Jannie rounded the corner, and her eyes widened as she watched the entry door swing open, and in walked …
“Blake!” Jannie swallowed back a gasp. A jolt ran through her, making her stomach plummet.
Rolf’s entire body wiggled in greeting, tail swishing enthusiastically.
Blake patted the dog’s head absently, his eyes fixed on Jannie. “Hey.”
She took a small step back. “You just … walked in?”
“Of course I did.” He smirked, his hazel eyes glinting as he held up a key. “Itismy house.”
Irritation tightened her throat.Why didn’t I change the locks?“It’s my house now, in case you forgot.”
His smirk turned into a brash smile. “You never had a problem with me coming.”
She tensed at the blatant innuendo.
He shut the door behind him, pausing on the mosaic medallion at the entrance, his gaze taking her in, lingering on her newly flat belly.
She glared at him.
“Oh. Yeah. I forgot.” He started to toe off his shoes.
“Don’t bother.”
“Well, this is new. I can keep my germy shoes on? Are you OK?”
The irony of him asking that question sarcastically instead of sincerely struck her hard. “You’re not staying.”
A cocky smile. “We’ll see about that.”
“What do you want?”
He looked at her with an expression she knew all too well, the one that always broke through her defenses.
“I called. I texted. I even emailed. You didn’t answer. No one would tell me anything. I even went as far as contacting your brothers, even though there’s no love lost between us. What they did tell me was not to contact you.”
“That should have clued you in. I didn’t want to talk to you. Or anyone.”
“Why?” He took a step closer.
Her belly prickled with anxiety, but she raised her chin. “I needed some time.”
“Time. She needed time.” He shook his head. “I would say two months is long enough.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d lost two children, his children, and he was talking about it as if she’d misplaced her keys or phone.
“You should have called me,” he said.
“Why?”
“I could have helped.”
“Yeah, right,” she scoffed.
Oh, she knew what his idea of “help” was: what it always had been. And the way his heated gaze wandered over her convinced her he was here for that again; even now, after what had happened, the man hadn’t changed.
“You never were one to wallow, Jannie. And if you were, I could have pulled you out.” His mouth curved into a tiny smile. “Or pulled out, so it couldn’t happen again.”
