“It felt like I was the only one who loved her.” He kept his gaze on the kids. “Erin cares, but she’s a busy lawyer and not real in tune with kids.”
“Plus, she was still grieving over losing Connie. You said they were close.”
Nodding, Brogan drew a strained breath. “I want you to read this.” Again, he tapped the papers. “But first I have to tell you something.”
She covered his hand with her own. “Whatever it is, it’ll be fine.” Pixie believed that with all her heart.
He huffed out a rueful laugh. “Pixie …” His jaw worked, and finally he said, “Andy and Shayna are related.”
Her lungs seized up, making her gasp, and her heart missed a few beats. Pixie didn’t move. “I don’t know what you mean.” She heard the words, but they didn’t make sense. Slowly, she pulled her hand away.
Those stormy gray eyes, now filled with anguish, stared at her.
She got the sense that he was facing this moment just as he’d had to face everything else in life. With resolve and a determination to handle whatever consequences came his way.
“The kids share a father.”
The urge to comfort him was there, but certain truths couldn’t be denied. “Andy’s father is dead.”
He didn’t look away. Didn’t even blink. “Shayna’s too.”
Now her heart raced, so fast that it made her lightheaded. “But …” Math was not her strong suit. “Dylan died last year.”
“Not long after he’d gotten Connie pregnant.”
Dylan had cheated on Marlow with her. Had he also cheated on her with Connie? Or had their relationship begun after she’d discovered he was married and broke things off? Either way, she felt more annoyed than hurt. She’d long ago given up the idea that Dylan had been “hers” in any way. That particular fantasy had been nothing more than an immature illusion.
Brogan valiantly held her gaze. “I wanted to tell you sooner, Pixie, but—”
“You didn’t!” andthathurt. The realization that Brogan had kept something so important from her proved that she’d done it again. She’d built up absurd expectations, with no basis in reality, about a man. “You never really trusted me, did you?”
He didn’t avoid her anger. Of course he wouldn’t.
Damn it, she didn’t want him to be stoic right now because that robbed her of the opportunity to unleash her annoyance.
Probably a good thing, really, with the kids right there.
“I wanted you to get to know Shayna, and I wanted to get to know you. Everything I found out about you told me that you were a good person, a terrific mother.”
He spoke so fast, Pixie could barely take it in. She didn’twantto take it in. Feeling childish, she covered her ears.
Brogan dropped the papers on the table and caught her wrists. “Shayna deserves more than me. She deserves a family—and her brother.”
Rearing back, Pixie breathed, “How dare you? You expect me to raise her for you?”
His eyes flared, then narrowed to silver flames. “No.” Coming to his feet, he reiterated, “Hell no. No one will take her from me.”
Oh. Well, that was better. His reaction went a long way toward soothing her dismay. “Then … what?”
At their angry voices, Andy had gone alert, and now he ran to Pixie in fear. “Mam!”
She scooped him up and squeezed him tight. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry. Everything is okay.” Patting his back, she said, “We didn’t mean to startle you.”
Andy peeked up at Brogan.
Immediately, he crouched down before him, which also put him at eye level with Pixie. “I’m sorry, buddy. It’s all good.” He stroked a hand over Andy’s hair, smiling when those wayward tufts sprang back up. “Were you showing Shayna your lamb?”
“My baby.”
