I glanced up from my desk as Chloe knocked and opened the door, Rowan behind her.

“What are you doing here?” I pushed my chair back and stood.

He walked into the office and stopped, taking it all in. I could tell he was impressed by the way his brow arched, but the serious expression on his face made me worry about his reason for being here at all.

“I’ll be out there,” Chloe said. “Shout if you need me.”

“Thanks, Chlo.” I looked at Rowan. “What’s going on?”

“We need to talk.”

“Okay.” I sat, not liking the way he said those words. He took a seat across from me, folding his hands on the other side of my desk.

“It’s about a couple of things. One is Camryn,” he said, closing his eyes. “I fucked up.”

My stomach turned. How many times could we go through this? “Fucked up how?”

“She showed up at Miles’s school this morning.”

“What? Where’s Miles?” I stood again.

“He’s fine. I went back and checked on him, spoke to him, he’s fine.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“I didn’t want to tell you this over the phone. I promise, he’s okay.” I must have looked ready to run out the door because he said, “Tessa, I promise. Nothing is going to happen to him.”

I forced myself to remain seated even though it really was the last thing I wanted to do. “What happened?”

He recounted what happened from the way Camryn showed up and caused a scene to the police showing up afterward.

“You filed for an order of protection?”

“I couldn’t,” he said, swallowing thickly. “I’m not Miles’s legal guardian. My name isn’t on his birth certificate, so . . . “

He let the words hang. Under any other circumstance, I would have given those words a little more acknowledgment, but as the calm passed and the rage began to slowly creep through me, the only thing I could do was think about killing Camryn. I’d kill her. I’d fucking choke the hell out of her. How dare she show up at my son’s daycare? How dare she look at him? How dare she—

“Tess, say something,” Rowan whispered across from me.

“I hate her.”

“I know and I swear I’d rather die before she did anything that would hurt Miles in any way. I don’t think she would. I don’t want her near him, but I don’t think she’d do anything to a little boy.”

I felt sick, so sick. I slumped in the chair again, putting my elbows on the desk. I buried my face in my hands. “You don’t know that.”

The next second had him kneeling on the floor next to my chair, his hand on my shoulder. I didn’t shove him away, even though a part of me wanted to.

“She doesn’t know Miles is yours. I’m afraid if she found out . . .” He let loose a deep breath. “I couldn’t bear it, baby.”

He couldn’t bear it? I nearly laughed at that, but I knew it was unfair. He’d been watching Miles, taking care of him, being a father to him. In truth, I wasn’t sure what I would have done without Rowan these last couple of weeks.

But this?

This was major and brought on a wave of fear I’d never felt. Camryn could go after me all she wanted, but my son was off limits, and if she didn’t even know he was mine . . . fear gripped my chest. I lowered my hands and looked up at Rowan, who looked completely at a loss for words. He was chewing on his bottom lip as he watched me, waiting for the verdict. He knew it would be bad. It had to be.

“You need to stay away from us until the divorce is final.”

His face fell. “What? No. I can’t not see you. I can’t not see my son.”

“Your son is the reason I’m asking you to do this. For him, because of him, you need to stay away until this is all final and we figure out how to make sure she stays away from us.”

“Tessa—"

“You can Skype with him, talk on the phone, whatever you want, but please wait until she’s out of your life before you come crashing back into ours. He’s a baby.” The look in his eyes nearly broke me in two, but my son was my priority. “He bleeds, you know. Our little boy bleeds.”

“I know he does,” he said brokenly. “And out of all the things I’m proud of, that one’s at the top of the list.” He cupped my face, leaned down, and kissed me softly. “I love you, Sprite. Don’t forget that.”