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Cassie reached out, grabbed Tessa’s hand and settled in with the fact she’d move heaven and earth to be with Ian. And now she couldn’t wait to get home to tell him just that.
Twenty
Ian had a wonderful surprise planned for Cassie. He couldn’t wait for her to get home.
Not only had Tessa and Cassie taken the Belmont Stakes and the coveted Triple Crown, but Cassie was on her way back and Ian had to get the stage set. They had so much to celebrate.
Very few had ever taken home the Triple Crown title, and Tessa was the first female jockey to own the honor. The Barrington sisters had officially made history and Ian was so proud he’d been able to witness a small portion of their success. He hated he wasn’t there in person, though.
Ian had opted to stay behind for two reasons. So they could both concentrate on their own work without distractions and to see if he could handle being without her.
He couldn’t.
After a perfect morning in which Lily officially signed with his agency, he was now in town hitting up the quaint little florist, about to buy an exorbitant amount of flowers in a variety of colors and styles. He wanted her cottage to be drowning in bouquets for the evening he had planned. Not only because he had high hopes about their future, but because she deserved to be placed on a pedestal after such a milestone win.
He may have also had Linda’s help in the matter of planning.
The days they’d been apart had been a smack of reality to the face. He didn’t want to be without her, without Emily. He was ready to make a family with them.
He also realized that love and marriage—and fatherhood—weren’t scary at all once you found the person who totally completed you.
This family had instantly been so welcoming, so loving, and Ian couldn’t be happier. From Linda to sweet Emily, he was so overwhelmed by how easily they accepted him. And now Cassie was about to get the surprise of her life.
As Ian rounded the building that housed the flower shop, he smacked into someone...Derek. Great.
“You’re still in town?” Ian asked, eyeing the man clutching a massive bouquet of roses.
Derek shielded his eyes from the warm afternoon sun. “I’m not leaving until I get what I want.”
Becoming more irritated by the moment, and a tad amused, Ian crossed his arms over his chest. “That will be a while, considering what you want is mine.”
“Yours? My family is not your property,” Derek clarified.
“They’re also not your family. Not anymore. Cassie made her choice.”
“Did she? Because the Cassie I know loves family.” Derek adjusted the flowers to his other hand and shifted beneath the awning of the flower shop to shield himself from the sun. “It means more to her than anything. Do you think she’d honestly choose some young guy who she just met over the father of her child? Because I can assure you, she’ll put Emily’s needs ahead of her own.”
There was a ring of truth to Derek’s words, but there was also no way Ian would show any emotion or allow this guy to step into the life he was trying to build.
“Don’t blame me or Cassie because you realized too late that you made a mistake,” Ian said, propping his hands on his hips and resisting the urge to take those flowers, throw them on the ground and crush them. “Cassie and I have something, and there’s no way you’re going to come charging in like you belong. You missed your chance.”
Derek smiled. “I didn’t miss anything. You see, no matter how much you hate me, I am Emily’s father. She will want to know me and I will make damn sure my lawyer does everything he can to get my baby girl in my life. Now, if Cassie wants to come, too, that’s her decision, but I’ll fight dirty to get what I want. Considering the fact that you are a Hollywood playboy, combined with the perfectly timed image in the paper, I don’t see how I can’t use that against Cassie. Obviously she’s eager to get any man’s attention—”
All control snapped as Ian fisted Derek’s shirt and slammed him against the old brick building. Petals flew everywhere as the bouquet also smacked against the wall.
“Listen here, you little prick.” It was all Ian could do not to pummel the jerk. “I will not be bullied into giving up what I want, and Cassie will not be blackmailed, either. If you want to see your daughter, then go through your attorney the proper way, but don’t you dare use your own child as a pawn. Only a sick ass would do that.”
Stepping back, Ian jerked the bouquet from Derek’s hand and threw it down on the sidewalk. He’d held back long enough and Ian knew full well whom that arrangement was meant for.
