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Yeah, that had occurred to her. But he’d gotten it wrong. She was in a whole boatload of trouble regardless because she wasn’t mother material. She ran a million-dollar company for crying out loud. Any conversation she and Gage had about seeing where things could go included a future with a baby no matter what. Now that she’d thought of it, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
But there was no point in heaping condemnation on him, especially not when it sounded as though he was doing a pretty good job of that on his own. “Of course you did, Gage. It was an accident. It happens all the time, even to smart, careful people.”
Her heart twisted as they talked about subjects that shouldn’t be a part of his reality. Gage embraced this challenge in a way she’d never have guessed—the king of disentangling himself from anything that smacked of the long-term had changed when she wasn’t looking. Really and truly changed, which she’d just spent a considerable amount of effort denying over the past week.
What if she could trust him with her heart this time? A world of possibilities might be open to her. To both of them.
It gave her a lot to think about.
In the morning, she awoke before Gage. His sleeping form was close enough to touch but she didn’t dare do it. He’d only slept for a couple of hours last night, which she knew because she’d been holding him when he’d finally drifted off.
Their conversation had meandered to every subject under the sun—how they’d gone without their first year in business, what kind of spices you could add to ramen noodles to make them taste like something other than cardboard, the first splurge purchase they’d made when their companies finally turned a profit.
It was like the old days, except Gage hadn’t even tried to kiss her. Last night hadn’t been about sex, a fact she appreciated. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but try to categorize the night.
A turning point, perhaps. But one thing she did know for sure—she had to answer that million-dollar question about Gage’s involvement in the leak. Soon.
Twelve
Cass entered this new phase of her relationship with Gage with equal parts caution and greed. She soaked up every second of laughing with him over Robbie’s antics as Gage visited his son at Lauren’s house, and she helped Gage shop for nursery items.
No task required to prepare Gage to take custody of his son was too small for her involvement, apparently. She didn’t mind. Except for the part where they never picked up the conversation about where things were going. Whether there was a goodbye in their future or not. Was she simply a hand to hold until he found his footing?
Eventually, that question would have to be answered. But she was content, for now.
She shuttled between Austin and Dallas enough times over the next week that she could pick out roadside elements as mile markers. That weed formation meant it was an hour and thirty-six minutes until she’d be in Gage’s arms again. The pile of rocks by the exit sign meant she’d see Gage’s beautiful hazel eyes light up at the sight of her in seventeen minutes.
In between, she ran her company and hired a private detective to look into the leak. If she hadn’t been so distracted, she would have done so earlier. The move was enough to satisfy her partners into giving her more time. And enough to satisfy herself that if Gage was involved, she’d find out before things went too far. She hoped.
On Friday, one week after she’d snuck out early to get busy with Gage in his Hummer—totally by accident, in her defense—she spent an hour at the end of the day frantically whittling down her email in anticipation of spending the weekend in Austin with Gage.
Her phone rang. Speak of the devil.
“Hey, sexy,” she purred.
“It’s done,” he said. “The last of Briana’s estate is settled and Robbie is officially mine.”
She swallowed. Hard. “That’s great news!”
Just in time for the weekend. They’d expected it to take a few more days, but Lauren had been instrumental in pushing things through once she saw how serious Gage was about being a father. She could have made Gage’s life a living hell and he’d said he was grateful she’d chosen to take the high road for Robbie’s sake.
Except now it was real. Gage was a single father.
Now that the estate was settled, Robbie would come to live with Gage permanently. Lauren would still be a huge part of her nephew’s life, and she and Gage had already discussed potential arrangements for holidays. Gage’s parents had put their house in Houston on the market and planned to move to Austin so they could spend their golden years with their new grandson.
