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“Fromwhat?” I ask, bewildered. Why’s this guy talking like there are assassins on our doorstep?
His jaw works for a moment, but he only shakes his head, turning away. “We’ll talk in the morning. I’ll be back in a little while with your things. Good night.”
I open my mouth to tell him to stay. We have so much to discuss—his fiancée, the baby, the future—but I’m exhausted and I don’t think I’m going to make any headway right now. Better to sleep on it, wake up refreshed, and make better decisions in the morning.
He walks off, the door shutting quietly, leaving me alone in the room trying to make sense of how in the hell I got here.
Chapter14
Finn
Ipour myself a massive whiskey and sit out on the back balcony, looking out across an alley. Genna picks up her phone on the third ring. “I was wondering when I’d hear from you,” she says.
It’s quiet in the background, wherever she is. “Left the club?”
“Stayed long enough to pester the boys. Carson says he’ll keep his mouth shut for a while, but he wants to talk. Nolan seemed angry, but he also agreed not to say anything right away.”
“That’s good.” I lean my head back against the chair. “Fuck, Gen. I’m in deep shit now.”
“Yes, you absolutely are.” She’s quiet for a moment. “You two seemed like you have a spark.”
“Something like that.” I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking about Dara back in my guest suite, all alone, lying in bed. I want nothing more than to get in there, crawl into bed, rub her back, whisper in her ear that everything will be okay. “I mentioned taking care of her. I said I’d keep her safe, and she asked me who I need to protect her from. I didn’t have the heart to say.”
“Your own family. What a fucking mess.” Genna lets out a bitter laugh. She has a complicated relationship with the Crowley organization, just like I do. It’s something we have in common. “You know I’ll help however I can, right?”
“I know that. Right now, I just need to figure out what I’m going to do about her.”
“If you like her, and she’s carrying your baby—” She trails off into silence.
I grunt at the part left unspoken. “I’m engaged, remember?”
“Engagements are easy to break off.” She clears her throat, sounding uncomfortable. “There’s always the other option. You know—”
“I amnotgoing to ask her to get an abortion,” I say, anger rolling through my chest.
“Honestly, I’m relieved to hear you say that. I’m just putting the option out there. I don’t think that’s something you need to do, but maybe she wants to hear that from you. Maybe she’s looking for permission.”
“No,” I say more forcefully than I should. Genna’s just trying to help. “Even if that’s something she wants, I won’t allow it.”
“Okay, okay, fuck, when did you transform into an aggressive papa bear? It’s cute, but also annoying.”
I take a long drink. “My father is going to be homicidal when he finds out. The McLaren family doesn’t have our clout or our street power, but they do have top-level connections, all the way up to fucking Congress. If McLaren is angry enough, he can make our lives very difficult. Which means the shit will roll downhill, right onto me.”
“Then don’t break off the engagement. You said Robin was amenable to an open arrangement.”
“She practically insisted on it.”
“Tell her the truth and be up front about it. Maybe don’t mention you got Dara pregnant the night before you met her, but make it clear you knocked the girl upbeforeanything was official. Tell her this kid won’t change things. You don’t have to blow everything up.”
I tilt my head to the side, looking up at the sky. Genna’s right, I don’t have to ruin the engagement if I talk with Robin first. I can be open and honest about everything, and hell, maybe she’ll even understand. It’s not like she gives a fuck about me—so long as I promise that I will make her kids the priority, maybe she’ll accept this.
But how can I live with that ugly compromise?
Dara would be the other woman.
My child with her would always be secondary in my life, if I even get to spend any time with them. Dara will be pushed aside, provided-for financially, but never a part of my life.
I’ll never see them.
