident . I'm going to call the hospital tomorrow and make an app- " An arm snaked around my waist , pulling me back against a hard chest . Teddy held me from behind , his warm breath ghosting across my ear . My body went rigid , the words dying in my throat . " You have a cruel streak , you know that ? " hè murmured . " You hide from me for a month , and the first thing you want to do when you get back is get rid of our child . " I broke free from his embrace , planting my hands on his chest to create a safe , arm's - length distance between us . I needed the space to think clearly . " Teddy , you were willing to break ties with your family for Chloe . Honestly , I was moved by your love for her . That's why I can't let myself be the one to ruin it . " " This is my child , and I have the right to decide what happens . Please , just forget that night and go get married . " A wicked grin spread across Teddy's face . He took my hand from his chest and moved it down to his stomach . " My abs are much better now . You can touch here if you want . " Even through his shirt , I could feel the heat radiating from his skin , the hard ridges of his muscles . My ears burned . I tried to pull my hand away , but he held it firmly in place . " Who told you Chloe and I were getting married ? " " But you were at the jewelry store , picking out ... " " If I didn't put on that little show with her , would you ever have come back from Paris ? " I was even more confused . " Why would Chloe agree to help you trick me into coming back ? " Had he found out she cheated on him ? Had they broken up ? na 54 Chapter 2 " Why wouldn't she ? Chloe and I have only ever been partners in crime . A purely revolutionary friendship " What ??? 10 Right there in front of me , Teddy dialed Chloe's number . Her voice , breathless and flirty , came through the speaker . I could only imagine what she was doing , and my mind inexplicably flashed back to the steamy details of my night with Teddy . " So , did you finally catch your girl ? " she purred . " You have no idea how much that news story cramped my style with the new hotties I'm trying to hook . " " Victory is in sight , " Teddy replied lazily . " Say hi . " Without warning , he held the phone up to my mouth . On autopilot , I managed a weak " Hi . " " Cara ! It's a pleasure , " Chloe's voice chirped . " We should get drinks sometime . I'll introduce you to some seriously wild young studs !" I mumbled a dazed " Okay , " and Teddy immediately hung up . " Thinking about wild young studs while your hand is on my abs ? " he teased . I snatched my hand back as if I'd been zapped by electricity , my heart doing a frantic tap dance in my chest . I retreated to the couch , trying to regain my composure . " What do you mean , ' catch your girl ' ? What is going on ? " I tried to keep my voice steady . As far as I could remember , Teddy and I had barely interacted . We had never dated , never even flirted . Where was this all coming from ? He pulled a chair over and sat across from me , his intense gaze fixed on my face . " You married me eighteen years ago ," he said . " Then you dumped me and got together with Max . So now , here I am , winning my wife back . " Eighteen years ago ?! The memory was so distant ... Back then , I was a little princess , doted on by my parents . Teddy was a serious , mature boy , nothing like the play- ful rogue he was now . And Max ... Max never looked down on me with those superior eyes . The " marriage " Teddy was talking about was just a game of house I played when I was eight . I'd had a fight with Max and , out of spite , I made Teddy be the groom . That was also the year my father's business went bankrupt . We lost everything and had to move out of our upscale neighborhood . I lost conta- ct with both Max and Teddy . 11 When I re - entered their world seven years ago , it was to raise money for my father's expensive surgery . I showed up at the Coles ' front door in a faded , worn - out dress , swallowing my pride . Max and I had an arranged engagement , a promise made between our grandfathers when they were close friends . I didn't expect them to honor it ; I just hoped they would help us out for the sake of their old friendship . After all , our grandfathers were long gone . The engagement was little more than a verbal agreement , a joke . To my surprise , not only did the Coles help , but they also acknowledged the engagement. And just like that , Max and I started dating . Then , in my junior year of college , everything changed . Max , who always visited me like clockwork on Saturdays , suddenly became unreachab- le . That's when I learned about Ava . She was an orphan , the daughter of his father's first love . Against his wife's wishes , Mr. Cole had insisted on adopting her . Mrs. Cole used to say that Ava was just like her mother - a cunning little fox who knew how to use her apparent weakness to manipulate men . 09:54 Chapter 2 The next seven years proved her right . 09:54 Ava was fifteen when she was adopted into the family , right at the age when a girl's heart starts to flutter , Max , uninterested in romance at the time , treated her like a little sister . But Mrs. Cole saw the look in Ava's eyes and sent her to study abroad before she even finished high school . Ava used her loneliness as an excuse to constantly video chat with Max , monopolizing his time . When I came into the picture , Ava sensed Max pulling away . When he finally told her we were dating , her campaign of helplessness began in earnest . She would invent stories about being stalked by strange men or bullied by classmates - anything to get his attention . Then , in our junior year , after failing to win him back , Ava attempted suicide . Max flew to her side without even telling me . I can only imagine how moved he must have been , listening to a pale , weak Ava confess her hidden love for him from her hospital bed . When he came back , I could feel it . His heart was torn between us . I admit , I didn't have Ava's cunning or her manipulative tricks . The scales of Max's affection eventually tipped in her favor . Perhaps I was so consumed by the toxic triangle with Max and Ava that I never noticed the intensity of Teddy's feelings . I'd overlooked the way his eyes had reddened when we met again after all those years . I'd ignored the lonely figure he cut across the campus quad whenever he saw Max and me walking together . 12 I never even realized that as Max hurt me time and time again , Teddy was silently plotting to win me back . He wanted to marry me , but my engagement to Max was a massive obstacle . So , four years ago , he teamed up with the wild and free - spirited Chloe . He became her financial backer , protecting her from lecherous , pot - bellied investors so she could freely flirt with her lineup of young actors . In return , Chloe's scandalous behavior helped lower the bar for entry into his family . As Teddy explained it , Chloe marrying into his family would be like setting the house on fire . Me marrying in , by comparison , would just be like ... opening a window in the roof . His mother would be so relieved it wasn't Chloe that she'd welcome me with open arms . That was his crazy , four - year plan . Starting his own company had been an unexpected bonus . Even if I couldn't marry into his family , his own ventures were more than enough to provide for us for the rest of our lives . For a moment , I think I understood how Max must feel . All of this , because of a game of house from eighteen years ago ? He'd been in love with me this whole time ? No wonder I'd always secretly admired him . He really was a true romantic . I didn't get it , but I was deeply , profoundly shaken . " We were only eight back then , Teddy . Weren't you a little ... precocious ? " " You were eight , " he corrected me , deadpan . " I was ten . " I pulled my hand from his grasp . " How did you know Max and I would break up ? And how were you so sure that I would get with you after ? " A slow , knowing smile spread across his lips . " I was confident . " " After all , I put in a lot of hard work to make sure I could give you ... pure bliss . Body and soul . " He stressed those last few words , standing up and shamelessly flexing his abs and chest like a peacock displaying its feathers . My eyes burned , and my thoughts turned to mush . My mind involuntarily replayed scenes from that wild night . " Teddy , you should go , " I said , opening the door . " I need some time alone . " The information overload was too much . I couldn't process it all at once . Teddy's flexing hand froze mid - air . His handsome , deep - set eyes turned heavy , his pouty expression unexpectedly heart - stopping . 09:54