Beneath Her Bastard Boss

Chapter 144

Chapter 144

“Papa.”

She turned to face Luca when she heard his voice.

She had expected to see Luca with his father, sort of bracing herself to meet the man who hadn’t wanted her in his son’s life. What she hadn’t expected was that he’d be alone and staring directly at the man beside her.

The man with the cane.

The man she’d just spent the last few minutes chatting with.

Her breath caught as realization finally settled in.

“Oh, you’re Luca’s father.”

Nick arched one amused brow at her. “You didn’t know? Does my son not take after his old man?”

Sutton’s face flushed.

“No. I didn’t know.”

She turned fully toward him now, awkwardly rising from the bench. “I… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

Nick waved a hand easily, still seated. “Don’t be silly. You were kind, and you should never be embarrassed about being kind.”

He reached for his cane and used it to leverage himself upright. Luca stepped forward quickly, automatically steadying him with a light touch, one hand on his father’s elbow.

Nick shook his head but allowed it.

“I told her I’d had surgery. Didn’t say who I was,” Nick said, glancing toward his son. “Your woman is bossy, Luca. I would watch that.”

“She scolded you,” Luca said, shooting Sutton a teasing glance.

Nick chuckled. “She did. Little fire in her, this one.”

Sutton tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “You were reaching for your cane. I wasn’t going to just stand around and let you fall on your face.” She hadn’t even known Luca’s father was in the hospital. When the hell had that happened? Wait until she got Luca alone.

held back a smile. “That does sound like

more serious now. “You care about people, and it didn’t matter to you that you didn’t know me. That is a

reached for her

to people,”

spread across Sutton’s chest at the unexpected

hand just a beat longer, then added with a small sigh, “And I’m sorry I judged you without knowing. Or rather, I judged what I thought you were. And caused both you and Luca a great

words. She hadn’t

a heartbeat, That means more than you

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Chapter 144

watching the moment unfold between them. She could see he was happy

saw her kindness without pedigree or titles, without her last name attached to anything.

more than Luca

Enough rebellion for one day. only cleared for short walks, and if I keep standing here, someone

back,” Luca

“Now you’re acting

must be in shock,” Luca muttered with

his way down the hall. She walked with

minute later, an older nurse at the nurse’s station spotted them and came around the

supposed to buzz to let us know,

party.”

under

your own. I was just about

over for the rest of the week,” Luca muttered as he crouched slightly to adjust the footrest beneath the

me under control,” Nick

Sutton chuckled. “Behave yourself.”

to meet my

watchful eye, Luca returned to Sutton, falling into

lower onto the bed. He set

chair close, turned it toward her, and

the quiet: “He’ll be

low. “He’s lucky. Very. But yeah. He’s

She wouldn’t say it out loud, but today had taken more out of her than

realized.