The simple response shocked him into silence for a long moment. “I’ve been happy before, Rae.”
She shook her head, her jaw setting in that stubborn way she had. “Not like that. You were… glowing.”
“I was absolutely not glowing.”
“You were.” Sounding much more chipper now, she grinned over the rim of her glass. “Walking on air, floating on cloud nine. If there was a cliché for happiness, you fit the bill that night. But then you came home the next morning and I knew something had gone wrong. All that happiness was just wiped right out of you again. I always wondered what happened.”
There was no point in keeping secrets now. “I found out she was Braden’s daughter. And once she found out who I was, she couldn’t stand the sight of me.”
It hurt, even now, to remember the venom dripping from her voice when she’d call him a “fucking mob boss” as if that was all he was, all he could ever be. Sometimes it seemed as though he was fighting a losing battle, trying to get his family free of their illegal ties so they could be more than just criminals.
But now he had an entirely new reason to fight, didn’t he? The son or daughter the universe had seen fit to gift him. His child deserved the chance to grow up without that shadow of who his father was and what he’d done.
So he’d give him or her that chance. Even if he had to burn the city he loved to the ground in the process.
Chapter Nineteen
Aria
She waited until seven, when she knew her father would be up and at work already, to arrive. The waiting had been torture, especially since she hadn’t slept more than a couple hours the night before. She’d run through the process of telling him the truth about who the father of her child was a hundred, maybe a thousand times in her mind during those long waking hours.
Fucking Killian O’Rourke, forcing her to tell her father secrets she’d been determined to take with her to her grave. But she should have known better. A man like Killian wasn’t used to being denied.
The memory of him in her apartment, holding her tight against his hard body as his emerald eyes flashed with fire, played over in her mind again just as it had countless times while she’d lain awake last night.
And just like last night, she had to squeeze her thighs together against the flash of need.
Fucking hormones.
Shoving aside those uncomfortable thoughts, and the even more uncomfortable feelings they inspired, she made her way toward her father’s office. The solid oak door was closed, which was unusual for him at this time of morning. Usually he didn’t schedule meetings before nine, as part of his dedication to a positive work-life balance for his employees.
Not for him, as she’d noted on more than one occasion. Her father was a bit of a workaholic, though he seemed to enjoy it. But he was very conscious of the fact that him being a workaholic didn’t mean everyone who worked for him needed to be one as well.
It was one of the things she admired most about him when it came to business.
Even if he was in a meeting, she would be welcome to come and sit and listen in as she’d always been. So she plastered on what she hoped was a convincing smile and pushed the door open.
And stopped cold at the sight that greeted her.
Killian Fucking O’Rourke was perched in one of her father’s visitor’s chairs, looking exactly like what he was—a wealthy, dangerous man without a care in the fucking world. He turned when the door opened, a smug smile curving his lips as his gaze raked possessively over her.
Suddenly she wished she was wearing more clothes, even though she was already dressed for the cold in a sweater and leggings.
“Aria.” Was it just her imagination or did her father look a bit guilty at being caught behind closed doors with Charleston’s most infamous mobster at such an ungodly hour? “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I’m in the middle of something. Did you need me?”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. This was not how she’d envisioned telling him. But she couldn’t let Killian be the one to tell him, either.
Or maybe she could. Would serve the asshole right when her father punched him in his pretty face.
No. Her father deserved to hear the truth from her, no matter how painful it might be.
“Actually, yes. I need to talk to you about the baby.”
God, it was fucking painful to see the way his face lit up at the mention of his future grandchild. Would he still feel that way once he learned the truth? “Of course. Killian, rain check for our meeting?”
“Ah, actually… he can stay.”
Surprise flickered over both men’s faces. But where her father simply looked confused, Killian quickly returned to his smug state as he gestured to the chair beside him.
