“Jonathan.” Thank heaven she could say his name calmly now, as opposed to the way she had shrieked it, cursed it and blubbered it back then. “I thought that myself at first, but I did the math, checked when he had been out of town and the last time he and I— Anyway, there’s no way it could have been him.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. But you’re more than welcome to have whatever tests done that you would like. I wouldn’t blame you.”

The lazy grace she had come to associate with Xander that summer had disappeared. “I don’t need— Well, yeah. Maybe I should... Jesus.” Long fingers scrubbed his face. “I don’t know what to say, Darce.”

“It’s kind of a shocker, I know.”

“Yeah, I guess you would.”

His short attempt at a laugh reassured her. At least he wasn’t going to pass out. Nor had he run away screaming or shown more than an understandable uncertainty about his role in Cady’s conception. So far, so good.

She glanced toward the back door, hoping against hope that Ian and Cady would be watching from the window. Of course, they weren’t. Ian most likely had Cady in her high chair, zooming spoonfuls of yogurt toward her mouth while she slammed her “practice” spoon on the tray. Or he would be changing her diaper, making up another installment in the Saga of Lulu and Cady that he was forever spinning for her. Normal. Familiar. Comforting.

Except...oh, that awful blankness on his face when he’d taken Cady from her...

“So, I don’t know where you were, but you could teach classes in disappearing, because seriously, I couldn’t find you. Ian had no idea, either.” Not that she had told Ian why she’d wanted that information, of course. She had told him she was worried about Lulu.

Was that why he had looked so hurt? Because she hadn’t told him the truth?

“I thought about hiring a private investigator, but you know, those guys cost a lot of money and I...well, I had a lot of unexpected expenses, as I’m sure you can understand.” Unexpected expenses coupled with a drastic readjustment of her job. Not that she minded, really. Accompanying her mother around the globe had had its moments, but if Darcy had to spend her life catering to a diva, she would take Cady over her mom any day.

“Expenses. Right.” Xander’s face grew a couple of shades paler. “Oh, shit. I’m going to have to pay child support. And it’s all retroactive, isn’t it?”

“I don’t— Look, that’s important, but, believe it or not, it’s not my biggest priority right now, okay? So don’t freak. I’m not going to sic a bunch of lawyers on you.”

His quivering eased the tiniest bit.

“What did you— Jesus, I didn’t even catch her name. Katie?”

“Cady. Short for Cadence. Cadence Joy Maguire.”

“That’s pretty.”

“Thanks.”

She hazarded another glance at the door. Foolish, she knew. Even if Ian wasn’t juggling child and dog, even if she had completely misread him, he would never spy on her.

But, damn, it would be nice to see his face for a second.

“So she—Cady— Damn. I don’t even know what I should be asking.”

Darcy might be swimming in a sea of uncertainty herself at the moment, but talking about Cady was something she could always do.

“She just turned a year. June seventh. She’s right on target for all her milestones. She has five teeth, and another one is trying to break through, so she’s a little cranky right now, but mostly she’s happy and bouncy. She’s a really amazing little thing, and once we made it past those first few weeks, it’s been the most exhausting and exhilarating rush I’ve ever had.” All true. She had barely ever imagined herself as a mother, let alone a single one, but now life before Cady was a distant memory.

The drumming of Xander’s fingers on the tabletop came to an abrupt halt.

“I want to see her again.”

“Right. Of course.” This was good. Wasn’t it? Every kid deserved to have a dad who wanted to be with her. Some of Darcy’s most cherished memories were of her late father. “We’ll have to work out some kind of schedule,” she said past the lump in her throat. “And I think that while she’s so little, you should visit her here, you know? Until she gets to know you and feels comfortable around you.”

Xander stared at her as if she had spoken in Shakespearean English. “I mean I want to see her right now.”

“Oh.” Relief made her laugh sound fake even to her. “Of course. I... Jeez, I guess I’ve had a few too many sleepless nights. You know, with that tooth coming in.”

He wasn’t talking about taking Cady on overnights or trips or any of those other scenarios that had made her wonder, wildly, if it was possible to stuff a one-year-old back in the womb. He simply wanted to see her now. One bullet dodged.

But not for long, she knew.

Cady was Xander’s as much as hers. He had rights. Moral ones and legal ones. And she would have to honor them.

Are you there, God? It’s me, Darcy. I know Xander is entitled to be in Cady’s life, but could we maybe spread things out a bit here? One step at a time, with lots of space between them?

Inch by slow inch she pushed herself down from the table, amazed that her feet still worked when she stood on them.

A familiar bark interrupted her worry. Inside the house Lulu pawed at the back door, jumping and whining the way she always did when she spotted the freedom of the yard. Darcy stood a little straighter. Lulu at the door meant that Ian would be right behind her, which meant that Darcy would have someone at her side while she introduced Cady to her father.

Not the answer she’d expected to her semi-serious prayer, but she would take it.

“Just so you know, I wasn’t trying to avoid you guys after I left,” Xander said.

Ian appeared, slightly stooped so he could hold Cady’s upraised hands while she walked. He nudged open the door. Lulu bounded forward, leaping and yipping and rolling in the grass at Darcy’s feet.

“You’ll find out anyway, but I’d rather you hear it from me. It sounds worse than it really is.”

Xander was nattering on and she knew she should be listening, but she had to watch Ian. Because he wasn’t coming outside, and he wasn’t looking at her. In fact, if the heaviness in her stomach could be believed, he was doing his best to avoid her gaze.

She edged Lulu out of the way and moved toward the door. She could be strong and get through the next half hour, but not until she’d held Cady, not until she’d seen Ian’s smile that always made her feel she could handle whatever lay ahead.

“The thing is, Darce, you couldn’t find me because I was in jail.”

Copyright © 2015 by Christine Fletcher

ISBN-13: 9781460383056

About That Night

Copyright © 2015 by Beth Burgoon

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

www.Harlequin.com