“Whatever. I’m done waiting for Darcy to come around. I’ve given her plenty of time to tell me who the brat’s father is. Darcy ismine. She belongs with me. I’ll be paying your lying niece a visit when you leave and demand a paternity test. Her parents will force her to marry me.”
“You stay the fuck away from her.” I’m sure this guy knows where she works, and it kills me that I can’t protect her while I’m minding Sadie.
“Lick my dick.” Callum turns and struts down the street.
Sadie is pinned to my bum, clutching my leg. I’m glad that only took about a minute.
I turn around and crouch. “It’s okay. I’m here. No one will hurt you.” I hug her and hate that she’s shaking, and that she had to hear such foul words coming out of that lickarse’s mouth.
“Who was that?” she asks, her voice small and muffled in my shoulder.
“No one. No one to you. Someone who thought he knew me. He doesn’t.” I let her go and wipe the tears off her cheeks, rage firing through me. “How about that ice cream?”
She nods. “Okay.”
I lift her into my arms and carry her to the shop, the wordsbratandpaternity testechoing in my ears to the rhythm of the blood pounding in my skull. What if that scumbagisSadie’s father and causes trouble? Would Kieran look the other way? Think of Sadie as a brat? Do I have to tell him who Sadie’s father is as part of the deal to marry Darcy? Will Kieran send Sadie to go live with Callum?
That’s not happening. I’ll break the deal myself first.
CHAPTER TEN
Darcy
Iclosemyfrontdoor, soaking wet from the rainstorm that hit around four p.m. I didn’t take an umbrella with me this morning and ran into the house, getting pelted.
The smell of seasoned beef hits me and my stomach rumbles. “Hello. I’m home,” I call out, shaking the loose drops from my bag.
Sadie runs up to me with Lucy in a dress. “Look what Uncle Ewan bought me.”
Silhouetted at first, he comes out of the kitchen, drying his hands. “You’re soaked.”
I sure am.
“It’s lashing out.” I smooth my wet hair. “You bought her doll a new dress?”
“She didn’t ask. I wanted to.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. He’s rich and has money to throw around.
I don’t. I smile and kiss Sadie on the forehead. “Say thank you.”
“I did.”
“She did.”
“How much do I owe you?”
He steps closer. “Nothing. It was my pleasure.”
“Uncle Ewan says we’re taking a trip.” Sadie dances around, attempting a handstand against the wall.
Ewan blushes and pulls me aside. “I realized with half the words out of my mouth, that I probably shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”
I have mixed feelings about him telling her. In a way, I’m secretly relieved because I wasn’t sure what I’d say. Sadie doesn’t seem to be broken up about it. I suspect because she doesn’t fully understand. At the end of the day, I’m her mum, and I decide what’s best for her.
I’m just not sure, to be honest. The only thing stuck in my head about this trip is living under the same roof as Ewan. Which makes sense for me since he’s Sadie’s father. I just have to figure out a way to tell him. I’m already too late. But how was I supposed to blurt that out with my family around? My dad, especially, would have lunged for his half-brother for simply touching me, never mind fathering my child.
I stood a chance of telling Ewan this morning when we were alone, but he was naked. Hard. Touching himself. I love my daughter, but she was as far from my mind as anything could be in those few startling moments while staring at Ewan’s cock.
Looking at Sadie, I say, “How does that sound? Taking a trip? Going on an airplane?”