“I’m fine, Sa—Dad,” she assured him with a minute smile.
Samuel’s face lit up when she called him Dad, and he carefully helped her up from the ground. I itched to push everyone out of the way and scoop Lilah into my arms. Instead, I stood back as Lola and Samuel led her out of the bathroom. I fucking hated that I had to pretend she wasn’t mine, that she didn’t mean everything to me.
“I probably just ate something bad yesterday,” she insisted. “Maybe there were carrots in the salad and I missed it somehow. I’m allergic.”
Samuel started to argue, but she placed her hand on his arm and patted it lightly. “I’ll make an appointment if I get sick again, okay?” He looked like he wasn’t going to let it go, but Lola jumped in.
“Why don’t you go lay down, Lilah,” she suggested. “If you feel like eating later, I’ll whip up some lunch.”
Lilah nodded and with a last, quick glance at me, she headed off to her suite. I practically glued my feet to the floor to keep from following.
“Ethan, let’s go into my office,” Samuel said, breaking me out of my intense focus on Lilah. “I want to talk to you about something.”
He kissed Lola’s cheek and then turned in the direction of his office. I walked slowly behind him and pulled out my phone to send a text.
Me: Make that doctor’s appointment today, Lilah.
My phone didn’t vibrate with an incoming text until I was seated on a small couch, with Samuel at his desk. He was shuffling through some papers, so I looked down to read the text.
Lilah: I’ll call Monday, after the move.
Me: Today.
Lilah: You’re so bossy. And, over-reacting.
Me: You’re begging for another spanking, baby girl.
Me: Call today.
Lilah: Fine.
“Ethan.” Samuel called my name and I put my phone away, satisfied Lilah would do as she was told. “My daughter and I haven’t really talked about what happened with her mother”—he frowned thoughtfully—“In fact, she’s done her best to avoid it. But, it’s clear that things were never as they seemed. She seems to trust you. Did she talk to you about it?”
I thought for a moment, wondering if I should be completely honest. Would it betray my feelings for Lilah? I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t sure she’d see it that way. However, I needed to get to the bottom of this, so I didn’t hedge around it. “Yes, but all she had to go on was her mother’s version of events though.”
Samuel’s lips turned down and his eyes darkened with sadness. “From the little Lilah has said, it seems Bonnie was extremely bitter. Ethan, I’ve got to know what happened. I’ll have to live with it for the rest of my life, but I won’t be able to truly move on until I know why.”
I nodded and mulled over what I’d pieced together from my talks with my girl. “Bonnie told Lilah you asked for a prenup and that the provisions were set in such a way that it looked like you were preparing to take Lilah away from her.”
Samuel sat back, a stunned look on his face. “How could she think I would do that?” he breathed. “I loved her so damn much. I would have given her everything without a second thought.”
I had no doubt what he said was true. “It had to have been convincing. From what you told me, she wouldn’t have believed it without proof.”
Samuel shook his head slowly, still seeming in a daze over the information I’d shared. “No, it had to have been concrete evidence. But, when my attorney asked me about a prenuptial agreement, I told him no. I never had one even drafted. I—” Samuel stopped suddenly, suspicion and confusion both clouding his expression. “It could only have come from Marcus. But, why?”
Marcus was the Wentworth family attorney. It made sense that he would want to protect his very wealthy clients, but not to the extreme of scaring Bonnie off like that. I didn’t see many other options that explained the situation though, and clearly, neither did Samuel.
“Call him for a meeting.” I tapped a finger against my lips for a moment, then added, “But don’t tell him what it’s about.” Samuel’s face was turning red, the anger boiling up inside. “You need to keep your cool until we know for sure, Samuel.”
He swallowed harshly and took a few deep breaths until his color began to turn to normal. “He’s been in Europe the last month, handling my estate in London. I’ll tell him to return immediately.”
He plunked his elbows down on the desk and dropped his head into his hands. “My little girl,” he sighed, his voice muffled. “I’ve missed so much of her life. I hope she’ll let me be a part of the rest of it. I want to watch her grow into a woman, graduate from college, pursue her dreams. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for her.”
“She’s already a woman,” I barked. Shit. I might have been a little too forceful with my answer. Samuel’s head lifted and he eyed me with an unreadable expression. “I mean, she’s eighteen and she’s been an adult practically since she was sixteen, when she had to start caring for her mom.”
He stared at me for another moment, but then seemed to accept my explanation. “True. Well, maybe she’ll get to have some of those carefree years back while she’s in college.” His eyes roamed over to the door, and he smiled ruefully. “I know you told me she was accepted to all of those ivy league schools, but selfishly, I can’t help hoping she chooses a Texas school.”
I was a little surprised that Lilah hadn’t told him about her decision not to continue school. However, they’d only had a couple of days together and it might not have come up. I debated what to say, it wasn’t really my place to divulge Lilah’s plans. Yet, I had to fight the desire to stake my claim, to tell him she would absolutely be staying put, that she was going to be a wife and mother. He needed to start seeing Lilah as the fully grown woman that she was. If not, it would be a whole lot harder for him when he found out about us.
“I suggest you talk to Lilah about it, Samuel. If anything, she’ll appreciate that you want her close.”
He leaned back in his chair, still staring off at some unseen thing in his mind. “I’m sure you’re right.” Finally, his head turned and he looked at me. “I better go check on Lilah. Thanks for offering to help her on Monday.”
I lifted my chin in acknowledgment and stood. “Let me know when you hear from Marcus.”
He got up from his chair and we walked into the hall. “Will do,” he said before slapping me on the back and going in the direction of Lilah’s room. I stood and watched him go, irritated that he was the one checking on her and not me.
I talked myself into going to work for a while, though my thoughts never strayed far from Lilah. At some point I started digging into local obstetricians, looking for the best. I called in a favor with a friend and got an appointment for the next morning. Then I shot off a text to Lilah, letting her know I’d taken care of it. She responded by calling me bossy again and I grinned at my phone, planning all the ways I’d show that I was the boss, both in and out of the bedroom.
Chapter 10
Delilah
Leaving my father’s home the next morning was harder than I expected. It wasn’t as though I was even going far since Ethan’s house was only a twenty-minute drive. But I’d only had a few days with Samuel and Lola, and much to my surprise, the idea of having a dad and a step-mom was quickly growing on me. I was having a hard time reconciling the man I was getting to know with the one who’d broken my mom’s heart, though. He seemed to be everything Ethan had said he was, and nothing like the man my mom had described to me before she died.
I struggled with the conflicting stories, unsure what to think and afraid to trust what my heart was telling me about my father. But it wasn’t something I could deal with at the moment because I had more pressing concerns on my mind, more specifically my possible pregnancy.
Even though I was tempted to hide my head in the sand about the tiny life that was most likely growing in my belly, Ethan wouldn’t let me get away with it. He’d played it cool when he came to pick me up under the guise o
f helping me move into my imaginary friend’s house—with the exception of his minor freak-out when I’d tried to carry anything out to his car—but the façade dropped the moment we’d pulled out of the driveway.
“Drink this,” he ordered, pulling a bottle of orange juice out of the cup holder and shoving it into my hand. “It’s a good source of folic acid. I was reading about your pregnancy last night, and it’s important to get enough folic acid in the first month to help prevent birth defects.”
“We don’t even know if I’m pregnant yet,” I reminded him, more than a little disturbed by the way he was talking and acting, as if it was already a definite thing. He was reading pregnancy books already, for goodness sakes! That was not normal guy behavior—unless you were an overly protective, alpha caveman like Ethan.
“Lilah,” he sighed in exasperation. “You’re not on birth control, and I’ve filled you with a bucket-full of come over the last couple of weeks. You’ve been more tired than usual, and the smell of bacon had you running into the bathroom to puke. Having the doctor confirm it is a mere formality. You’re pregnant.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled, lifting the bottle to my lips to take a sip.
“Whatever I want? Sounds good to me,” he quipped.
My startled laughter quickly died in my throat when he handed a cereal bar to me next. Followed by a banana.
“You do know that Lola fed me breakfast when I woke up this morning, right?”
His narrowed eyes slid to me for a moment before returning to the road. “You’re eating for two now.”
“Bossy,” I grumbled under my breath. My exasperation didn’t stop me from eating both items during our drive, though. What could I say? I was hungrier than I was irritated.
When we arrived at the doctor’s office, we were quickly ushered to an examination room in the back, even though there were several people in the waiting room already. I’d barely put on the gown I’d been instructed to change into when a nurse came in.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Parker,” she greeted us. “I understand you’re here today because you think Mrs. Parker may be pregnant?”
“I thought we’d be seeing Dr. Reynolds during this appointment?” Ethan barked.
“Ms. Brooks,” I corrected.
We’d spoken at the same time, but the nurse took it in stride. Ethan, however, had not since he was clearly unhappy, considering the way he was glaring at me.
“Yes, Dr. Reynolds will be in with you shortly,” she explained, answering Ethan’s question. “But first”—she handed me a little plastic container—“we need Ms. Brooks to provide a urine sample so we can run a pregnancy test.”
Ethan growled when she said my name, but it only earned him a raised eyebrow from the nurse and a dirty look from me. I followed her out of the room and down the hall to a bathroom. Providing a sample was no problem since I’d drunk all the juice Ethan had brought me. The nurse smiled at me when I handed the container over to her and let me know the doctor would be in to see me shortly, just as soon as they had the results from the test.
Ethan was pacing the floor when I walked back into the examination room. His hands were in his pockets, and he appeared to be deep in thought. I cleared my throat, and his eyes locked with mine.
“You’re mine,” he growled. “Baby or no baby, it doesn’t matter to me.”
“Of course I’m yours,” I soothed. “I’ve admitted it about a million times already.”
“I didn’t like hearing the nurse call you Ms. Brooks.”
“It is my name,” I reminded him.
“But I don’t want it to be,” he rasped, pulling a navy blue jewelry box, embossed with the Harry Winston logo, out of his pocket. He flipped one side of the top open, quickly followed by the other, and I swore my heart stopped in my chest at the sight of the ring inside. The cushion-cut diamond in the center was flawless—and huge. At least five or six carats. It was framed by micropave diamonds and set on a micropave platinum band. The design was delicate, feminine… and perfect for me.
“Oh my goodness.”
“Marry me.” He lifted the ring out of the box and slid it on my finger.
“It fits,” I breathed out.
“Of course it does,” he rasped, his thumb sliding over the band circling my finger. “I had it made for you.”
“You did?” I cried, tearing my gaze away from my finger to look up at him once again.
“I wanted to wait. To propose to you the right way, making it special. But as usual, you’re impossible to resist.”
“I’m glad.” I rose up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. “Because if the doctor walks through that door and tells me I’m pregnant, I would have wondered if that’s why you proposed to me.”
“It looks like I have perfect timing,” a feminine voice full of laughter interrupted. We both turned to find a woman standing at the door, dressed in a white lab coat with Dr. Reynolds stitched above the upper left pocket. “Congratulations on your engagement. And your pregnancy.”
I barely registered anything else she told me during the appointment. I wasn’t too concerned, though, because Ethan took notes. He also asked questions, really embarrassing ones about our sex life too. When we made it to his house a couple of hours later, after stopping to pick up more pregnancy books on the way, I was exhausted. I hardly noticed the grandeur of his home, heading straight back to the master bedroom for a nap.
My head was still fuzzy a couple hours later when I woke up. After going to the bathroom and washing my face, I tossed on my robe and went in search of Ethan. The house was huge, and I poked my head into no less than ten rooms by the time I made my way into the living room.
“This isn’t a house, it’s a freaking mansion,” I mumbled to myself, just as the doorbell rang.
In hindsight, I only had my tiredness to blame for what I did next. Wandering towards the foyer, I pulled open the door without looking through the peephole to see who it was.
“Lilah?”
“Uh, hi, Dad,” I replied lamely.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his eyes dropping to my short, pink robe. They snagged on my left hand, and the ring I wore there, before moving back up to my face and taking in my sleepy eyes and mussed hair. His face heated, and his eyes narrowed in anger.
“Fuck,” Ethan groaned from behind me, right before his hand slid to my lower back and I felt the heat of his body against mine.
“Ethan,” my father growled. “What the fuck is my little girl doing here and dressed like that?” He was shouting by the time he finished.
“I can explain. And I will. But first,”—he tugged me further inside the house, glaring at my bare legs—“Lilah is going to promise me she will never, ever answer the door dressed like this again.”
Awesome, both of the most important men in my life were pissed.
Chapter 11
Ethan
You would think my heart would have frozen at the sight of my best friend seeing his daughter at my house in nothing but a tiny robe. But, no. My heart stopped at the fact that my woman was standing in front of another person in a tiny, fucking pink robe!
I turned her around and urged her back towards our bedroom. “Go change, baby girl. I need to talk to your dad.” I deliberately ignored Samuel, who was sputtering on the front porch.
Lilah resisted the movement a little, looking at me over her shoulder with a stubborn glint in her eye. “But I—”
“Clothes first, Lilah,” I interrupted her argument, infusing my tone with steel. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, but flipped her head around and marched away.
“Ethan!” Samuel roared as he barreled inside. I stepped out of the way before he crashed into me. There was murder in his eyes, and I could practically see the steam blowing from his ears.
I gestured down the entry hallway to where my den was located, indicating he should go first. He glared as he stomped past me and I trailed after him. I was willing to admit it, I felt somewhat nervous, but I would be
unbending in my resolve to keep Lilah.
We’d barely crossed the threshold before Samuel spun around and started shouting. “You bastard! Of all people, I would never have suspected this from you.” His chest was heaving and his face had become splotchy and red, but his voice lowered slightly. “She’s my little girl and what she’s gone through . . . You took advantage of a grieving child, Ethan,” he said sadly.
I had intended to let him say his piece, to hear him out before reasoning with him. I felt I owed him that. But, I couldn’t keep quiet when he spewed an accusation like that.
“She’s a grown woman, Samuel. And, I’ve never looked at her and seen anything but that. You need to get that through your head and stop seeing her as a kid. I know you lost out on her childhood, but it’s gone and the best thing for all of us is to look to the future.”
“A future with you?” he spat. “You’re seventeen fucking years older than her! She isn’t ready for the life you want.”
“I think that should be my decision, don’t you?” Lilah stood calmly in the doorway, thankfully dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.
“Sweetheart, you’re too young to be getting married and settling down,” he pleaded. Then he threw me a disgusted scowl. “You should be going to college, dating, at least being with someone your own age.”
A growl rumbled in my chest when he talked about her dating. “Over my dead body.”
“Dad, you need to listen to me,” Lilah said gently, walking over to Samuel and taking his hand. “We haven’t had much time to really get to know each other, but I need you to trust that I am old enough to know what I want. College was never something I aspired to. I want a home and a family, and while there are other things I’ll pursue, they will always be my top priority.”
“Lilah,” he sighed. “At least come home with me and take some time to think things over.”
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