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"We'll see you soon! You have two hours to come up with a reason to explain to Keegan why you never told him about me. Can't wait to hear the reason, too! Bye!"
Oh for heaven's sake. "Gabby—"
But Gabby had already hung up.
Holy crap.
Sofia leaned back in the seat and clasped her hands on her head, her mind whirling over the phone call. Keegan still called her Sascha. He knew nothing about her, or what had happened. And yet he'd accepted without question that Gabby was his daughter.
Sudden tears filled her eyes. "Thank you, Keegan," she whispered. "Thank you for not breaking my baby's heart."
How much did he remember about their time together? About how it had ended?
Based on his response to Gabby, she was guessing he remembered everything.
How was she going to explain that last night? And explain the fact that she'd hidden his daughter from him all this time?
For the last sixteen years, he'd been a shadow in her heart. Seven days of magic with a stranger. A romance that had never had the chance to run its course.
And now she was on an icy mountain in the Cascade mountains, waiting for him to show up, with a daughter who was going to bind them together.
Lock them together.
Trap them together.
How much could those days have meant? How much foundation did that give them to handle today?
What had they meant to him?
And what would it mean in two hours, when he walked into that tavern?
CHAPTER NINE
Keegan paused in the parking lot of the Black Bear Tavern, waiting for Bella and Gabby to get out of the truck. The two were already pals, and Bella's welcome of Gabby had been instant and genuine. Being one of two girls in a family with seven boys, Bella had always wanted more women.
And now she had one.
But…what the hell?
He took a breath, taking the first moment of privacy to breathe.
He had a daughter.
Sascha was alive.
Since he'd picked up Gabby, he'd been entirely focused on her. Making her feel comfortable. Trying to ease the tension. Hiding his shock at what had happened. He didn't have time to process, to connect with her, and he wouldn't have time before he had to face Sascha…who was inside that building.
He scanned the old log cabin-style tavern. The parking lot was fairly empty, because it was that time of the afternoon between lunch and dinner. Sascha was in there.
Holy crap.
The door slammed, and Gabby and Bella got out. Gabby was holding Millie in her arms. "She didn't want to be left alone. She wants her papa."
He held out his arms, and Millie tumbled out of Gabby's arms into his. He put her in his jacket so that only her head was poking out, then frowned when he saw Bella and Gabby gazing at him. "What?"
"That's literally so cute you put a puppy in your jacket," Bella said. "You're like this big, bubbling pile of mush, and I had no idea."
"I'm not mush." He shifted restlessly. "You think you should go in first, Gabby? Work things out with your mom? I can wait out here. Or you want me to go in first?" He prided himself on always having his shit together, but suddenly, he felt like an awkward teenager again. What if Sascha banned him from seeing Gabby ever? What would happen when he saw her again? What if sixteen years of memories had made her into something she wasn't?
