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That pisses her off. I catch a moment of regret in her expression. “I came here for support, not for you to start acting like a possessive prick. I don’t need that in my life right now.”
“You came here for myfinancialsupport. Don’t pretend otherwise.” I meet her glare with my own. “You want my money. Fine, I can’t blame you, why go through this alone? But if you want my money, you’ll need to follow my rules. That’s the deal.”
Her jaw works as tears fill her eyes.
Ah, fucking god damn it, Finn.
Why am I being such a bastard?
I can’t make a damn pregnant girl cry.
I soften a bit and move closer. “We’ll talk about what happens from here, all right? Back at my place, somewhere private. I’ll take care of you from now on, okay? We’ll figure out how.”
That seems to help. She nods, gathering herself, wiping her face. “It’s fine. Let’s get out of here, but I just need to tell Kathryn really quick.” She shoots off a few quick texts before we walk out into the back hall together.
I call a car as I lead her to the emergency back exit. We step out into the night, into an empty alley alongside the club. She walks close to me, little Dara, beautiful fucking Dara. What am I doing right now, bringing her home to my apartment?
If I were smart, I’d send her back to her place, wherever she’s been staying. I should write her a fat check—averyfat check—and keep the money flowing so she never has to worry about that again. I could easily make sure she is taken care of financially and my child never wants for anything.
If I were smart, I wouldn’t get involved.
My father is going to murder me. Getting Dara pregnant the night before I got engaged was just about the worst possible thing I could do.
Dad is not a forgiving man, not even to his sons.
Particularly not to his sons.
When he finds out, there will be hell to pay. My engagement with Robin might be in jeopardy, which means Dad’s precious little business arrangement with the McLaren family might fall through, and if that happens—
Fuck. One thing at a time.
No matter what, this baby is my priority. If I learned anything from Dad, it’s that family is the most important thing in the world, even when it’s a pain in the fucking ass.
I will take care of Dara, even if it means fucking over everyone else, because that child is my priority.
But if that happens, how are we going to survive?
I can’t withstand the full might of the Crowley organization, and Dad’s a vindictive little bastard.
Thousands of worries assault me as we get into the car. She’s quiet, nervous, fidgeting with her jeans and the hem of her shirt. I keep glancing at her, feeling that rush of desire run down my spine.
Just as fucking beautiful as the first time I met her.
But I can tell I’m already messing things up between us. I roll the privacy screen up before turning toward her as the car drives to my house. “You need to understand something,” I say, voice as gentle as I can make it. She stiffens, glancing at me, face frozen. “In my family, babies and marriage are taken very seriously. It’s almost… sacrosanct. Family is the most important thing in the world to my father. Family, and honoring your word. I made a promise to marry Robin—”
“I don’t expect you to break things off with her,” she says quickly. And adds: “Robin’s a pretty name.”
“Robin is meaningless,” I say, though I shouldn’t. It might give her hope. I push on anyway. “I promised I’d marry her, but now that you’re here and carrying my baby, that makes thingsverycomplicated. I just need you to know that I’m not angry with you for coming here and telling me the truth. I’m happy you did.”
“Really?” She smiles slightly. That’s the smile I’ve been dying to see for weeks. “Doesn’t seem like it.”
“You made my life a thousand times harder than it already was, love,” I say, the little term of endearment rolling off my tongue. Dara squirms slightly as if she doesn’t like hearing it. “But I’m a man of my word, and I take care of my family. You are family now.”
“I guess I’m not sure how I feel about that. I still don’t know what you do for a living.”
I smile slightly, turning to look out at the city.
How do I explain my family to her?
