“I guess so, but I’m still not following.”
“We get married,” I say, leaning forward and catching a whiff of her sweet magnolia scent. “Legally, Jesse would be both of ours. You'd still be with him, and Cody wouldn't have a leg to stand on.”
Davie sits stunned and silent for a moment. A range of emotions crash over her round features before landing on utter astonishment.
“You want to get married? I don't even know you… A-And you slept with my sister!”
“Who I don't even remember.” The admission sounds callous to my ears, but it’s the truth. “Think about it.”
She huffs, her eyes wide and incredulous. “We're not sure if youareJesse's biological father. Let's take things one step at a time.”
“Whatever you say. You call the shots,” I agree easily even as determination to make Davie and Jesse mine solidifies in my belly.
I’ve never felt such an instant attraction to a woman.
Never felt so sure about anything in my life.
It’s an uncomfortable sensation, but I’m not about to shrug it off. I’m forty-three-years-old. I’ve long given up on the idea of having a family of my own.
But Davie showed up on my ranch.
With news of my baby.
Even if the paternity test is negative, I’ll still claim Jesse and his aunt. Partially because Cody sounds like an unreliable prick, but mostly because I’ll do anything to protect this innocent woman and baby.
Davie needs help?
She can count on me.
7
DAVIE
This man is more dangerous than I thought.
Marry him?!
Who would suggest such a thing to a stranger they just met?
Not a sane and responsible person.
But what worries me more than Cormac’s proposal is my gut reaction to agree. Sure, I produced the expected outward incredulity, but inside, his plan makes a whole lot of sense.
If he’s Jesse’s father.
“Okay, well, first things first. We need to determine if you’re Jesse’s bio dad. Since it’s court-mandated, you’re required to use an approved lab for testing.” I bite my lip, wishing Jessica had remembered—or known Cormac’s last name at the ruling—because then the information would have been couriered to him, rather than me needing to track him down across state lines.
Cormac pulls out his phone and starts typing. “There’s a doctor in town. Though it won’t be official, maybe we can get a rapid test done before moving forward.”
“Right… Wouldn’t want to make the trip for nothing.”
His head whips up so fast I jerk back in my seat, baffled over the fierceness in his gaze.
“I’m going to court with you no matter what,” he says. “It’s just a matter of knowing how strong our case will be. Married, so the bio aunt isn’t a single mom, since the judge doesn’t seem to approve of that, or married, so the bio aunt and bio dad are the obvious choice for placement.”
“Wait, you’ll marry me even if you’re not Jesse’s father?”
“Damn straight. Now, let’s get going. Dr. Landish will meet us at the clinic for the test. We’ll have to pick up Jesse to get his DNA, too.”
