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Beth’s face told me a different story.
“What the fuck?”
Ash put a hand on my shoulder. “Look, I know how this feels. I’ve been there. That’s why you had to know. I don’t want you missing any part of your child’s life.”
I couldn’t breathe. It was as though anvils were sitting on my lungs. Why would she lie?’
“If you love Morgan, you can work past this,” he said.
“How? How do you work past a woman wanting to keep your baby from you?” My body couldn’t decide which emotion to go with. Rage? Despair? Hurt?
“Morgan’s reasoning is likely misguided, but I’m sure not malicious,” Beth said softly. “She loves you, Kade — ”
“No, she doesn’t. How could she love me and keep this from me?”
“It’s complicated.”
“No. It’s not. Jesus.” I ran my fingers through my hair. “I told her I’d raise it as my own. So many times, she could have come clean and didn’t. She was never going to tell me, was she?”
“She was,” Beth insisted. “I know she was.”
“But she didn’t.” Even outside on the terrace, the area felt too small. I had to get away. “I need to go. Will you make my excuses?”
“Where are you going?” Ash asked.
I looked up at him with an ‘are you kidding’ expression.
“Maybe you should wait until you’ve calmed down,” he said.
“Did you?” I snapped.
He put his hands on his hips. “No. But I figured it out when I was with her.”
“Kade, please,” Beth stepped forward. “I know this is bad, but please, give her a chance. This just got away from her and she couldn’t figure out what to do.”
“‘Kade, I’m pregnant with your baby’ was too hard?”
“Yes.”
“She’s not keeping it from me,” I said.
“She doesn’t want to. Really, Kade. She wants things to work out,” Beth said.
I scoffed. “I can’t believe that.” I brushed past them, and without a word headed out the door into the night. I had a driver there, but decided to walk a bit, needing to get my bearings on what had just happened. I’d fallen for a woman who was a liar. Not just a liar, but one that had kept my child a secret. Who did that?
I pulled out my phone and called the restaurant.
“She’s taken a well-deserved evening off,” Pat told me when I asked for Morgan. “Everything is fine here, and I’ve been working with Manny on learning general manager duties. He’d make a good assistant. He’s expediting tonight. Doing pretty well, too.”
“Good. Great.” I hung up the phone, not able to deal with business talk.
I texted my driver and when he arrived, I had him take me to Morgan’s apartment. The ride gave me time to reflect on all the times she could have told me but hadn’t. The first time I asked about the baby. During lunch. The many times we’d made love. She not only hadn’t told me, but she let me believe someone else was the father. Did she think someone else could be the father?
I scraped a hand over my face, hating the hurt and confusion I was feeling.
When I got to her apartment, I rapped on the door. No answer. I rapped louder.
“Morgan!”
No answer.
“Jeez, man, they’re out,” the person across the hall said through the door.
Fuck. Where was she? I called her on my phone. “Where are you?” I asked when she picked up. There was no hiding the anger in my voice.
“I’m mystery dining at one of your restaurants. Scoping out my competition. Are you home?”
I had no time for banter. “I’m at your place. We need to talk.”
“Okay. I’m having dinner with my mother. Her treatment is going well, Kade. Thank you so much.”
I clenched my teeth. So thankful for my help, she’d kept my child from me.
“I need to see you now, Morgan.”
There was a pause that had me thinking maybe she was catching on that I wasn’t in a good mood.
“Maybe I’ll pencil you in if you check your attitude. What’s wrong with you, Kade?”
I let out a growl. “You have no right to lecture me on my attitude. I’m at your place. Meet me here now.” I hung up, not wanting to get into it over the phone. I walked out front, paced a bit, and then sat on the front stoop to wait for her.
I had to admire my brothers’ ability to give their hearts so freely to a good woman. Me? When I’d finally taken the risk, I’d gotten my heart squashed like a bug. There was no way I’d let that happen again.
30
Morgan — Sunday
Was he angry that I’d taken a day off? That was what I was trying to tell myself as I sat petrified in my chair at the little diner where Mom and I were having dinner. Since Mom had started treatment, she seemed to have more energy, so we’d spent the afternoon shopping for baby items at secondhand stores.
