Had she planned to tell him at some point?Did she think he had a right to know or would want to know?There was one way to find out, and it was going to be done face-to-face.Ian booked a morning flight, stuffed jeans and T-shirts into a duffel bag, and grabbed a beer.
As he thought about the woman who’d changed his life, the engineer part of him kicked in and attempted to create a linear equation involving both of them.She wanted him in her life and the baby’s life, or she didn’t.The softer side of him knew it wasn’t that simple.There were too many unknowns.
But he wasn’t giving up.
What if she refused to listen to him, refused to forgive him?Maybe even attempted to prevent him from being part of his child’s life?That wasnotgoing to happen.He’d never thought about being a father until he returned to Magdalena and saw Katie again…witnessed other couples with children.Their love was stronger, deeper, not diminished by lack of time, fatigue, or demands.Nate and Christine Desantro had figured it out.Same with Law and Ava Carlisle… Nick and Delilah Borado.He could start a list, and no doubt add pages of couples who’d made a family together.
What did he know about any of that?His parents had never been soft or gentle with their children, or each other.There’d been rules, dictates, and expectations, but they hadn’t been for the benefit of the child.No, they’d been for the benefit of the family name.Even his mother, who often shielded him from his father’s demands, couldn’t understand how her son would want a different life, one that wasn’t filled with boardrooms, suits, and stock options.I know you don’t want to follow in your father’s footsteps, but can’t you make your own path with the company?It’s an excellent business, highly respected.You would have so much power.Anything you wanted.Can’t you at least consider it?It’s all your father’s ever wanted.
Right.His father still believed money and power brought happiness.As for Ian having anything he wanted?Well, that was highly doubtful, especially since all he wanted was the woman who’d turned him away…the one carrying his child.
He thought about Katie and the baby, played various scenarios in his head, ranging from an emotional reunion to a cold dismissal.Fortunately, his brain shut down as exhaustion took over, and he dozed off.But the next morning, the possibilities of his encounter with Katie—goodandbad—consumed him.It did make the trip to the airport shorter, same with the flight, because fear and uncertainty had a way of erasing hours.
By the time he landed and rented a truck, it was late afternoon.The skies looked gray, and he wouldn’t be surprised if they saw snow tonight.Ian turned on the radio as he covered the miles to Magdalena.When his brain tried to snuff out the lyrics to George Thorogood’s “Who Do You Love,” he’d been singing, Ian turned up the volume and sang louder.By the time he pulled into Max and Grace’s driveway, snow had started falling, and the wind had picked up.He fished out a key, grabbed his duffel bag, and headed to the front door.The only person who knew he was coming was Jack, and Ian wanted to keep it that way.Please don’t tell Dolly.I know she means well, but she might get too emotional and spill to Katie, and I don’t want that.
You got that right.She’ll tell somebody, even if it isn’t Katie.Could be Harry Blacksworth.That man will cry like a watering can.Could be somebody else, and while she won’t straight-out say you’re coming back.Dolly’s never been good at hiding her feelings.Course, she sure kept me in the dark about you.Sure, I suspected, but I never thought it would amount to anything…least of all a baby, but stranger things… I’ve lived a long time and seen just about everything.You take your time and think about how you want to handle it.He’d paused, and there was no mistaking the warning in his next words.Don’t say nothin’ you can’t back up and don’t make promises you can’t keep.Understand?
Yeah, I understand.Did the man really think he was still twenty-one years old?Still floundering?Still tied to his father?Who could blame the guy after the mess Ian made with Katie?He should not have hidden the fact that he was the silent investor or the engineer.And he definitely shouldn’t have hidden the other truth—he loved her, had loved her since the first time he saw her chopping wood at the cabin.
He had one more chance for a life with the only woman he’d ever loved.If she turned him away, he’d have to accept it.But no matter what happened between them, hewouldbe involved in his child’s life.Hewouldbe a good father.He would be everything his own father was not, andthat’swhat gave him the courage to see Katie and try one last time.
Ian pulled into her driveway, parked the truck, and made his way to the front door.Music filtered from the house, a sad melody that grabbed his chest and squeezed.Was the sound of this sad desperation how Katie felt about the baby?He trudged up the front steps, knocked on the door, determined to find out.
When the door opened, Katie stared at him, eyes bright, lips parted, as though she were happy to see him.That look lasted three seconds before the full lips flattened, the eyes narrowed and the voice spewed disgust.“What are you doing here?”
His gaze slid to her belly, darted back to her face.“We need to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.I was very clear about–”
“Katie, weneedto talk.”
A tiny huff, a shake of her head, and then she opened the door to let him in.“There’s nothing you’re going to say that will change my mind.”
Oh, she had it all figured out.Well, so did he, at least the part about the baby and how hewasgoing to be part of its life.“Is that so?You have no idea why I’ve come?”He slid out of his jacket, flung it over the kitchen chair.This cabin felt like home in ways the places he’d lived never had.Not the six thousand square foot traditional with the pool and tennis court where he’d grown up, Not the ultrachic penthouse condo in L.A.Nowhere but right here.Ian waited for a response to his question, and when he got nothing but a frown, he asked, “How’ve you been?”
He didn’t miss the wide-eyed stare with the millisecond hesitation before she answered.“Fine.Busy.Trying to implement theengineer’sadvice.”She let out a harsh laugh, those eyes burning him.“Do you have any more suggestions?Maybe something like how to hide truths and conjure up lies that sound real?Anything like that?”
She moved several feet away, hands on the back of a kitchen chair, stomach hidden by the chair slats.He’d already checked her belly for signs of a baby bump.Nothing there, but hard to tell with the bulky sweatshirt.He’d spent hours attempting to calculate the date of conception, but it was impossible to know, so he worked back from the last time they’d been together.If she’d gotten pregnant, then that would be–
“Whyare you here?Don’t tell me you flew all this way to show off your new haircut and beard.”A shake of her head as she took in his shoulder-length hair and closely-trimmed beard.“Whatever you say will only be more lies, no matter how convincing they sound,orhow believable you look telling me.”
A man could only take so much taunting before you had to stand up and speak his own truth.“Lies?I’m the one doing that?”His gaze slid along the chair slats, landed on the section where he guessed her belly would be.“I don’t think so.”
Her face paled, and she looked away for the briefest second before she answered.“Lies or non-truths.Omissions.Call them whatever you like.You withheld vital information that would have changed everything between us.”There was no mistaking the anger thrumming through her words.“If I’d known who you really were, I would never have let myself get close to you.”
“Really?I’m not sure I believe that, but if that’s what you have to tell yourself, fine.From my perspective, there was so much sizzle going on between us, we could’ve fried an egg.But sure, pretend that knowing I invested in your company and was helping you as the engineer, would have mattered.I think you would have been ticked, and you would have told me you never wanted to see me again, but at some point, the attractionandthe sizzle would’ve won over.You might’ve hated me in the morning…tried to pretend it didn’t happen.But itwouldhave happened, and it would have been real.You can tell yourself any story you have to, becausethattruth is not going away and you know it.”He dragged a hand through his hair, wished for a minute, he hadn’t lopped off so many inches.“Maybe you’re so ticked off because you don’t want to feel anything for me.You want to pretend nothing mattered.Ididn’t matter,wedidn’t matter, but that’s not true, is it?”When she didn’t answer, he took a step forward, crossed his arms over his chest, and repeated, “Is it?”
“Physical attraction can’t withstand lies and betrayal.Being able to trust someone is what matters.Knowingthey care and will stand by you, no matter what.You?”She thrust her hands on her hips, must’ve forgotten she was trying to hide her belly, and advanced on him, stopping when she was close enough to throw a punch.“You might live in a world where lies are part of every relationship and hurting other people is commonplace.But I don’t, and I won’t compromise myself for anyone.”
“I see.So, you never withheld information because it wasn’t convenient to admit?Is that what you’re saying?”When she didn’t answer, anger burned through him.“You see, from where I’m standing, you’re withholding a lot of truths.Big ones, and while my actions were inexcusable, yours are worse.”
“Worse?What could be worse than the lies you told me about the companyandyour position?You tell me, Ian Finnegan, what on earth could be worse than that?”
Ian stared at her, his voice shaking when he spoke.“Not telling me I’m going to be a father.How about that?”
19
Katie sucked in air, tried to find a breath as she processed his words.Ianknewabout the baby?How?Who?
