Jackson (BBW Secret Baby Bear Shifter Romance) (Secret Baby Bears Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

flicker of annoyance at herself. Men don’t like women who say no when they mean yes. Don’t be like this, Liv.  

    “Of course,” she replied, still tasting the bitter traces of disappointment in her mouth. “Now I really should be going.”  

    Jackson shook his head. “Listen, why don’t you stay for a little while? I ordered a ton of food a while ago – wasn’t sure when you were planning on waking up. And this way, Max can have a little nap while we eat. He’s been up since early this morning.”  

    Olivia was surprised at how grateful she felt, and how easily she said yes. The two of them put Max down for a nap on the living room floor, surrounded by couch cushions, and waited for the food to arrive.  

    “This smells awesome,” Olivia said. She stared enviously at the platters of brunch food that Jackson had ordered. “I’m starving. I didn’t even think about it, but god, I’m really hungry.”  

    Jackson smiled. “I had a feeling you might be,” he teased. “Besides, you barely ate anything last night. Now’s a good time to catch up.”  

    Olivia nodded, relieved for a distraction. She dug into the spread, making a platter with a bagel with lox, some fresh fruit, and a few pieces of bacon and sausage. She carefully balanced the plate on her lap as she leaned back on the opposite couch, watching Max snooze contentedly on the floor.  

    “He’s a good kid,” Jackson remarked before tearing into a bagel. Olivia had to stop herself from laughing: even though Jackson’s manners were impeccable, he’d eaten almost the whole bagel in one bite.  

    “He is,” Olivia agreed. She bit her lip. “His father didn’t really think that, though,” she added in a sour tone. “I mean, well, it’s complicated.” She sighed and ran a hand through her long, dark brown hair. “He um, well, we both wanted a baby. It was something we decided when we both turned twenty-two. I wanted more than one, but he just wanted the one to start with. And then he’s…” She trailed off, aware that she was blushing again. “Well, he’s infertile. Impotent, I guess, you’d call it. So he had the idea of going to a sperm bank and picking out a donor that looked just like him. But after I got pregnant, well, he started having a problem with it.” Olivia looked at the floor, ashamed of what she was about to say. “He said he couldn’t love another man’s baby, and he said he couldn’t love me as much because of it.”  

    Jackson gaped. “He’s an asshole,” he replied firmly. “Just like I told you before. Derek sounds like a total idiot. Any man worth his salt wouldn’t say anything that hurtful, Olivia. You have to know that he was just trying to manipulate you.”  

    Olivia set her plate of breakfast down on the floor, no longer feeling hungry. “I get that,” she said softly. “But it hurt so much, it felt like it was tearing my whole world apart. And now I get mad at myself because I hate being alone, but what if the next guy I’m with turns out to be a jerk, just like Derek?”  

    “He won’t be,” Jackson said confidently. For once, his words didn’t have the usual impact on Olivia and she felt tears well up in her eyes.  

    “And then he cheated on me,” Olivia said, her chin and lip trembling. “He said it was because he wanted someone who’d never been with another guy, even though the sperm bank was his idea!” She felt a hot flash of anger. “He was so selfish!”  

    “He was,” Jackson agreed. “Sounds like the only person Derek really cares about is himself.”  

    “I’m sorry,” she said. “This is so embarrassing.”  

    “It’s okay,” Jackson said in a soothing voice. “It’s okay, Olivia. You can talk to me.”
    The gentle sound of his deep voice saying Olivia’s name was all it took for her to start crying uncontrollably. She sobbed and sobbed, covering her face in her hands. After a while, it occurred to her that she didn’t even know why