soon as I left the party. I’m not willing to do this to Isabelle anymore. Think. If I told you this was your baby, what good would it do anyone? I decided to have her. I’m having her. She’s my choice, and my decision, and my responsibility. No one else’s.”
“And I don’t have any say?”
“No.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m supposed to just pretend that this isn’t happening?”
“You’ve been doing a good job of it so far. Pretending we haven’t been cheating on Isabelle together. I’m still trying to figure out what made me do that,” she said. “You need to just walk away, Dominic. Go be with Isabelle and treat her as well as she deserves. Better.”
He licked his lips and shook his head at her, upset clear on his face. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I wouldn’t have…Eve, I’ve got responsibility whether you want me to or not. I’ve got—”
“Nothing. You’ve got nothing to do with this. There were five other guys,” she said in a rush. “Maybe seven. I don’t know. And I was with you fewer times than the rest. It’s likeliest that her father is an American I was seeing. I liked his accent. So, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m worried about you! You know, I do have feelings for you. I do care about what happens to you.”
“Then walk away. Because if my family thinks this baby is yours—if they even get a whiff of that scent—we’ve broken Isabelle’s heart, and then this baby will never have grandparents, aunts, uncles, or anything. She’ll be fucking stuck on a desert island with me, and you know that wouldn’t work. I don’t get along with my family, but she’ll want to know them. Don’t ruin this for her.”
“Is she mine?” he asked one more time, his words measured.
“If I say yes, will you care enough to walk away and let her have a life? Just let her think I was kind of a whore, not that I was the worst kind who was sleeping with her sister’s boyfriend?”
“You’re not a whore.”
She gave him a withering look. “Dominic. Please.”
“You’re not.”
“Maybe not on your level, but still. You didn’t answer the questions.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know if I can just walk away.”
“Then she’s not yours, and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Go home, Dominic.”
He swallowed hard, frowning. “Eve, please. Please.”
“I’m giving you the out, Dominic! She isn’t yours!”
“I’m always going to wonder!”
“Then it sucks to be you. But you’ve got two choices here: Go marry my sister and have a happy life, or…Dominic, what would you do? Would you break up with Issie and come try to live with me? Because I won’t have you. I don’t love you. You don’t love me. I care for you, but not in the way it takes to be parents together. You can be a very involved uncle. You can see her all the time. You can have her over for visits, and you and Isabelle can love her together. She can adore you, and you can be her favorite uncle—you would be anyway. But you cannot be her father. Okay? Will you take that? Will you be her uncle? And if there are father-daughter things, you can take her as her uncle. I’ll tell her that her father was eaten by a shark, or struck by lightning on a golf course, or fell through the center of the earth, but Uncle Dominic is the best surrogate ever.”
His jaw twitched again, and she nodded, dark eyes burning into his.
“Hear what I am not saying to you,” she insisted. “Be her uncle, and be fantastic.”
He was silent for a few moments, the only sound the ticking of the clock and their breathing, before he said, “All right. Will you stop acting like you hate me around Isabelle and the rest of the family?”
“As long as you don’t start acting obviously toward me,” she replied with a nod.
“Otherwise, it will seem strange to everyone that you allow her to spend so much time with ‘Uncle Dominic.’”
She smiled and shook her head.
“And I don’t have any say?”
“No.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m supposed to just pretend that this isn’t happening?”
“You’ve been doing a good job of it so far. Pretending we haven’t been cheating on Isabelle together. I’m still trying to figure out what made me do that,” she said. “You need to just walk away, Dominic. Go be with Isabelle and treat her as well as she deserves. Better.”
He licked his lips and shook his head at her, upset clear on his face. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I wouldn’t have…Eve, I’ve got responsibility whether you want me to or not. I’ve got—”
“Nothing. You’ve got nothing to do with this. There were five other guys,” she said in a rush. “Maybe seven. I don’t know. And I was with you fewer times than the rest. It’s likeliest that her father is an American I was seeing. I liked his accent. So, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m worried about you! You know, I do have feelings for you. I do care about what happens to you.”
“Then walk away. Because if my family thinks this baby is yours—if they even get a whiff of that scent—we’ve broken Isabelle’s heart, and then this baby will never have grandparents, aunts, uncles, or anything. She’ll be fucking stuck on a desert island with me, and you know that wouldn’t work. I don’t get along with my family, but she’ll want to know them. Don’t ruin this for her.”
“Is she mine?” he asked one more time, his words measured.
“If I say yes, will you care enough to walk away and let her have a life? Just let her think I was kind of a whore, not that I was the worst kind who was sleeping with her sister’s boyfriend?”
“You’re not a whore.”
She gave him a withering look. “Dominic. Please.”
“You’re not.”
“Maybe not on your level, but still. You didn’t answer the questions.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know if I can just walk away.”
“Then she’s not yours, and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Go home, Dominic.”
He swallowed hard, frowning. “Eve, please. Please.”
“I’m giving you the out, Dominic! She isn’t yours!”
“I’m always going to wonder!”
“Then it sucks to be you. But you’ve got two choices here: Go marry my sister and have a happy life, or…Dominic, what would you do? Would you break up with Issie and come try to live with me? Because I won’t have you. I don’t love you. You don’t love me. I care for you, but not in the way it takes to be parents together. You can be a very involved uncle. You can see her all the time. You can have her over for visits, and you and Isabelle can love her together. She can adore you, and you can be her favorite uncle—you would be anyway. But you cannot be her father. Okay? Will you take that? Will you be her uncle? And if there are father-daughter things, you can take her as her uncle. I’ll tell her that her father was eaten by a shark, or struck by lightning on a golf course, or fell through the center of the earth, but Uncle Dominic is the best surrogate ever.”
His jaw twitched again, and she nodded, dark eyes burning into his.
“Hear what I am not saying to you,” she insisted. “Be her uncle, and be fantastic.”
He was silent for a few moments, the only sound the ticking of the clock and their breathing, before he said, “All right. Will you stop acting like you hate me around Isabelle and the rest of the family?”
“As long as you don’t start acting obviously toward me,” she replied with a nod.
“Otherwise, it will seem strange to everyone that you allow her to spend so much time with ‘Uncle Dominic.’”
She smiled and shook her head.
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