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“Yes, of course I am. Whatever you tell me is confidential.”
Nova debated briefly with herself before she dived in. She’d already made the decision to come here; she might as well go all in. “I’m here because my mother told me that she had a relationship with Ace when they were both teenagers and I was the result. He’d already broken up with her, telling her he had commitments back in Arizona, and she never told him about me.”
“Did she have any proof?”
“A few old photos and a couple of stories that she claimed would be something only the two of them would know.”
“The Colton family is powerful.” Nikolas pointed to the paper she’d dropped back onto the coffee table. “Even without his current situation, Ace Colton is a force in Mustang Valley. So’s his family. Are you sure you want to pursue this?”
Whatever she’d expected on the long drive across the country, she’d never considered the idea tha
t she shouldn’t seek out her father. Or worse, that she’d be looked at as having ulterior motives if she did.
The hand she’d laid instinctively against her belly tightened as she imagined what she must look like. Young and pregnant.
Alone.
While she didn’t want to risk telling anyone, even this stranger, about her relationship with Ferdy, she did suddenly have a sense of what she must look like. Despite Nikolas’s kind eyes and willingness to listen to her, a cold sense of dread washed over Nova. “In spite of what you may think of me, I’m not here for his money.”
“I didn’t say you were.” Nikolas scrubbed a hand over the dark stubble that coated his jaw and cheeks. She had a suspicion that he carried a perpetual five o’clock shadow, even with a daily shave, and found the look appealing. Dark and dangerous and, for reasons she couldn’t define, protective.
There was something about the man that made her feel safe. After five months on the run, she hadn’t realized just how badly she needed a few moments to feel that way.
“What I’m trying to say is that the Colton family wields a lot of power and has a lot of press attention. Do you want to wade into that? Especially in your—” he waved a hand “—condition.”
Some small voice whispered that she should have been insulted by his words. But instead, there was something in the gesture that struck her as inordinately cute and she couldn’t resist a moment of fun. “I’m not pregnant.”
His eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline, an “I’m sorry” already spilling out when Nova started laughing.
“It’s just too fun to mess with people. Even if you deserved it because you didn’t abide by the golden rule of pregnancy conversation.”
He apparently didn’t see the same humor as she did and the wariness in his gaze was evident. “Which is what?”
“Unless a woman tells you she’s pregnant or you see the baby actually coming out of her uterus, all comments are off the table.”
“Oh. Um.”
She took pity and laid a hand on his arm once more. Just like the first time she’d touched him, she didn’t miss the firm strength there. “I’m teasing you again. It’s totally clear that I’m pregnant. But you do bring up a good point about the Coltons. They’ve got a lot of attention right now and a long-lost kid—with a baby of her own on the way—might be a little much.”
Since walking into Nikolas Slater’s office, Nova had gotten the distinct impression that not much ruffled the man. So it was empowering to see that she’d shaken him a bit.
It was equally impressive to see him take the conversation back firmly in hand. “Why don’t you come into my office and tell me your story? The whole story. We can game-plan from there.”
“But you don’t want my case.”
“I don’t not want your case. But you may not want me for your case.”
Her gaze dropped to her stomach before heading back up to meet his. “I’m not exactly in a position to be picky right now.”
“You may be once I tell you my side of things.” He gestured toward his office. “Come on back and take a seat.”
She followed him, taking in her surroundings as she walked back. The total office space was small, but he’d made the most of it. His cherrywood desk held minimal clutter—not much beyond his computer and large monitor, a few small files and a photo of what she guessed was his mother.
Interesting, Nova considered as she continued on around the room. No photos of a girlfriend or wife and family. In fact, very little personal detail at all.
Was he a neat freak?
Unbidden, an image of Ferdy’s immaculate office came back to her. The cool, sleek furniture. The pink marble in the bathroom. Even the thick-cut glass decanter and glasses he’d kept in both his outer and inner office.
