AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“All you did when I first met you was complain about how women took advantage of you. I’m not one of those women. I’ll never take advantage of you in any way. Never. I don’t want to become one of those women. I may be poor, but I still have my pride. Someday I’ll have money and it will be because I created it. Not because of you.”
Wow, how many women had ever said that to him? It made him admire her even more.
“Great,” he said. “But occasionally we all need a little help. You need a new car to take my son to the doctor, the babysitter, your mother, or even to the grocery store. He’s not safe in that rattletrap you drive. I’m just paying my part of Wyatt’s birth expenses. I’m sure you had to purchase all kinds of things for him. A crib, the changing table, his food, diapers, and clothing. Let me pay for something.”
She sighed. “What kind of car is it?”
“The salesman told me that it’s what new mothers like. It’s an SUV and you will have room to put the stroller in the back, his car seat, and it comes with a bumper-to-bumper warranty. It gets great gas mileage. Also, if you break down, you just hit a button and help will arrive.”
The thought of her broken down on a freeway somewhere had driven him to purchase the extra conveniences. If she wouldn’t accept his help, maybe she would from the button on the dash.
He could see she was teetering.
“Think of it as a gift for Wyatt,” he said.
Her brows drew in. “You’re not trying to buy me so I’ll relinquish Wyatt?”
Shaking his head, he stared at her. “No. You’re his mother. I’m his father and I can tell you I know very little about babies. So little, I’d be afraid for his safety right now if you were to give him to me. I just want to be in his life and yours.”
She bit her lip.
“There’s something you need to know,” she said. “Only one person knew who Wyatt’s father was. My best friend Lauren. She would never tell anyone. I trust her. So how did someone learn about you? If my mother knew you were Wyatt’s father, she would have contacted you. We came up with two theories last night and one scares me.”
“What are the theories?”
She sighed. “You know the neighbor who came outside a minute ago, I think she might have seen you come in that night or leave that morning. She might have sent the letter, but my mother and she are friendly. She might have told my mother that you were seen leaving.”
That was possible.
“My biggest concern is that she knows who you are and that she sent the letter. What is to keep her from notifying the gossip columns that you are my child’s father?”
That was damn concerning. Maybe it was her mother who had written the letter to him.
“Have you spoken to your mother?”
“Not yet, after Lauren and I decided who we suspected, I was too tired to put up a fight. Because believe me, this is going to be a battle and I need to be prepared.”
It was very concerning that it could be her neighbor. Especially if the woman was watching them that closely. And the new car parked right outside was going to be a real magnet if the woman decided that he was back. She might be tempted to sell the story to the tabloids.
Wyatt raised his head and gazed at the two of them. Oh, how he loved the baby’s sweet smile and the way those blue eyes seemed to understand they had needed this adult time to talk.
There was so much more than just the car, but right now, he wasn’t going to push it. He would tell her things slowly over time. She still hadn’t agreed to the new car and he wanted her to take it. It would be one less thing for him to worry about.
“Do you want the car or should I call the dealership and have them come pick it up?” he asked. “Or why don’t we go get breakfast in it and stop and get the little man some numbing medicine.”
Tears welled in her eyes and she gazed at him.
“Yesterday morning, you were no longer in my life and this morning everything has changed. I know you’re trying to be good to us, but please don’t come in and try to take over.”
There was so much more he wanted to do for her.
“I’m trying. But I feel guilty as hell for not being here while you were pregnant. I feel guilty for not being here during his birth. I feel guilty for walking away that morning like an idiot. That night was the best night I’ve ever had with a woman. And it terrified me. Especially after what I’d just gone through with Taylor. It was too soon to get involved with another woman and yet, I regretted leaving here like a thief in the night.”
A smile spread across her face. “It was a good night. And now we have this little one. But I’m not ready to start up where we left off.”
He nodded. This was going to be so difficult. He was going to have to take things nice and slow, and just gazing at her, he wanted to pull her lips to his and kiss her senseless. But he would wait.
One day at a time. One mountain at a time. But eventually he hoped to scale that mountain and carry her and his son back home.
