Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
I hold up my hand.
“No, I mean …”
But Catherine cuts me off.
“If you insist on apologizing, then consider yourself forgiven okay? I’m sorry, but I really have to go.”
My heart races as I reach for her hand, but she’s much too quick. She slips from my fingers and turns away when suddenly, my eyes catch a glimpse of a stain on the front of her dress. Or two stains, actually. There are dark wet patches forming on each of her breasts, and I stare at them curiously.
Catherine’s eyes widen in horror as she cups her hands to her breasts.
“Are you okay?” I ask. “What is that?”
Her face turns a bright crimson.
“Nothing,” she mumbles, turning her back to me while clutching her arms over her chest.
“Are you hurt?”
“Don’t worry about it,” she says in a muffled voice as she begins to speed-walk away. My eyes stay on her as the wheels in my head whirl in confusion.
What could possibly make something like that happen? And in such a strange location too. What could it be?
Suddenly, realization strikes. My eyes widen as my mouth drops. I chase after her, and this time, I grab her elbow, forcing her to swing around to look at me.
“Have you had a baby?” I ask bluntly. The words are rushed, but I have to know.
“Not now, Hunter,” she says, clearly embarrassed. She’s still cupping her breasts so that no one can see the wet spots, although people are starting to look regardless.
“Catherine.” Her name is sharp coming off my tongue. “When I was with you, you were a virgin. Did you have a baby?”
She turns and refuses to meet my eyes. But finally, she looks up.
“Yes,” she admits. “I’ve had a baby, and I’m breastfeeding at the moment. I have a lot of milk, and sometimes it seeps through my bra. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find my child.”
But my expression is grim.
“How old is the baby?” I ask, feeling every thud of my heart in my veins. The wheels in my mind spin as I count in my head, furiously doing calculations.
“Does it matter?” she asks fiercely.
“It does to me,” I answer, holding onto her arm.
She shoots me an unreadable look.
“Lily is nine months old.”
Every fiber in my body goes numb. The timing is perfect. I must have gotten her pregnant the one and only time we were together. I’m a father!
I feel my fingers lose their grip around her arm as her words sink in. Suddenly, her voice penetrates my fog.
“Hunter, are you okay?” she asks worriedly. “You look faint.”
I stagger a bit, but then right myself before shooting her a grim look.
“Is Lily mine?”
I can see the indecision on Catherine’s face. She’s not sure whether she wants to tell me the truth. But then she nods, and meets my eyes.
“Yes. Lily is your daughter, Hunter. But that doesn’t mean anything has to change,” she says. “She was an accident, and I don’t blame you for it. You have your life in New York, and we have our life here, in Arizona. I don’t hold you responsible, and again, nothing has to change.”
I exhale deeply before fixing her with an angry stare.
“Nothing has to change? Are you kidding me? This changes everything.”
“It doesn’t have to,” she says quickly. “I’ve done just fine all by myself with just me and Lily. We’re fine.”
But I could tell that it wasn’t true. Catherine’s lower lips quivered as she spoke, and suddenly, a pall of exhaustion came over her face. I noticed that she was pale, and suddenly, my heart broke. This woman had my baby on her own, and has been shouldering the care of a newborn by herself. My child. My daughter. A rush of possession and love came over me.
“I want to see her. I want to see my daughter.”
Catherine shakes her head.
“That isn’t a good idea. It will just confuse her when you leave again.”
A growl erupts from my throat.
“You have no right to keep her from me,” I say, stepping closer to her. “I’m not going to take no for an answer.”
For the first time, I see Catherine look afraid. Fear seeps into her eyes, and she steps away, shivering a bit. But then she straightens her shoulders and looks me in the eye.
“You are Lily’s father, and I will grant you that. But I want you to know, Hunter, that I won’t let you ruin her life. I won’t let you sweep in here and change everything just because you feel like it. Lily and I have made a life for ourselves, and we like it the way it is.”
I nod, although my eyes glint dangerously. After all, what Catherine doesn’t realize is that she already belongs to me. I’m going to take what’s mine, which includes her and the baby.