“No,” I rasped, shaking my head hard.
“Anna, you need to tell him.”
“I can’t.” My voice cracked. “I can’t, Mick.”
He squeezed my hand. “Anna, he’s the father. He deserves to know.”
A bitter, broken laugh escaped me. “Deserves? He signed the divorce papers, Mick. He walked away. And now, you want me to tell him this?” My hand rested against my trembling stomach. “I won’t.”
“Anna, think about this. It’s not just about you anymore. He has a right to be in the baby’s life—”
“And what if he doesn’t want to be a part of it?” I cut him off,the words edged with fear. “What if he thinks the baby is just an inconvenience and rejects us? I will not let him do that to my baby.”
“You’re scared. I get it. But hiding this from him… it’s a lot, Anna.”
I wrapped my arms around myself. “I’ll carry it. Alone, if I have to. I’d rather my baby grow up without a father than risk letting him hurt my child.”
He looked at me for a long, heavy moment before his shoulders dropped, his eyes softening with affection. “You are not alone.”
I turned to him, tears still blurring everything.
“I’ll be here,” he said simply. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.”
My lip trembled. “Mick—”
He pulled me against him, his arms wrapping around me, grounding me while my whole world spun out of control. “You’ve got me, Anna. Always.”
Liala giggles and pulls me back to the present. She squirms on my lap, and her little hands grab at my shirt. I hold her closer, tighter to my chest, as a fear gnaws at me.
What if Landon ever finds out about her?
I shake my head and press a kiss into Liala’s curls. “You’re mine, baby girl. You’ll always be mine. No one will take you from me. Not even your dad.”
But even as I whisper it, a battle rages on in the back of my mind.How will Landon react when he finds out the truth?
Chapter 12
Landon
Seven days. Seven damn days since I had her in my arms. Since I felt her body arch beneath mine. Since I heard her moan my name. And seven fucking days of silence.
I’ve called. I’ve texted. Left her voicemails. But I got nothing. Not even her anger to keep me sane. She’s shut me out completely, and it’s driving me past the edge.
I know she’s got trust issues—I get it. But she needs to see I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll do everything in me to prove it until there’s no doubt left.
With that thought steeling my mind, I slam the gear into park, my car idling outside her office.
‘It’s time for her to face, me whether she wants it or not,’I murmur under my breath as I shove the car door open.
Buttoning my coat, I stride through the glass doors of the imposing building. The moment I step inside, every head snaps up. Women sit up straight and openly gawk, a reaction I’ve seen a thousand times, but I don’t slow down. My steps stay measured as I cut straight to the reception desk.
The woman behind it lifts her head, her eyes going wide as she catches a sharp breath, as though she’s forgotten how to breathe.
“Anna Delgado,” I say, making it clear I expect an answer, and fast.
“Yes, sir,” she stammers, immediately scrambling at her keyboard, her fingers tripping over the keys like she’s terrified to keep me waiting. But before she can even look up to answer, a smooth voice cuts through the air.
“Mr. Hayes.”
