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Evan can’t even look me in the eye. “To be fair, I was as shocked as you are now when I figured out you were the father. I had no idea you felt that way about Izzy… and she refused to tell me who it was. I worked it out on my own as soon as I saw Rory.” His eyes find their way to mine. “You could’ve warned me, at least. I thought about tracking you down in New York and pounding your face into the pavement.”
“I didn’t know. I’d never have let her go through it alone.”
“I know that… now. I figured it out after a while.”
I can’t even pretend to stand still, so I start pacing the kitchen. “I would’ve told you we were together, once we got to that point. It was new… fuck, it was one time. She left before it could become anything more than that. I just thought she didn’t feel the same way and that she was too afraid to make it awkward. Had I known...” I trail off. What would I have done if I’d known? Taken her with me to New York? Stayed in Tennessee?
It doesn’t matter now. What I would’ve done doesn’t matter, because she took that decision away from me.
As if he can read my thoughts, Evan says, “It’s in the past. All that matters from this point forward is what you want to do now that you know the truth.” He fixes me with a hard, serious stare. “You better be damn sure you know what you want before you say anything to anyone else, because I won’t let you hurt either of them. I love that little girl like my own and I can’t let you break her heart.”
“I won’t say anything. Not yet. Izzy needs to come clean. I need her to tell me.” I turn back to Evan who is now inching his way out of the kitchen, trying and failing to look nonchalant. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Home?”
“I don’t think so. Grab a beer, you have seven years to fill me in on.”
Evan stays long into the evening and we go through a lot of what’s been going on with Rory and Izzy. When he leaves, I’m more than ready to head to bed, but there’s another knock at the door.
Aren’t I popular, tonight?
My stomach drops when I see that it’s Courtney. The only reason I decide to let her in is that today changed everything. I really do need to set her straight.
“This place isn’t bad, for now,” she says, looking around the entryway.
I shove my hands in my pockets, regretting that last beer I had with Evan. I’m not quite as solid on my feet as I’d like to be for this conversation. “Look, Court, it’s been a long night and I just want to get to bed.”
“I know,” she says. “I was there remember? At the park when you just took off with that dog and his female owner. Who is she, anyway?”
Who she is is none of her business, but I can’t say that. Courtney has to be handled a certain way. If you piss her off, she just digs her heels in harder. “Izzy is Evan’s little sister. We all grew up together, and that was her daughter, Rory.”
She looks skeptical, despite the botox in her face fighting against any facial expressions. “So, she’s like a little sister to you? You always said Evan was like a brother.” She peers up at me through her long lashes, awaiting an answer.
“Courtney, like I said, you and I aren’t going to work out. You should’ve stayed in New York. There’s nothing here for you.”
“Because of her?” She frowns like she can’t understand the appeal.
“That doesn’t matter. Even if Izzy wasn’t in the picture, what I’m saying is you and I don’t work.”
Her nostrils flare as she takes a breath and stiffens her shoulders. “Well, your loss, Sterling. You should see the tabloid reactions to the pictures of us at the park. Everyone was so happy to see me in New York, rumors were swirling about our reconciliation, how I followed you here. A good love story is great to jumpstart a career.”
I hold the front door open and shrug. “You’ll just have to find someone else to use to stay relevant.”
As she walks out, I hear the distinct rustling of grass like someone just scurried away, and there’s a car parked at the curb with a camera lens poking out of the window. Either the photographers followed Courtney here or she called them to make sure they got their shots. I wouldn’t put it past her, but either way, I’ll have to warn Izzy, or there’ll be Hell to pay.
CHAPTER 11
Isabella
Rory has a late start at school the next day, so she accompanies me to my office in the morning. I have to get to work on this community outreach project. The good news is the animal shelter went off without a hitch… until the whole stitches debacle.
The posts from the park are trending well online. So are the posts about Nathan and Courtney. But, I’m trying not to think about those. In any case, everyone seems to agree that Nathan holding a puppy and smiling at kids is the sexiest thing since sliced bread, so my strategy is working.
It’s hard not to agree with them.
He does look pretty damn enticing in those pictures.
After getting Rory settled in the lobby with some art supplies to keep her entertained. I go to my office a few feet away, where I scroll through more of the pictures from the other day, stopping on one I snapped of Nathan in profile smiling at that golden retriever puppy. You can see a hint of a dimple on his cheek, and the way the sun is dancing on his tanned skin, he might as well be made of solid gold. It’s not his beauty that made me stop though… it’s how much of Rory I see in this picture. God, they are identical. That knowledge settles in my gut like a ship’s anchor.
