He’d had a kid for the last four years. It didn’t seem real. Truthfully, he didn’t feel any different, and yet, how was it possible not to? He had a child he hadn’t even known existed until literally ten minutes ago.
His first reaction had been to question if she was even his. It may have sounded like a dick move to Kenzie, but it was a legitimate question—how could he know? They’d been strangers. It’d been a one-night stand. It wasn’t supposed to have meant anything.
Anger soon followed. He hadn’t asked for this sudden responsibility to be dropped on him. He hadn’t been given a say in whether hewantedto be a father. Kenzie had obviously just decided to go ahead and keep her.
She’s been raising her alone without any help from you, a small voice pointed out reasonably, which then made him feel like shit. ‘I never expected to see you again,’ she’d said earlier. She’d got the impression he was backpacking, like the mates that he’d been with that night.
Did that mean she’d hoped he was out of the picture somehow? What if she’d been planning on falling pregnant and she’d selected him as the father? He dismissed the idea as soon as it came to him. She didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who’d do something like that. She was a businesswoman. What purpose would it serve to deliberately have a baby after the years she’d put in at uni?
Once those thoughts quietened down, he hovered between disbelief and wary acceptance. It still didn’t seem real that he could possibly be a father. Well, technically at this stage, he couldn’t really claim to be a father—he’d done nothing more than contribute to the making of said child—but did hewantto be a father, now that he knew?
Kenzie had made it clear she didn’t care if he decided not to do anything about it, but could he go through life knowing he had a kid somewhere and hadn’t done anything about getting to know her? Annoyance flared up briefly once more. If he’d never been told, then he wouldn’t now have to make this kind of decision. But would he have preferred not to have known? He wasn’t sure he had the answer for that.
He thought about his family. They’d be disappointed in him as a man if he chose to ignore a child he’d fathered. An image of his mother suddenly came to mind. He could imagine how she’d react if she found out she had a grandchild who she’d never been told about.
He gave a long sigh as he walked to his car and climbed in. He was already having trouble trying to integrate Sasha into his family. Well, maybe not his father, who was impressed by her family’s money. His mother and sister accepted her—she was his future bride—but he knew they had reservations about the match.
He’d met her on a dinner cruise he’d gone on with one of his workmates, and had been completely entranced by her. Sasha was like no one he’d ever met before; rich, confident and oozing sex appeal. She’d sauntered up to him and heldhis gaze with those big, dark eyes and, for reasons he had no idea about, she’d chosen him over all the others who’d been on board that night—even the guy she’d come on the cruise with. He still winced at that.Poor bastard.
Sometimes he thought she’d chosen him because he wasn’t the type of yes-man all her other boyfriends had been. Her father was a wealthy man, and Sasha had been hurt in the past by men who’d pretended to want her, but had actually wanted a way into her father’s vast empire.
The Delsantos made no secret of the fact they were dubious of the match but, unlike his parents, they were more concerned that Ewan didn’t fit into their world. It hurt, he could admit that, and when Sasha had come to him with an offer from her father to work for him, he’d been more than a little sceptical. He hadn’t planned on a change of career and knew next to nothing about private equity and acquisitions, but once they were engaged, Leo had pulled him aside and told him in no uncertain terms that if Ewan wanted to marry his daughter, he’d better be willing to step up and be the kind of man who was worthy of being her husband. He took that to mean he needed to earn an income to keep her in the manner to which she had become accustomed. That was going to be a problem if he kept his current job as a logistics manager in a transport company, so the decision to accept was pretty much a no-brainer.
He was good at his job, and surprised by how much he liked corporate life. However, he had concerns about working for a Delsantos’ company. He knew his colleagues looked down onhim because he’d been handed the job without earning it—which had been true—but he’d worked his arse off. He already had a degree in business and finance, thanks to his father pushing him to study something useful, but he’d undertaken a Masters of Economics as part of his job transition and put in long hours to ensure he deserved his job. It wasn’t enough. No matter how hard he tried, the others still considered him some kind of gold-digger, even now, two years later.
There were times when he’d considered throwing in the job and finding a new one—anything to distance himself from the rumours and try to earn the respect of his peers.
Sasha had been horrified. ‘You can’t throw Daddy’s offer back in his face like that! You owe him your loyalty. He made you what you are.’
That kind of shit really annoyed him. Yes, her father had given him a start, but Ewan had worked hard. He didn’t like the future he was beginning to see unfolding before him if he stayed. He could do this job for another company and feel a lot better about himself. After the wedding, that’s what he planned on doing.
Lately, he’s caught himself becoming the yes-man he so detested just to keep the peace with his future wife and father-in-law. It didn’t sit well. Sooner or later, something was going to have to give.
He loved Sasha, but he was growing tired of her childish tantrums. They’d spent a lot of time apart over the past two years, between his work and her travelling, and he sometimes wondered if it was more than physical distance. There was adifferent side to her when they were alone—generous, honest, playful—but when her father was involved, she morphed into a spoiled little rich girl. It had recently started spreading into all things wedding-related too. He’d just decided it was easier if he nodded and went along with whatever she and her mother chose. He would have preferred a quiet backyard wedding at his parents’ farm. Sasha had almost had a stroke when he mentionedthat, so, elaborate, over-the-top society wedding it was.
Ewan swore loudly in the silence of his car. How was he going to bring up the fact he had a daughter? He gave a rueful chuckle. Kenzie had tried to warn him. Maybe if he hadn’t been so busy trying to keep his bride-to-be happy by bullying their wedding planner, he’d have avoided all this shit. Kenzie had been trying to quietly disentangle herself to avoid the very thing he now faced.
He drove aimlessly, feeling a need to not be anywhere in particular. He couldn’t go back to the office. They’d probably be looking for him as he hadn’t told anyone he was heading out, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind to deal with work right now.
Eventually, he found himself at a beach and parked the car, leaving his phone and getting out to sit on the bonnet. The crash of waves drowned out the endless loop of thoughts, and the salt air helped to calm his inner commotion. And then he really thought hard about what to do next.
When he got back in the car, he reached for his phone, which was on the passenger seat, and saw a number of missedcalls, mostly from Sasha. Any minute, there’d be another one. Right on cue, the phone rang and he let out a resigned sigh. ‘Hey, babe—’
‘Where have youbeen? I called the office, and they said you’ve been out most of the day. Why haven’t you been returning my calls! Did you speak with Kenzie yet? Have you convinced her to reconsider?’
‘Babe. We need to talk.’
Seven
Kenzie wearily sank onto her sister’s lounge and leaned her head back.
‘Well, at least it’s done now,’ Brook said sympathetically.
Kenzie had come straight over after her last appointment had thankfully been cancelled by the client, only stopping to pick up Poppy from her childcare centre on the way. She accepted the glass of wine Brook offered, grateful that Poppy was happy to entertain herself in Brook’s spare room with the toys left here for exactly this purpose.
‘What do you think he’ll do now?’
‘I have no idea,’ Kenzie said, dragging herself upright. ‘I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He was shocked, of course, but I’m not sure what he plans on doing.’
