But Leonidas suddenly realized he would never escape it. Even with all of his fame and fortune, he was still the same worthless, unwanted boy, without a real family or home. Without a father, with a mother who despised him—raised by the twin demons of shame and grief.
He said tightly, “How you feel about me, or I feel about you, is irrelevant now. What matters is taking care of our baby.”
Daisy looked at him incredulously. “I know that. Don’t you think I know that? Why else do you think I tried to hide
my pregnancy?”
“Don’t you think our daughter needs a father?”
“Not a father like you!”
Blood rushed through his ears. With her every accusation, the stunned rage he’d felt on the river pathway built higher, making it harder to stay calm. But he managed to say evenly, “You accuse me of being a monster. All I’m trying to do is take responsibility for my child.”
“How?” she cried. “By threatening me with lawyers?”
“I never actually meant—” He ground his teeth. “You were refusing to even talk to me.”
“For good reason!”
“Daisy,” he said quietly, “What are you so afraid of?”
She stared at him for a long moment, then looked away. He waited out her silence, until she finally said in a small voice, “I’m scared you’ll try and take her from me. I saw what your money and lawyers did in court, with my father. I’m scared you’ll turn them against me and try to take her—not because you love her. Out of spite. Because you can.”
She really did think the worst of him. Leonidas exhaled. “I would never try to take any baby away from a loving parent. Never.”
Daisy slowly looked at him, and he saw a terrible hope rising in her green eyes. “You wouldn’t?”
“No. But I’m her parent, too. Whether you like it or not, we’re both responsible. I never imagined I’d ever become a father, but now that she exists, I can’t let her go. She’s my only family in the world, do you know that?”
Silently, Daisy shook her head.
“I can’t abandon her,” he said. “Or risk having her wonder about me, wonder why I didn’t love her enough to be there for her every day, to help raise her, to love her. To truly be her father.”
Looking down at the hardwood floor, she said in a small voice, “So what can we do?”
Yes—what? How could Leonidas make sure he was part of his child’s life forever, without lawyers, without threats? Without always fearing that Daisy might at any moment choose to disappear, or marry another man—a man who might always secretly despise his stepdaughter for not being his own?
His lips suddenly parted.
A simple idea. Insane. Easy. With one stroke, everything could be secure. Everything could be his.
It was an idea so crazy, he’d never imagined he would consider it. But as soon as he thought of it, the vibrating tension left his body. Leonidas suddenly felt calmer than he’d felt in days—in months.
He gave her a small smile. “Our baby needs a father. She needs a name. And I intend to give her mine.” He met her gaze. “And you, as well.”
She stared at him, her lovely face horrified. “What are you saying?”
“The answer is simple, Daisy.” He tilted his head, looking down at her. “You’re going to marry me.”
CHAPTER FOUR
MARRY LEONIDAS NIARXOS?
Standing in the deepening shadows of the apartment, Daisy stared at Leonidas, her mouth open.
“Are you crazy?” she exploded. “I’m not going to marry you!”
His darkly handsome face grew cold. “We both created this child. We should both raise her.” His black eyes narrowed. “I never want her to question who she is. Or feel anything less than cherished by both her parents.”