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“Yeah.” She nodded. This wasn’t how she’d ever envisaged introducing Isla to her father, but her daughter deserved to know who he was. There was no way she was going to send him away if there was a chance for them to bond.
He gave her a soft look. “Does she know my name?”
“Yeah.”
He blew out a mouthful of air. “Well that’s a start. Does she know I didn’t want anything to do with her?”
Meghan blinked. “No. I’d never tell her that. I told her you’re a drummer with a band and were busy right now. That maybe one day you’d meet.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “Do you think I can meet her soon?”
Meghan pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She would have liked longer, but if he was leaving to go on tour in a week and half, time wasn’t a luxury they had right now. “She’s at a friend’s tonight. And I’ll need to talk to her first. Maybe you can meet her tomorrow if she’s ready for it?” She didn’t want to steal this chance from Isla. Not when he was leaving the country for six months. But she had to protect her daughter’s heart, too.
“I understand. And I’ll do whatever you need me to do.” A hopeful smile pulled at his lips. “Do you have any pictures of her?”
“A couple.” Meghan pulled her phone from her tiny purse, scrolling through it until she found some she’d taken of Isla on the beach. “Here she is.”
Dylan stared at them, his eyes shiny. “Fuck, she’s so big.”
“Kids grow. That’s what they do.”
He exhaled heavily. “I know. But I’ve missed so much time. Do you have any photos of her when she was younger with you?”
“I have some back at my apartment.”
He shifted his feet. “Can I look at them?”
“Now?”
He looked almost embarrassed. “Yeah. I know this has all come out of the blue, but I don’t have much time. I want to know about her. Maybe you can help me learn a little more before we meet.”
He seemed sincere, even if this was all so rushed. Meghan was trying to think it through, but the mess of thoughts in her brain were making it impossible.
She needed to get out of here. To somewhere quiet where she could actually think about what to do next. “Okay, we can go back to my apartment. I’ll show you the photographs there.”
r /> A smile pulled at his lips. “Thank you.”
“Isla will be back tomorrow morning. I’ll talk to her and then we can go from there.”
Dylan nodded. “I get it. I’ll follow your lead. You’re the one that knows her.”
“Let me get this straight.” Harper’s expression was so tight it looked like she’d been sucking lemons. “You employed a PI to find out about Isla’s father, then invited him to the show.”
Carlyn blinked. “I didn’t employ the PI to find out about him. Isla told me herself. I just used the PI to contact Dylan Nash’s lawyer.”
Rich’s hands were curled so tight he could feel his nails biting into his palm. James murmured something to him, but he couldn’t make out the words through the rush of blood through his ears.
“So you staged this whole thing?” Harper asked, incredulous. “Jesus, you need help.”
“Why?” James’ brow wrinkled. “Why would you do this?”
“Because that little girl deserves a father. Her real father.” Carlyn’s eyes flickered to Rich. “You know that, right?”
“You need to keep away from her.” His blood felt like it was boiling. He was holding onto his temper by a hair. “And away from me.”
Carlyn blinked, stepping closer to Rich. “I understand why you wanted to help them. But they don’t need your help anymore, darling. I did this for you. For us. Now we can be together.” She looked up at him through her thick eyelashes. “You deserve better than being a crutch for a single mom.”
His anger finally boiled over. “What the hell are you thinking? We’ll never be together. I’m not fucking interested.”
