that had just happened. She’d put a barrier between them, and as he stood on the outside, he couldn’t help but wonder how the hell he could ever fix this.
When he left her alone to pack, and then leave the cabin, Eve was even more hurt. She shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was. He’d given up. Clearly he only wanted the child and she was an absolute fool to have believed otherwise.
But what hurt the most was that she still loved him. Well, she loved the man she thought he was. He’d been so caring, so amazing these past couple of weeks, but one overheard phone call had revealed the truth.
Eve had been home only a day, but she’d called her sisters and her father for a family meeting. Dr. Wilde had told Eve that Sutton was resting, but he was having a good day and to come on by. Grace and Nora were meeting Eve at the Winchester estate.
As Eve stood outside the front door, she fought back her nerves. Had it only been two nights since she was here for a party? A party announcing her sister’s engagement. A party Graham had crashed, and then he’d taken her...
No. There would be no more thinking along those lines. Whatever they’d shared in the past was best left there. Their affair had started out so fast, so intense, there was no way it could’ve lasted or even morphed into something with deeper meaning. Eve cursed herself for getting so caught up in romanticizing the secret of it all.
Gathering up her courage, she let herself in and headed straight to her father’s study. Grace and Nora were already there. Grace adjusted the throw on her father’s legs and Nora glanced up, catching Eve’s eye. A soft smile from her sister was all Eve needed to get through this. Having Nora here was a huge help since she already knew.
Grace glanced up when Eve shut the door. “Is everything okay?” she asked. “You sounded strange on the phone.”
Eve met her father’s questioning eyes. “I’m fine, but I have something I need to tell you all.”
Grace straightened, taking hold of their father’s hand. “You’re scaring me. Are you sick, too?”
“What? No.” She hadn’t meant to scare them. “I’m pregnant.”
Silence. Not a word was said as her sisters and father just stared back at her.
“I’m at seven weeks,” she went on, in a rush to fill the dead air. “The doctor has assured me that everything looks great, but I’m scared.” There, she’d said it. “I need your help and support, no judgment, please. I can’t deal with it right now.”
“Because Graham is the father?” Grace asked.
Eve bit her lip in an attempt to battle back the emotions. Afraid to speak, she merely nodded.
“He didn’t say a word when he was here the other day,” her father chimed in. “Does he know?”
Eve moved farther into the room. “What? He was here?”
“With Brooks and Carson.”
Eve’s mind spun. He’d been to see her father and hadn’t said a word. The betrayals kept on coming. He’d been sleeping with her, telling her everything she wanted to know, but sneaking to see her father behind her back.
“Was he pressuring you?” Eve demanded as she eased a hip onto the side of the bed.
“I actually invited Carson here,” he stated. “I wanted a chance to tell him I’m sorry, to see if there was a possibility of connecting now that I know for sure he’s my son. I didn’t want to die without him knowing that I loved his mother, that I would’ve fought had I known he existed.”
Eve listened as her father exposed his emotions. She’d never heard him this passionate about anything other than business. Sutton Winchester was one of the most prominent, powerful men in Chicago and he’d been deprived of raising his own child.
Was that truly what Graham had thought she’d do? Had she ever indicated she’d be so heartless? He’d been determined to marry her, so much so he’d swept her away on a trip away from everything she knew. She’d been easily swayed because she honestly thought he cared about her, when in reality he was softening her, getting her to fall for him, all so he could convince her to marry him.
“Wait, has he pushed you away?” Grace asked.
“No.” Eve took her father’s other hand. “He...it’s complicated. I don’t want to go into the details, but—”
“Complicated? You two were on the same page when I saw you the other morning.”
Eve glanced at Nora, who had pulled up a chair by their father’s bed. Grace and Sutton both turned to Nora.
“She knew?” Grace asked.
Nora shrugged, sending Eve an apologetic glance. “I happened to stop by her house when Graham was there making breakfast for her.”
“Things have changed since then,” Eve explained. “All I need right now is for you guys to know I won’t let Elite down. I’m 100 percent committed to the company and—”
“This baby comes before any company.”
Eve stilled at her father’s words. He’d never said anything like that. He was loyal to his family, yes, but he always put business first. Always.
“I can handle both,” she assured him.
“I’m sure you can.” He turned his hand over and held on to hers. “But I want a healthy grandbaby. I want you to take care of yourself. We have enough staff that can assist you, so put some of the burden on them. That’s my greatest regret—not having been there more for my kids.”
Eve glanced to her sisters, who had both started tearing up.
“When you’re faced with the end, you start thinking about the beginning,” he went on. “And if I could go back, I’d definitely put some work off onto my assistants so I could be with you all more. Learn from my mistakes, Eve. Take care of yourself.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling her.”
Eve jerked at the familiar voice behind her. Graham stood in the doorway with the butler right behind him.
“I tried to stop him, Mr. Winchester,” the poor man explained.
“It’s fine,” Sutton replied. “Close the door and leave us.”
Eve continued to stare at Graham, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, coming to her feet. “You can’t just barge in here—”
“I can. And I did.”
Eve didn’t risk looking behind her to her sisters or father. The tension in the room had multiplied, threatening to take over.
“I don’t want you here,” she told him, pulling her cardigan tighter around her. As if such a simple gesture could keep any more pain
