“My father doesn’t know it existed,” Sullivan clips. “I fully intended to take it to him to sign before registering it with our family’s lawyers, but…”
“But you didn’t?”
His terse expression softens a fraction. “No, I didn’t.”
“Why?”
He looks away, shaking his head to himself. “I asked myself that many times, but then my father would talk about you and his eyes would light up and… I didn’t want to be the asshole who ruined that.”
“Because you believe in love,” I breathe.
He brings his eyes to mine. “I believe in my father deserving to be happy.”
I hold his gaze, and I can tell he’s holding back, trying to keep his barriers firmly in place. The ones that stop him from dating anyone seriously, and that only allow room for the constant casual encounters Sinclair gets so annoyed with him for having.
“I believe in him being happy too. And I’ll do everything I can to make him happy every day. I love your father, Sullivan.”
“I believe you. Youramendmentsto the contract demonstrated such. You sacrificed any protection you had for yourself by removing them.”
“I didn’t care about me as long as Sterling would have been okay.”
“Hm,” he grunts, holding up the remnants of the envelope, “This is something I’d prefer you allow me to tell him about myself, once things have settled down and you’ve both had time to recover.”
“Absolutely.” I offer him a smile.
I was expecting him to want to keep the entire thing quiet to prevent any tension between himself and Sterling. But this makes sense. Sinclair always talks about how secrets can ruin families. Sullivan must share that belief.
He nods at me. “Right, well then?—”
“I can matchmake for you,” I blurt, internally wincing as his brows shoot up.
The words came out before I could stop them, and I know I’ve overstepped, but seeing him tear that contract up—he can claim it’s nothing more than him wanting Sterling to be happy, but I know he couldn’t have done that if there wasn’t a teeny tiny part of him that didn’t believe in love.
I wait for his reaction—a scathing look, or remark.
“Why don’t you concentrate your energy on continuing to make my father happy? And looking after the new addition? Molly will be thrilled to have a baby in the family.”
One corner of his mouth lifts into the ghost of a smile.
I straighten a little in shock. “I can do that.”
“Good, see that you do,” he rasps, walking to the door. He looks back before he exits. “And Halliday?”
“Yes?”
“Congratulations.”
I rest my hand over my stomach, warm tears building along my lower lids. “Thank you.”
41
HALLIDAY
“Let’swait until Mum and Dad arrive tonight before we do another,” I say to Sterling as he walks barefoot around our kitchen, fixing me breakfast, the same way he’s been doing every day since we came home from hospital a few days ago.
Sullivan, Sinclair, and Mal have all been around nonstop and this is the first day we’ve had to ourselves.
“Good idea.” He lifts his warm blue eyes to mine, and they crinkle at the corners.
