Читать книгу California Secrets - Jules Bennett - Страница 12

Two

Ethan might not know how to handle this situation, but he sure as hell knew he wasn’t about to walk away from responsibility. This was a child...his child. His family life may be uncertain and in shreds, but deep down, at the end of the day, family mattered more to him than anything in this world.

Wasn’t that why he was here to begin with? Every action he’d taken over the past twenty years had led him to this moment, all for the sake of his late mother and her wishes.

No matter what might come of him and Harper, that child was his future, and he would provide and be part of his or her life.

“I don’t want a relationship just because I’m pregnant,” she stated with a defiant tilt of her chin.

Ethan released her arm but didn’t back away. She was quite adamant about this whole casual, uncommitted relationship status, which was perfectly fine with him, but each time it had been mentioned or hinted at, Harper had a flash of hurt in her eyes.

Who had hurt her? What had she gone through to bring her to this point? More importantly, why did he care to make it his business? He’d known about this baby for all of five minutes, and already his mind was playing with him. He had his own past hurts to focus on. Not that he wanted Harper to be in pain—he’d never want that—but he couldn’t afford to get swept into her world and risk losing sight of his goals.

“I never said anything about a relationship,” he countered. “But we’re bonded together whether we like it or not.”

Beneath that steely look in her dark eyes there was a hint of vulnerability and fear. She wasn’t quite as calm as she led him to believe, but he’d be more worried if she wasn’t scared. Hell, he was terrified, but there was nothing that would pull him away from his child or the woman carrying it.

His mother had been a hardworking, single mom. Ethan couldn’t ignore the parallels here.

He would have Robert Anderson out of the picture and this resort back in his possession before his baby was born. Timing and persistence were everything right now.

“How long are you staying?” she asked. “We probably should dig a little deeper into each other since, well...”

She was more than welcome to go ahead and dig, but he would only feed her enough information to pacify her curiosities until he had his personal life all straightened out. No need to involve her in his family affair, which he was quite certain would get messy.

“I have no set plans.” Partial truth, but all he was willing to give. “I’m here for as long as I want to be.”

Harper’s brows drew in. “You’re so vague. Please tell me you’re not married or running from the law.”

Ethan laughed. “I’m not running from the law, and isn’t it a little late to ask about a wife?”

“I assumed you didn’t have one before we hooked up, but now I feel I should know the truth.”

Ethan shook his head. “No wife, no girlfriend. I have a twin brother in Montana, and that’s all the family I have. Well, he’s getting married soon, so I guess I’ll have a sister.”

Harper’s gaze darted down to her clasped hands, and he thought he saw that flash of hurt again, but maybe not. Maybe he just couldn’t read her well enough quite yet. He knew exactly how to read her in the bedroom, but now, well...this was completely new territory. Trying to get a bead on women emotionally had always been foreign to him.

“What about you?” he asked.

Harper shifted her attention back to him. “I have a father that I met when I was twenty. My mother is a little eccentric and floats from one spot on the globe to the next. I’m not sure what hemisphere she’s in half the time. I had a sister, but she passed away six months ago. She was...everything to me. I’m still trying to figure out how to do life without her.”

Well, damn. Not what he thought she’d say. He’d pegged her for someone with several siblings, doting parents that all gathered around a big table for each holiday. He figured she was here as a loner to get away and have some time for herself.

But instead, she was alone. Like him.

Oh, he had Dane, but since their mother’s death, nothing had been the same. For nearly twenty years, an invisible wedge had separated them, and Ethan was hoping that by getting their mother’s resorts back, maybe they’d find closure and get back that relationship they’d once had.

So, his twin was getting a wife and Ethan was getting a child. Not at all what he’d envisioned when they’d started this journey.

“Sounds like we have something in common besides physical attraction,” he told her. “Loss of family is... It’s rough.”

Harper tucked a dark curl behind her ear and nodded. “I’m keeping this baby.”

She laid claim like she dared him to argue. He had to admire a woman who wasn’t afraid to say exactly what she wanted and made no apologies about it.

“I assumed,” Ethan replied. “If you hadn’t wanted to, I would have tried to change your mind. Family is everything to me.”

Harper pursed her lips then blew out a sigh. She stepped back from him and headed toward the patio doors once again, only this time she opened them and stepped on out into the sunshine. Ethan followed her, having no clue what to say or do. For the first time in his life, his confidence, his control slipped.

No, that wasn’t true. His control had slipped when his mother died and Robert stole everything from him and Dane. Ethan had vowed to never feel helpless again—which was why he was taking this revenge head-on.

Ethan moved in beside Harper and rested his arm on the railing. The ocean breeze lifted her curls from her shoulders and sent them dancing in the wind. His body responded, immediately recalling how those strands glided over his bare skin.

Damn it. He shouldn’t be lusting after her now, but, well...he couldn’t help himself. Knowing she was carrying his child made her even sexier, and he hadn’t thought that was possible.

“It’s clear that you want to be involved, but I need you to know that I really don’t expect you to be there every minute.”

“Duly noted.”

She turned her attention to him for a brief moment, but then she glanced back to the ocean. “So what now?”

“I’ll bring a doctor to the resort to make sure you and the baby are healthy.” Damn. He was a selfish idiot. He hadn’t even asked the obvious question. “Are you feeling okay?”

Harper nodded. “Tired and nervous, but that’s all.”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to take care of you both. I’ll have the doctor here by the end of the day,” he stated.

Harper laughed as she jerked her gaze back to him. “Do people normally just jump when you snap your fingers?”

“Yes.”

Shaking her head, she turned away from him and crossed to the chaise. “Well, I have my own doctor, and I’ll call her to see what to do.”

She took a seat and stretched out, lacing her fingers over her abdomen. He immediately envisioned her in a few months with their child growing. Emotions flooded him—anticipation, worry, uncertainty, excitement.

“I meant what about us now?” she asked. “We’re not exactly a couple, and this certainly changes things between us.”

“Nothing about this attraction has changed,” he replied.

Ethan had to force himself to remain still, to not cross the balcony and take a seat on the chaise and pull her into his lap. They had never been alone this long without touching. The ache inside him grew with each passing minute, but they both needed to process this life-altering moment, and Harper needed space. Hell, so did he, but he still wanted to use sex as a distraction...just like he’d always done.

Only this time that default mode wasn’t going to be the best option. He had to care, had to put himself out there, at least a little, because he was going to be a father.

The idea nearly had his weak knees buckling. What did he know about parenting? His mother had been a saint putting up with twin boys, but she’d suffered a fatal stroke when they’d been teens. The only father figure he’d had around was Robert Anderson, and that had just been for a handful of years and had ended when the bastard stole everything from Dane and Ethan. So this was going to be one area he had to learn all on his own...a vulnerable spot to find himself in.

Harper swung her legs over the side of the chaise and came to her feet.

“Listen, I have some things I need to do today,” she told him. “We both should take some time to process, and I will contact my own doctor.”

“I will—”

Harper held up her hands. “I don’t deal well with anyone trying to control me—that’s going to be the first personal thing about me you need to understand. I can take care of getting my own health care. I promise not to leave you out.”

Ethan didn’t like it, but he understood her need to be in charge of her own body. Now he didn’t stop himself from crossing the patio. He did, however, use all his willpower to prevent himself from reaching for her.

“Come back tonight,” he told her. “Eight. I’ll have dinner ready.”

Her dark eyes leveled his. “You don’t seriously want to keep this up.”

Ethan took another step until their bodies lined up perfectly, then he framed her face with his hands and covered her lips with his. She arched against him and let out a little moan, the same moan that always drove him out of his mind. This time was no different.

Just as quickly as he’d started the kiss, Ethan released her and took a step back.

“I’ll see you at eight.”

Ethan moved back into the penthouse and headed toward the bedroom. As dramatic exits went, that wasn’t the best. But, considering they were in his suite, he couldn’t exactly leave.

He waited until he heard the elevator chime her departure before he sank onto the edge of the bed. What the hell had he gotten himself into?

He’d always prided himself on keeping all emotions and people out. That was how he’d lived for the last twenty years, but he was going to have a hell of a time continuing on that path. Harper needed him, and so did their child. That slap of reality had Ethan more afraid than anything. Was he even capable of opening up? Could he be what a child even needed?

Money was one thing—he had plenty of that and could offer everything Harper and a child could ever want. But he wasn’t going to be a hands-off dad...he just had no clue how to open his heart just enough for his baby and not get hurt.

After being shut down for so long, Ethan wondered if any of this was even possible.