Runaway Mommy: My Boss is the Father novel Chapter 23

Theo was standing right beside them.

He muttered under his breath, "Your dad never even comes to pick you up. Do you really even have a dad?"

"Of course I do," Lily said with wide, innocent eyes. "How else would I be born without a daddy?"

That made sense.

Theo nodded, considering himself convinced by Lily's logic.

He realized his previous assumption that Lily was fatherless was wrong. His grandma was wrong, too—every kid had a dad.

It was just that Lily's dad was sick, exactly like she was.

Jaxson stood up, his gaze shifting just in time to spot Phoebe entering the school gates.

She was carrying the same bags Autumn had been holding in the elevator earlier—clearly hand-me-downs from Autumn's daughter, brought here for Lily.

Back in college, Phoebe's favorite hobby had been buying new clothes.

Every time she bought a new dress, she would wear it just to show Jaxson.

Some of the dresses were too short, too sheer, too thin, or showed too much skin, and those met a very specific fate. Jaxson loved tearing through that fabric, relishing Phoebe's shy yet accommodating expressions.

But now, the gray dress she had on was a cheap online purchase from her college days.

The dress was much older now, stretched out by a full size, completely losing its shape. In the past, it was something she would have discarded without a second thought.

Her long hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and her luminous skin bore a faint crease from a hair tie. She was stunning, possessing a radiant complexion that made it impossible for Jaxson to ignore her presence.

To fall so hard from grace—it had to be the fault of that husband of hers.

Phoebe tensed the moment she saw Jaxson. She instinctively scooped Lily up and took a few steps back, forcing a polite tone. "Mr. Hayes."

She was terrified he had noticed something off.

Lily was Phoebe's entire world now, the anchor holding her soul together. Without Lily, neither Phoebe nor Mrs. Lennox would be able to survive.

Jaxson let out a soft scoff. "I came to pick up Theo, and figured I'd check on your daughter's recovery while I was at it. She's very cute."

"Thank you, Mr. Hayes. Lily is doing fine. The compensation you provided was more than enough."

"If you need anything else going forward, contact me."

Phoebe kept a protective hand cradling the back of Lily's head and nodded. "Understood."

Just as she was about to walk away with her daughter, Jaxson's voice cut through the air.

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