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My gaze drops to her stomach. Wow, there’s a life growing in there.
She will not go through this alone. Pregnant and worrying about being discovered by the child’s mob father… not on my watch.
I will look after them both.
I will love this baby as if it were my own. Never mind that it’s the product of her love with another man.
“Just that I’m not.” Riley’s sad voice disrupts my meanderings.
What?!
What did she just say?
My eyes search hers.
“I was never pregnant. That’s what I found out at the hospital yesterday. It was a false positive.”
I’m sure my jaw drops on hearing this news. I’ve not met anyone who’s had a false pregnancy test before, but it’s probably not all that unusual. Other than my sisters, I don’t know anybody with kids.
I don’t hide the long breath I’m releasing.
While I was fully prepared to deal with this situation and make sure Riley and her baby were cared for, I can’t deny the relief. Raising another man’s child wasn’t on my bucket list, but I would have done it for her. Now there’s a chance for us and down the track for a family of our own. I smile internally.
Slow down, I chide myself. I’m getting way ahead of myself.
Riley isn’t ready for a new relationship—I get that. But she feels our connection… of that, I’m sure. And it’s rare and special as fuck and deserves a chance.
I will give her all the time she needs to heal from the last few weeks, but I will never give up on us. And I will make sure that De Marco will never find her.
When I get back to the office, I will study the strategies Gary has put in place to keep him in the dark of her whereabouts.
Riley might think her having loved another man is deterring me, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.
I’m more determined than ever to make her see how good we could be together.
She ran from him. She doesn’t want to be with him. And more importantly, she’s here with me, an undeniable electricity buzzing between us.
“Why did you cry?” I ask her. “Were you sad about not being pregnant?”
Her gaze falls to the floor, and she slowly nods her head. “This probably won’t make any sense to you, but I was looking forward to having this baby. When I first found out, I was devastated. I’ve never wanted to be a single mother, but the thought of the baby gave me focus and determination when I felt defeated. When the doctor told me last night there was no baby, it was like the rug was pulled from underneath me. As wrong as it might be, I wanted a piece of Tiero with me.”
I have to take a deep breath to calm the annoyance this statement triggers. Riley raises her head and looks at me challengingly, though, the uncertainty from earlier still lingers. “Despite everything…” She pauses, and I can tell she’s debating with herself if she should proceed. When the words leave her mouth, I wish she hadn’t.
“I love him.”
My face scrunches up in pain.
I sense the truth in her words. But why is she telling me this? And then it dawns on me. She wants me to be dissuaded and leave her be. But it’s not disinterest on her part… no, it’s there—I’d bet my life on it. But then what is it? I tap my finger against my chin as my mind works overtime trying to decipher what’s between the lines. Is it… fear? But why?
I’ll have to analyze it later; Riley is not finished yet.
“But love clearly wasn’t enough. I can’t be with him. Our moral compasses point in different directions. I could never willingly be part of his life. It’s built on the suffering of others, and that’s not something I could live with.”
No, she couldn’t. She radiates goodness, kindness, and empathy. She could never survive in a world as dark as De Marco’s.
Could he not see that? Could he not see it would have killed her light, bit by bit, a little more each day? What a selfish prick. But these guys rarely think beyond anything or anyone other than themselves.
And what would have happened once he’d killed that light? It’s what drew him to her in the first place, I’m sure of it. He would have become bored and cast her aside.
