‘No, they didn’t,’ Immy said, firmly. ‘The baby is your daddy’s baby. But Logan wants to double check.’
‘Why?’ Etta asked Logan. ‘If the baby isn’t Daddy’s, does that mean you won’t love it anymore?’
Everyone in the room knew she was really asking about herself and Xander wanted to pick her up andhold her tight until every single doubt and fear faded away.
‘No, absolutely not,’ Logan said. ‘I will love the baby very very much and it doesn’t matter if your daddy is the baby’s daddy or not.’
‘Then why do you need to know?’
Etta really wasn’t letting it go and Xander almost admired the tenacity, but he knew this was more about finding out where she stood in all of this.
‘I just thought your daddy would be happier if he knew for sure,’ Logan said. ‘But if he’s happy with the way things are then I absolutely shouldn’t interfere with that.’ He looked up at Immy. ‘I’m sorry.’
Etta looked at Xander. ‘Would you be happier if you knew for sure if the baby is yours?’
‘I do know the baby is mine,’ Xander said.
She chewed her lip. ‘Would you be happier if you knew if I was yours?’
That took the wind out of him. The truth was he’d prefer to never know, to bury his head in the sand and pretend Brook had never said those words. Not because it would ever affect how he felt for Etta, but he knew he would feel crushed if he had it confirmed. And that was what Logan wanted to avoid with all this.
‘No, I don’t need to know, I’m happy with the way things are.’ He paused. ‘Would you be happier if you knew?’
She shook her head. ‘Maybe. Sometimes I wonder if I should still call you Daddy.’
‘I’ll always be your daddy. If it turns out that youaren’t mine, that it wasn’t my seed that made you, then I’ll be your stepdaddy. Do you remember that book I gave you about different family relationships? A stepdaddy is someone who marries your mum and brings you up like a real dad does. Nothing will change our relationship. Nothing will change my love for you. That’s why I don’t need to know because it won’t change anything. But if you would feel happier knowing then we can do the test. I think it would be better if we waited until you were older but it’s up to you.’
Etta clearly thought about it. ‘I think I’d like to wait until I’m older.’
‘I agree,’ Xander said. ‘I love you so much.’
‘I love you too, Daddy.’
‘And I love you too,’ Logan said. ‘Always will. I’m sorry if what I said upset you. You’re right, I think it’s better to spend my money on ice cream. Shall we all go and do that?’
Etta nodded.
‘Go and get your coat then, honey,’ Xander said and Etta ran from the room.
Logan stood up. ‘I am so sorry. To both of you. It wasn’t my intention to hurt anyone, least of all you, Immy, or Etta. I didn’t mean to insinuate that you were lying about the baby. I just…’ he trailed off.
‘You saw how devastated I was after Brook had dealt her final blow and you didn’t want me to go through that again,’ Xander said. ‘I totally get you’re being protective but I need you to butt out. This is my life, mydecisions, and I won’t have you barging in here, making accusations and hurting the people I care about.’
Logan held his hands up. ‘That’s the very last thing I want to do. Consider me butted out. Immy, I am sorry.’
She nodded and Xander could see, although she was still hurt, that she had calmed down significantly from when she first came in here.
‘It’s OK. I don’t want to see Xander get hurt either, that’s why I could never do that to him.’
‘I know, I see that now. I’m sure Xander has told you about his childhood. Growing up without anyone to love us, I swore I would always look out for my brothers because no one else would. It’s a hard thing to change. But I’m going to try really hard to mind my own business from here on in.’
‘Thank you,’ Xander said.
‘I’ll wait for you all downstairs and I’ll take you all out for ice cream,’ Logan said.
He walked out.
Immy turned to Xander. ‘If there is even a fraction of doubt or worry in your mind, I will gladly still do the test. But hand on heart, I could never have slept with another man after you. You meant too much to me. You ruined me for all other men. I didn’t want another man to touch me that wasn’t you, so I certainly didn’t sleep with anyone. And if I had I would tell you.’
