I lifted my chin, refusing to let him intimidate me even though my heart hammered against my ribs. And not just because of our confrontation. “Rea was in a car accident just outside Atlanta three months ago. She needed emergency surgery, and there were complications. Her only other family was a brother, but she’d already called our office because she didn’t want him anywhere near Isa. One of my coworkers got to the hospital before she died. Rea told her that Isa was the result of a one-night stand. Based on when she was born, it would’ve been back in February of last year.”
He shook his head. “Which means she can’t be mine because it’s been a lot longer than that since I fucked someone.”
I liked that way more than I should and had to force myself to keep my professional mask in place as I continued, “She said you stayed the whole night, told her it was more, and that you wanted to build something real with her. Then you snuck out the following morning, and she couldn’t find you. All she could do was put your name on the birth certificate.”
My throat burned as the rest slipped out before I could stop it. “It took our best investigator three months to track you down, so I understand why she couldn’t find any trace of you after you bailed. Especially since I also get how tired she must’ve been since Isa has been in my care. I’m the one who’s been walking the floors of my apartment when she wouldn’t settle, changing diapers, singing lullabies, and hoping she’d stop crying for a mother she’ll never remember. I held her while she grieved in the only way a newborn can, and now you’re standing here denying any of it ever happened. Like she doesn’t matter.”
Griffin didn’t retreat from my fury. Instead, he leaned closer as his hard mouth softened just enough at the edges that my traitorous heart stuttered. “She matters.”
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I blinked them back. Even though I found myself wanting to believe Griffin, I refused to cry in front of him. Not when Isa’s future hung in the balance.
I swallowed hard, fighting the pull between us. “As her foster parent, my office trusted me to make sure Isa was safe. Whether you’re telling the truth or not, that little girl in there deserves better than being dumped on a stranger who might disappear on her, too.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Not gonna disappear on her. I didn’t make that baby girl, but I’m not the kind of man who’s gonna let her get lost in the system. She’s damn lucky to have had you watching over her these past few months. And to have you fighting in her corner now. But you won’t be doin’ it aloneanymore. No matter how it got there, as you said…my name’s on her birth certificate. That makes her my responsibility.”
My breath caught at the fierce determination in his deep voice. The unwanted heat flared hotter, mixing with the anger and fear until I didn’t know where one ended and the other began. I should step back, but my feet stayed rooted to the gravel while my body hummed with an awareness I had no business feeling.
Griffin “Cross” Reid was trouble wrapped in muscle and ink, but I was in too deep with Isa to just walk away. Which meant sticking close to the only man who'd ever made my pulse race.
But for that sweet little girl waiting inside, I was willing to put my heart at risk.
3
CROSS
The blend of love and anguish that shadowed Hannah’s eyes as she spoke about Isa hit me harder than I anticipated. Her voice had shaken slightly, her gaze bright with unshed tears. She had a vulnerability that cracked right through my tough-ass armor. It was crystal clear how deeply she cared for the tiny girl she’d brought to me. And how fiercely protective she was even though Isa wasn’t hers by blood.
Before I could find words to respond or even process my own reaction fully, Hannah straightened abruptly, visibly forcing her emotions back under control. She cleared her throat softly, her gaze darting away to hide the rawness I’d seen. When her eyes met mine again, they were bright with a dry, self-deprecating humor.
“If you’re planning on sticking around, you should probably consider not making it so damn hard for people to find you.” Her voice held a faint edge of teasing sarcasm, masking the vulnerability I’d glimpsed seconds before. She arched a brow at me, her lips quirking into a challenging smirk. “You know, for future reference.”
I frowned, irritation prickling at the back of my neck. “Me being hard to find was intentional, sweetheart. I?—”
She cut me off with a soft, mocking snort and folded her arms beneath her tits, unintentionally drawing my gaze there for a heated second. “Let me guess—dodging all the angry women you’ve left behind in your wake? The ones you conned out of their panties?”
Frustration tightened my chest, my jaw clenching as my patience snapped. Moving faster than she expected, I reached forward and cupped her chin firmly in one hand, forcing her startled eyes up to meet mine. My grip wasn’t harsh, but it was strong enough to show her exactly who was controlling this conversation. “Enough. Close that pretty mouth of yours and listen for once.”
Her eyes flared wide with surprise, a flash of heat and indignation flitting through the expressive brown depths, but something else was there, too. Her lips parted softly, her breath hitching as her pulse quickened visibly in her throat. I forced myself to ignore my body’s instant reaction, focusing instead on the weight of the truth I needed her to understand.
“I’m not hiding from some trail of broken hearts and pissed-off women.” My tone was low and devoid of humor. “Got a twin brother, Gavin, who’s nothing but a fucking walking disaster. Spent his whole life causing trouble, and he doesn’t give a shit who gets hurt along the way. Especially me. For years, I was the one cleaning up his messes. Whenever Gavin pissed someone off, they’d come looking for me, thinking I knew where to find him or that I’d protect his sorry ass.”
Hannah’s eyes searched mine, her rigid posture softening slightly because she was clearly taken aback. She didn’t interrupt or challenge—just listened intently, like she was trying to weigh the truth of my words against her assumptions about me.
I drew in a slow, steadying breath, forcing down the simmering anger and frustration that talking about Gavin always stirred up. “When I finally left Atlanta, I decided I was done being Gavin’s damage control. Finished letting his choices fuck up my life. So I made myself hard to track down. Reduced my digital footprint, obscured my records, and got rid of anything tied directly to my name or location. Kept just enough official information out there to stay legal, but any correspondence routes through the club’s businesses. Nobody’s been able to find me unless I wanted them to.”
Her brow furrowed slightly as she took it all in, processing the depth of the measures I’d taken. “That’s…intense.”
“It was necessary.” My thumb brushed gently along her jaw without thought. “Gavin made plenty of enemies. Men who didn’t give a fuck if it was me or him they found, as long as someone paid for what he’d done. Wasn’t gonna risk any of that bullshit following me anywhere ever again.”
The longer I looked at her, the clearer the realization became. My brother had told Isa’s mom that he was me when he spent the night with her. That was why my name was on the birth certificate. The pieces fell into place, and a surge of cold fury shot through me, chilling my blood.
“My fucking twin,” I growled.
This whole fucked-up situation had Gavin’s signature written all over it.
I glanced back at the store, thinking about the little girl waiting for me in there. Then I looked back at Hannah, who watched me with indecision written all over her face.
“Can we go back inside and talk? I’d like to get to know Isa while I explain everything.”
