California Secrets. Jules Bennett
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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.
Harper clutched the notepad and pen as she circled the open ballroom once more. She would’ve already had all the last-minute notes she needed had her mind not been preoccupied volleying back and forth between redecorating Mirage and decorating a nursery.
Focus.
She had to remain true to her sister’s dream and to this job. Yes, her life had taken a complete twist from what she’d planned, but she wasn’t going to get off course. She had a job to do, and what type of mother would she be if she just gave up on her commitments whenever life got difficult or scary?
There. See? She was already thinking like a parent...not that she knew much about that role. The closest thing she’d had, her one and only life support, Carmen, had been taken much too soon. Harper would give anything to have her sister/parent/best friend here to offer advice or a hug. Harper could definitely use a consoling hug right about now.
Tears pricked her eyes, and she cursed as she blinked them away. Getting upset wouldn’t change a thing, which was why she needed to focus and stay on track.
Harper jotted down a few more last-minute notes as she slowly made her way around the open space once again. This room was currently closed off from the rest of the resort. From what Harper could gather, when Mirage first opened, there had been quite a few extravagant dances and receptions here. She wanted to bring this room back to life and compete with the newer resorts that had opened recently.
The resort was beautiful; the location demanded nothing less. But