“You don’t think I know that?” he hissed through clenched teeth. “I’ve done a lot of fucked up shit that I never thought twice about. But I swear to you, nothing in this world has hurt me like knowing how much damage I did to your mom.” He used his fingers to massage his closed eyes and took a staggering breath. “I was young and stupid,” he said. “When I met your mother, I was even more stupid and stubborn and hotheaded. Couldn’t nobody tell me shit. So yes, I played around and no, I didn’t give a damn who I hurt because they had hurt me.”

“How did my mom hurt you?”

“She didn’t choose me, dammit.” His fists tightened with the admission and anywhere else, Deven knew he probably would’ve punched a wall. “She chose Jamie. That shit hurt like hell because I loved that woman. I was willing to give her everything and then some, but none of it was enough because I didn’t have the money or the status.” He sighed before continuing. “When she called me and told me she’d had a baby and she thought it was mine, I got excited. I thought maybe this was our chance. But then she told me she and Jamie had settled on being together regardless of the DNA outcome and shit infuriated me all over again.”

Deven listened, trying not to feel sorry for him. But still he was tugging on her heart. Then man sounded so utterly exhausted. And broken.