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He noticed her use of the present tense. "She's alive? Your mom?"
"Alive? Of course."
Alive. Was it Sascha? Was that even possible? His heart started racing.
"She's probably freaking out right now," Gabby continued. "I stole the car. And totaled it. She's going to be so mad."
Keegan couldn’t help but grin. That was something Sascha would have done, too. "Almost seventeen years ago, I met a woman named Sascha Rose. You look just like her."
A wide smile lit up Gabby's face. "Did you meet her when you dove in front of a truck to save her life in the middle of the night? In Portland, Oregon?"
Keegan fought to keep his composure. "I did."
"And then you hung out with her for a week? And it went from nice and friendly to naked time?"
Bella coughed and turned her head, trying to hide a smile.
Keegan closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. "Yes."
"That was my mom, who apparently lied to you about her name, so you can yell at her about that." Gabby held out her arms to the sides, as if showcasing her brilliance. "Tada! You guys made me that night. Merry Christmas, Dad. I'm home."
CHAPTER SEVEN
Keegan went down to his knees, shocked. Sascha was alive? And they had a daughter?
He was too stunned to speak.
"Did I kill him?" Gabby grabbed Bella's arm. "Is he going to die? He looks like he's going to die. Does he have a bad heart?"
Bella started laughing. "No, he's just a drama queen. Keegan, stop scaring her. Get up and greet your daughter."
Keegan fought back the thousands of questions that flooded his mind, the emotions, jabbing at his gut. He struggled to hold his shit together. "I have a daughter?"
Gabby shrugged and held out her hands almost apologetically. "Mom said you wouldn't believe me. That everyone wants a piece of you." She put her hands on her hips and stood taller. "I don't want your money or anything from you. I just wanted to meet you."
Fuck. He lunged to his feet at her defensiveness. "I didn't know."
She rolled her eyes. "I know you didn't know. Obviously. My mom told me. That's why I'm here. Now you know." Her gaze met his, and her voice faded as she watched him, wariness creeping into her eyes, waiting for his response.
If he'd found out Gabby was his daughter while he was with Brody, he would have had space to react however he needed to. But with the sixteen-year-old girl staring at him, his response had to be about her. Not himself. There would be time for himself later.
And one thing he knew was that he would never, ever do the kind of damage to her that a rejection would cause. So, he shook out his shoulders and stuck out his hand. "Great to meet you, Gabby."
"You're shaking her hand?" Bella snorted. "She's your daughter, Keegan, not a business partner."
He shot a look at his sister, but she just grinned at him. "Hug it out, guys. This is definitely a hug moment. My first niece! This is awesome."
Gabby glanced at Bella. "You guys believe me?"
Bella nodded. "All I need to do is look at Keegan's face. He knows it's true, don't you, Keegan?"
He had no proof that Gabby was his biological daughter, but it was absolutely possible. And he did know for sure that Gabby was Sascha's kid, and that she believed that Keegan was her biological dad. He wasn't going to let Gabby down by questioning her, because he knew damn well family wasn't about blood. Family was about the heart. In Gabby's heart, he was her dad, so that was enough for him. Gabby was his daughter, end of story. "I believe you," he said, his voice rough.
Her eyes widened. "You don't want to take a paternity test or something?"
He could hear the vulnerability in her voice. He could see it in her eyes. Hell. He didn't know what had happened in her life or what happened to the guy Sascha had been married to at the time of her "death," but Sascha clearly had chosen him to be the guy that Gabby could believe in, that she could count on to be her dad.
He wasn't going to let either of them down. Not like how he and all his siblings had been left to fend for themselves when they'd been kids.
