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It was impossible to miss the anger written all over her face as she faced Xander. This time he had no one to blame but himself for taking quite a few steps back in their relationship. She led them a safe distance away from the couple she’d been talking to.
With her back turned to her guests, she said, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I was just trying to make a joke. Like you said.”
Her gaze narrowed. “That was no joke. So what gives?”
She had called him out and maybe it was good to tell her the truth—all of it. After all, at this point, what could it hurt?
He swallowed. “I thought that you and I, we were growing closer.”
She hesitated. “As friends.”
They both knew their relationship had gone beyond friendship, but if it made her more comfortable to think of them as merely friends, he wasn’t going to correct her.
He stared into her eyes. “I thought you were beginning to trust me.”
“I... I am.” He read confusion in her eyes. “But what does that have to do with you trying to run off prospective buyers? You know how important this is to me.”
And he felt bad for letting himself act rashly. He raked his fingers through his hair. It wasn’t something he ever allowed himself to do when he was conducting a business deal. In fact, he was more inclined to take his time and let the other man sweat it out. But with Lea and the baby on the line, he was the one sweating out how this was all going to work out.
“I thought by now you’d realize you could trust me—that you would consider letting me give...” He paused. This wasn’t coming out right. If he didn’t handle this correctly, she would dig her heels in even deeper. He sighed and lowered his head. “Never mind. I’m sorry I interrupted your meeting.”
He turned to walk away when she reached out, touching his arm. “Xander, wait.”
He glanced back to her, not sure what he expected her to say. He remained quiet, letting her have her say.
Her gaze searched his. “What were you hoping would happen?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer as she barreled forward. “Were you hoping that if you sweet-talked me on a deserted beach I would suddenly decide to sell to you?”
“No.” His voice was sterner than he’d intended it to be. He made an effort to soften his voice. “I’d hoped you’d let me loan you the money to fix up the island.”
“With strings—”
“No. No strings attached.” It wasn’t how he normally did business, but he’d make an exception in this case. “It would be because we’re friends.”
She stepped closer to him, never breaking eye contact. “You’re being serious, aren’t you?”
He let out a breath he hadn’t even realized that he’d been holding. “Yes, I am.”
“After all of this time, you still don’t get it.”
His brows drew together. “Get what?”
“That what this baby needs from you isn’t money. It needs you to let down your guard and love it. He or she needs you to be an active part of its life.”
Xander took a step back. She was asking him to be a loving, devoted parent. And as much as he wanted that, too, he was afraid he’d follow the parenting examples from his past. “I’m not good with emotions.”
“Is that what your sister would say? I see the way your eyes light up when you talk about her. You’d do anything for her, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course, but that’s different—”
“You love her, right?”
“Yes. But—”
“But you’re willing to give your child less?”
His back teeth ground together. Why was she twisting his words around on him? He was doing what was best for the child—protecting it from him.
Lea pleaded with her eyes. “You don’t have to follow your father’s example. Be the understanding, encouraging parent you always wanted him to be.” She glanced over her shoulder at her waiting guests. “I have to go.”
Xander had come here hoping to get through to her, but as she walked away, it was the other way around. Was she right? Could he be the father that he’d always longed for?
