AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You say if they want to, but what about you? Do you want to work things out?”
That wasn’t an easy question to answer. “Yes. And no.”
His brows rose. “Care to elaborate?”
She sighed. “My parents lied to me, both by omission and with flat-out lies. They didn’t tell me about this island—about my grandparents and aunt. They knew if they told me I’d insist on coming here—on meeting and knowing my extended family.” Just mentioning it made her body tense. “And now they are all dead and all I have are the pictures and notes that are here on the island to give me a clue what these people were like. It wasn’t fair. My parents robbed me of a piece of my life—something I’ll never get back.”
“I had no idea. No wonder this island is so important to you. But surely your parents had a good reason to keep it all from you.”
“According to them, my grandparents forbade them to marry and said if they did that they would disown my mother.”
“Maybe that’s why they didn’t mention this part of the family. They had written your grandparents out of their lives.”
“But what about my aunt? She didn’t disown anyone. In the end, after my grandparents died, she was left on this island without any family. She was alone when she died. It wasn’t how she wanted it.”
“How do you know?”
“Because there was a letter to me in her will. She told me that over the years she’d tried to reach out to her sister, but the letters were always returned unopened. When the internet became a thing, she found out about me, but before she could contact me, the attorney told me that she died of cancer. Can you imagine dying all alone with no family?”
Xander reached out and pulled Lea close until her head rested on his strong shoulder. He didn’t say anything. Instead he just sat there for a bit holding her until she had her emotions under control.
When Lea pulled back, she did so reluctantly. She hadn’t allowed herself to remember how good it felt to be held in Xander’s arms. And now as she leaned back on the barstool, she missed his warm and comforting touch.
“I should get to the office. I have a lot to do.”
He nodded in understanding. “And I told Joseph that I would help him today with a bungalow on the other side of the island.”
Joseph was a very loyal employee. He’d been working on the island for more than twenty years and he was a very talented man—a jack of all trades. But he wasn’t a people person. He would rather keep to himself unless he knew you well.
“So you and Joseph hit it off?”
Xander nodded. “Is that a problem?”
“No. Not at all.” She was just surprised. She wondered what Joseph saw in Xander to take him under his wing so quickly. “I’ll see you this evening.”
“We still have more to discuss.”
As Lea let herself out the door, she reminded herself that the tender moment hadn’t meant anything other than that Xander was a caring friend. She couldn’t allow herself to read more into the moment—it’d only lead to more heartache for her. She knew that sooner or later the people closest to her would let her down.
If she allowed Xander into her life, she had to make sure to keep him at arm’s length. That would prevent hurt feelings and misunderstandings. She told herself it was best for their baby. Two parents who could coexist in peace was worth the sacrifice of not finding out if there could be more with the man who made her heart race with just a look.
CHAPTER NINE
HE COULDN’T JUST let her walk out of his life.
Move to the other side of the world.
The following afternoon, Xander frowned as he entered Lea’s empty office. Sure, he was rich and could travel, but he couldn’t relocate his real estate conglomerate to the States. Nor could he afford to be gone for long stretches of time. And then what would happen? He’d have to choose between the empire he’d built and his child?
Could he do that? Could he choose between the two things that meant the world to him? His child? And his life’s work?
It seemed as if it didn’t matter which he chose. He would be losing a piece of himself. But he refused to give up. There had to be another solution—something he wasn’t seeing—something within his power to resolve. Because he couldn’t stand the thought of another man raising his child.
