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“What about me?” she cried. “I love my daughter and her needs will always come first, but you say you love me. So what about that? What about us?”
The glistening in his eyes intensified a second before a tear slid down his cheek. He didn’t make a move to swipe it away and Cassie couldn’t stop staring at the wet track.
Her heart literally ached for the man who was trying to be strong and, in his own way, do the right thing. But damn it, she wanted more and she thought she’d found it with him.
As she stepped forward, Ian took a step back. And that lone action severed any thread of hope she had been holding on to.
“I’m barely hanging on here,” he whispered. “You can’t touch me. I have to be strong for both of us. Just think about what I said. You’ll know that I’m right. There’s no other way if you want to keep Emily. Derek won’t play fair, and if I’m in your life, he’ll use that against you.”
He took in a deep, shuddering breath. “I want to be part of your life, Cass. I want to be part of Emily’s. But it’s because I want so much to be a part of your family that I must protect you both, and unfortunately, that means I need to step aside.”
Cassie hated the emotions whirling about inside her. So much love for this man and so much hatred toward another. Damn Ian for being noble.
“If you’re not staying to fight for me and with me, then leave.” Blinking back tears and clenching her fists at her side to keep from wrapping her arms around him, Cassie held his gaze. “You’ve done what you came to do, so go.”
Ian slid a hand from his pocket, clutched something and reached out to place it on the end table by the sofa. “What I came to do was quite the opposite,” he told her as he took a step toward her. “But I want you to have that and remember that I do love you, Cassie. No matter what you think right now. I’ll always love you.”
Without touching her, without even a kiss goodbye, Ian stepped around her and quietly walked out of her life. Drawing in a shaky breath, she took a step toward the end table and saw a blue box. Her heart in her throat, Cassie reached for the box. Her hands shook because she knew exactly what would be beneath that velvety lid.
Lifting the lid with a slow creak, Cassie gasped. Three square-cut stones nestled perfectly in a pewter band had tears spilling down both cheeks. Cassie’s hand came to her mouth to hold back the sob that threatened to escape.
Ian had put all of their birthstones in the ring...a ring he’d planned on giving her when he told her he loved her.
Unable to help herself, she pulled the band from the box and slid it on. A perfect fit—just like the man who had walked out the door moments ago.
As she studied the ring on her finger, Cassie knew there was no way she would go down without a fight. No way at all. Emily would come first, as always, but who said she couldn’t have the man of her dreams and her family?
If Derek wanted to fight dirty, well, bring it on, because Cassie had just gotten a whole new level of motivation to fuel her fire. And there was no way in hell Derek would take her child or the dreams Cassie had for a future with Ian.
The depth of Ian’s love was so far beyond what she’d dared to imagine. His strength as a man and father was exactly what she needed, wanted...deserved. She wouldn’t let his sacrifice go to waste.
Twenty-One
Ian wasn’t sure why he didn’t book a trip somewhere exotic to just get away. He’d come back to L.A. after breaking things off with Cassie. Max had more than understood his need to leave, but his friend had also had some choice words for him regarding the stupidity of his decision.
Ian wished there’d been another way. He’d had many sleepless nights looking for another way to protect Cassie and Emily, but it was because he loved them so much—because they were his family—he knew he needed to remove himself from their lives.
The pain after he’d left was unlike anything he’d ever known. Sharp, piercing pain had settled into the void in his heart that Cassie and Emily had left. But he also knew, in the long run, this was the best for the ladies he’d quickly grown to love.
Now, back in his beachfront home, he saw Cassie and that precious baby. How had two females he’d known only a short time infiltrated every single corner of his life? There wasn’t a spot in his house, his mind or his heart that they hadn’t left their imprint on.
He’d been home almost a month, and in the phone calls and texts between Max and Lily, he knew the filming was nearing the end. He hadn’t asked about Cassie.... He just couldn’t. The thought of her possibly playing house with Derek to keep the peace for Emily nearly crippled him.
