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Ian didn’t have the answers and he couldn’t go back in time and analyze each and every moment. The most pressing matter right now was the fact that he was in love with Cassie and her sweet baby, and the ex had just stepped back into the picture.
Great freakin’ timing.
But Ian needed to wait, to let Cassie deal with this matter in her own way. He wasn’t stepping aside, not by any means. He’d offer support any way she wanted it, but this was her past to handle, and with a baby involved, Ian had a bad feeling things were about to get worse before they could get better.
Nineteen
Cassie jerked when the loud knock on her door pulled her out of her sleep. Glancing to the clock on the bedside table, she realized she’d slept most of the day. Damn, she’d never slept that much.
Throwing off the covers and coming to her feet, Cassie was thrilled when she didn’t sway and within moments knew she was feeling better. Perhaps her body was just telling her she needed to slow it down every now and then. The pounding on her door continued and Cassie rolled her eyes. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind who stood on the other side of the door. Ian wouldn’t pound on her door. He’d knock or just come on in, and so would her father and Tessa.
And that left only one rude, unwanted guest.
Shuffling down the hall, probably looking even more stellar than earlier today when Derek had stopped by, Cassie actually laughed. Was he really here to plead for his family back when she looked like death and after he’d left her for some young, hot bimbo? Oh, the irony was not lost on her.
Cassie took her time flipping the lock on the knob and opening the door. Sure enough, Derek stood there, clutching a newspaper. Disapproval settled in his eyes.
“Funny,” she told him, leaning against the edge of the door. “That’s the same look you wore when you left me. What do you want now?”
He slapped the paper to her chest and pushed past her to enter.
“Come on in,” she muttered, holding on to the paper and closing the door. “I thought I told you to have your lawyer contact mine.”
Derek scanned the living area, then stretched his neck to see down the hall. “Where’s Emily?”
“With Ian.” Crossing her arms, crinkling the paper, Cassie sighed. “What do you want, Derek?”
“First of all, I don’t want my daughter with a stranger.”
Hysterical laughter bubbled out before she could even try to control it. “Seriously? If anyone is a stranger to her, it’s you. We’ve already established what you think of Ian, so state your reason for this unwanted visit or that threat of calling security will become a fast reality.”
He pointed toward the paper. “Apparently you haven’t seen today’s local paper. Maybe your pretty boy is a stranger to you, as well.”
Cassie unfolded the paper. She’d play his game if it meant he’d leave sooner.
Her eyes settled on the picture of Lily and Ian. Cassie had known they were having a business meeting the evening before, she’d known they were discussing a major career move for both of them, but she hadn’t known the media would spin the story into something...romantic.
Her eyes landed on the headline: Hollywood Starlet on Location Still Finds Time for Romance.
The way their two heads were angled together in the grainy picture did imply something more than a business meeting. The intimate table for two complete with bouquet and candles also added to the ambience of love.
Cassie glanced back up to Derek. “What about it?”
She would not give her ex the satisfaction of letting it get to her, of coming between something she and Ian had built and worked hard at.
“Looks like your boy toy has someone else on the side.” Derek smirked. “Is this really what you’ve moved on to?”
“Why are you here?” she demanded. “What do you want from me?”
“If you’d answered my calls or texts you’d know I want my family back. I had no idea you opted to replace me with such a younger man.”
Cassie smacked the paper down on the table beside the door. “Don’t you dare judge me. You left me, remember? And if we’re casting stones, I’ll remind you that when you left, you moved on with a much younger woman with boobs as her only major asset.”
Fired up and more than geared for a fight, Cassie advanced on him. “You’re just upset because Ian is a real man. He cares about me, about Emily. My looks don’t matter, my size doesn’t matter and he’s taken to Emily like she is his own, which is a hell of a lot more than you ever did for either of us.”
Derek clenched his jaw as he loomed over her and held her gaze. “I just want you to know that this man, this kid, really, will get bored with the family life. He’ll move on, and then where will you be? I’m man enough to admit I was wrong and that I’m willing to try again.”
