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“We saw the highlights from the game last night,” Nik’s father added.
Jules winced inwardly. Right. The kiss cam. Her impulsive idea to strike back at Angelo and Michael and to distract from WYCK’s interest in Coastal had been picked up and broadcast far and wide. But she hadn’t thought about how Nik’s family would react.
That explained why Cassandra was practically planning their wedding. She’d seen the kiss. Jules needed to come up with an explanation for that pronto, before this breakfast became more strained.
“We were performing for the camera,” Nik answered easily. “We didn’t want to disappoint the crowd.”
Jules relaxed until she saw the flash of disappointment that crossed Cassandra’s face before she masked it with a carefree smile. This was a woman who wanted to see her son with a partner.
“My ex has had a difficult time letting go,” Jules said. “I thought if the kiss looked real, he might get the message.” She was not going to share the level of harassment Michael had risen to over the years, but his presence in her life might convince the Costases that the kiss didn’t mean anything serious.
Giorgio frowned at her. “How long have you been divorced? Was it recent?”
“No, it has been almost five years. Unfortunately, Michael doesn’t like to lose.”
“Do you have children together?” Cassandra asked.
Jules hesitated, looking over at Nik. How did he want to handle this? Did he want to tell them about Ava? She shook her head. “I have a daughter, but Michael isn’t her father.” Jules chose her words carefully, not wanting to give away any clue about the identity of Ava’s father. It wasn’t her place to reveal that information to Nik’s parents.
“Children are wonderful. I always wanted to have more than one, but it wasn’t meant to be. And Nikos hasn’t made me a grandmother yet.” Guilt about hiding the truth ballooned in Jules, and she badly wanted to tell Cassandra about Ava.
“Your mother is right. You’ve avoided the conversation, avoided us, for months. We try to help you meet someone while you are on vacation, and you cancel. All you do is work. You need to think about settling down and starting a family.” The commanding tone from Giorgio gave Jules a glimpse into why Nik’s relationship with his father was so tense. Similar to Angelo, he reminded her of Michael, trying to control everyone around him. Nik wouldn’t tolerate that. Was this typical of Costas men? Because Jules wouldn’t tolerate it either.
The skin over Nik’s cheekbones darkened, and he tilted his head slightly towards Jules. She responded with a subtle nod. If he felt this was the right time to tell his parents, she wasn’t going to object.
“We have some news. Jules and I have a daughter. I asked her to wait to tell you until the time was right.”
A bomb going off couldn’t have silenced Giorgio more effectively. His wide-eyed expression was almost comical, although he recovered quickly. “What? Who is she? You’re her mother?”
All eyes turned to her, and Jules nodded and braced for the barrage of questions she knew would come.
“How old is she? Do you have pictures? Is she with you?” Nik’s mother had moved from shock to joy in seconds.
“When did this happen? And how can you be sure she’s yours?” The harsh question from Giorgio wasn’t unexpected, but the sneer under his words was unmistakable. He thought she was after Nik’s money. Humiliation burned. She’d known this would be a possibility, but it still hurt that this was the first thought Nik’s father had about her and Ava.
“We did a paternity test earlier this week. Ava is mine.” The steel in Nik’s voice had Giorgio snapping his mouth closed before he could voice his next question.
Jules was grateful that Nik had insisted on the test, even if he had felt it unnecessary. They had concrete proof that Nik was Ava’s father, proof that his family couldn’t deny.
Jules smiled softly at Cassandra, leaving Nik to deal with his father. “Her name is Ava. She’s at home in Vancouver with my mother this weekend, but I have photos of her.” Jules pulled up pictures of Ava on her phone and handed it to Cassandra. “She’s almost four years old. Her birthday is in a few weeks. She’s smart, and funny, and strong willed. Which means that sometimes she’s stubborn, and a real handful. And I wouldn’t trade her for the world.”
Cassandra looked up from the phone, tears glistening. “Ava is a beautiful name. She looks so much like you, but she has Nik’s eyes. And she looks very happy.” Cassandra’s immediate approval, her acceptance of Ava, eased some of Jules’s fears. Ava would be welcomed.
“Ava is a happy, healthy little girl,” Nik confirmed. “I’m lucky to be able to call her mine.” Possessiveness and pride radiated from Nik, and Jules was torn. She wanted Nik to love Ava, but Ava had been exclusively hers for the last four years. It was hard to think about sharing her.
“Why are we only finding out about her now?” Suspicion rang in every word Nik’s father spoke.
Now for the hard part. Admitting to her mother that she’d had a one-night stand with a complete stranger had been hard enough. Telling that to people who were strangers, but who would be connected to her forever? One of whom already thought she was a gold digger? Jules swallowed down the nausea and opened her mouth.
“None of this was Jules’s fault. Our relationship had already ended when she found out she was pregnant. When I didn’t respond to her attempt to reach out, she assumed I wasn’t interested in being a father. When WYCK sent me to work the takeover, we were both surprised to find ourselves working together. She told me about Ava, and I was thrilled. Now we’re figuring out where we go from here.”
Nik’s words flowed smoothly, his version of events close to the truth but painting her in a much more positive light for his family. She locked eyes with him, trying to express her gratitude without words. He didn’t have to hide the truth, but he’d found a way to protect her and take the blame at the same time. Emotions she wasn’t ready to name left her breathless.
“You’ll get married, of course.” Cassandra was back to mentally planning a wedding, and Jules tried to hide her panic at the thought. Marriage was not on the table. Not after what had happened with Michael. She wasn’t willing to give any man that kind of power over her again.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Marriage is out of the question.” Giorgio dismissed his wife. “The first thing that has to happen is you sign a custody agreement, protecting your financial interests and outlining access and visitation. I assume you’ve talked to your legal team.”
Irritation flared at his high-handedness, but Jules wasn’t going to let him goad her into reacting. Her irritation was nothing next to the anger she saw burning in Nik’s eyes when he faced his father.
