“You’re the mother of my child.”
“Charlotte is special. I’m nothing to you.”
He was quiet and everything hurt: her heart, her blood, her veins, her nerves. She waited, on tenterhooks, anger twisting inside of her. Anger at herself, for being right back in this position, waiting for him to say something to make it better, waiting for him to what? Love her?
She blinked away from him. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I didn’t sleep with anyone else.”
Just the idea of it was stripping her throat raw. “It doesn’t matter.” Everything ached. He was a free agent. Their relationship was a lie. “I just want to go home.” And she meant it. Not to his sky palace, but to her real home. She wanted to walk in her front door and pretend he didn’t exist. Just for a while.
In the morning,he was polite, but distant, making her a coffee and talking about the weather as though the evening before hadn’t happened.
And what had happened, anyway?
He’d confirmed he hadn’t slept with anyone else. So? It didn’t change anything about what they were.
When he left for work, he gave Charlotte – still dressed in her little white romper suit – a hug, kissed the top of her dark curls, then handed her to Abby. “I’ll see you tonight.”
No kiss for Abby.
Her heart turned over in her chest and a strange sense of emptiness moved into her chest cavity for the rest of the day.
“Okay, spill.”
Gray arched a single, thick brow, waiting for his sister to continue. Dressed in leather pants and a white silk blouse, she looked every inch the billionaire supermodel.
“Spill what?”
“The beans.” She clicked her manicured fingers impatiently. “How’d you meet her? Why didn’t you tell me about her sooner? When are you getting married? When did you find out about Charlotte?”
Gray should have known this would be more interrogation than business meeting. “So you don’t have anything important to discuss then?”
“You don’t call a secret girlfriend important?”
“It’s no secret.”
Max rolled her eyes. “Then why haven’t you told me about her.”
He hadn’t expected this. Heshouldhave, given Max’s personality, but somehow, he’d just hoped she’d accept the story as presented, rather than digging for additional details.
“Until recently, our relationship was hard to define.”
“Meaning, what, Gray? You weren’t monogamous?” Max crossed her arms, obviously displeased with the idea. “Tell me you haven’t been screwing around while Abby’s been raising your baby.”
“No,” he denied quickly.
“Then what’s complicated?”
“Aren’t all relationships? At least, a little?” He hedged. “The important thing to focus on is that we’re getting married.”
Max frowned. “And that you love her.”
It wasn’t a question, but Gray felt the searching look in her eyes, felt it probe his sinew and soul, so he nodded once. “Of course.”
“Good,” Max smiled her approval, as though everything was right in the world. “I’m glad. She seems like a lovely woman, and a great mother. I can’t wait to introduce Charlotte to Amelia.” The smile dropped. “I still don’t know why you didn’t tell me about Charlotte –,”
“Can you look beyond that?”