surprised her almost as much as the longer length of his hair. “You’ve always loved interviewing all those sports superstars. What on earth happened?”
His expression showed definite discomfort. “Things change, Leah.”
Yes, but she suspected he hadn’t. Maybe he wasn’t traipsing all over the country searching for his next female conquest, but she had no doubt women were still seeking him out on a regular basis, and he was gladly accommodating them. That didn’t matter to her any longer, or it shouldn’t.
She’d come here to say something important, and she needed to say it now. Yet when Kevin centered his dark eyes on her, Leah temporarily misplaced her train of thought. And when he leaned over and traced a fingertip along her jaw, she stiffened and muttered, “Don’t.”
If he so much as touched her again, Leah might momentarily forget how badly he’d wounded her, heart and soul. She refused to do that. Refused to succumb to his charm that he wielded like a net to ensnare unsuspecting females. She’d already been there and she wasn’t going back.
“Sorry.” His features turned sullen as he once more leaned back in his chair. “Do you mind telling me why you’re here?”
“Not to take up where we left off, Kevin.” Lying wasn’t the norm for Leah. In fact, she always demanded honesty under normal situations. Yet nothing about this situation was normal. She’d do whatever seemed necessary to discourage him, even if that meant fabricating an intimate relationship with another man. “Besides, I’m seeing someone.”
Kevin leaned forward and studied her a long moment. “Who is he?”
Leah was taken aback by the question, as well as the jealousy in his tone. A typical male I-don’t-want-you-but-I-don’t-want-anyone-else-to-have-you reaction. As it was with her job, she had to think quickly. “He’s someone I’ve known for a long time. We met up again when I was visiting my parents in Mississippi.” Not exactly a lie, but not the whole truth, either. She had seen her childhood friend, J. W. Camp, a few times when she’d been home. But J.W. was more like a brother to her, a detail she chose to omit. “He owns his own business. He’s a good man. Solid. Steady. Honest.”
“And you don’t believe I’m any of those things?”
At one time, she had. “It doesn’t matter what I think, Kevin. It’s over between us.”
“Is your relationship with this guy serious?” He sounded almost dejected.
Leah started to issue a denial, but reconsidered. “Look, Kevin, I’m not here to talk about my personal life with you. But we still have something very important to discuss.”
“Then talk. I’m listening.” His tone held a touch of anger, very unlike the Kevin she’d known before. He was usually all about gentle persuasion, deadly charm, but now he seemed much more serious. Or maybe he simply wished she would get out of his life for good.
That’s precisely what she’d planned to do—to stay out of his life—as soon as she presented her actual rationale for being there. With that in mind, she opened the bag, withdrew her wallet and held it firmly in her grasp. “First of all, I’ve agonized for weeks over what I’m about to tell you,” she began. “I’ve spent a lot of sleepless nights trying to figure out exactly how to tell you. But a few days ago, it occurred to me that putting it off any longer wouldn’t make it any easier. You’re still going to be mad.”
He sent her a cynic’s smile. “That would be a switch, you making me mad instead of the other way around.”
Leah could only pinpoint one time when he’d made her mad—furious in fact—and that had been the day he’d called it off between them without fair warning. “Believe me, you’re not going to be happy about this.”
Confusion called out from Kevin’s piercing brown eyes. “Just spill it, Leah.”
As the old adage went, a picture was worth a thousand words, which was why Leah chose to remove the photograph from the clear plastic folder. A photograph that resided among others of friends and family and all those precious in her life, including one of her and Kevin taken during their final vacation in Mexico that for some reason she hadn’t had the desire to remove. But this particular photo was the most precious of all.
She dropped the wallet back into her bag and offered the picture to Kevin without explanation. Clarification would come soon enough.
He studied the photo for a time before his gaze snapped to hers. “Who is this?”
Her gift. Her miracle. Her entire world. “She’s your daughter, Kevin.”
CHAPTER TWO
KEVIN LOOKED as stunned as Leah had been when she’d confirmed the pregnancy all those months ago. She waited patiently for his verbal reaction, and when she didn’t receive one, she said, “Her name is Carly.” Named for Carl, the little boy her parents had fostered when Leah had been in her teens. A special little boy no one had wanted because of his myriad medical problems. But Leah had loved him dearly, had helped care for him until the day he went into the hospital and never came out. He’d been the reason she’d chosen pediatrics as her specialty, but Kevin knew that. Not that he would remember.
Kevin stared at the photo before centering his gaze back on her. “How old is she?”
“Three months.”
“And you’re just now telling me?”
She’d considered not telling him at all, but she’d changed her mind after her mother reminded her of all the children who’d come to them with no medical histories, no knowledge of their own parents. “I called you a week or so after I confirmed the pregnancy. Some woman answered and I hung up. I planned to call you the month Carly was due, but before I could do that, I went into labor four weeks early. It all happened very fast.”
He looked alarmed. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. Perfect. A little underweight, but she’s catching up.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know how this happened. We were always careful.”
“Not always, Kevin. Remember that wild time we had on our trip to Cabo last summer?” The trip where Kevin hadn’t been himself. She’d learned the reason for his attitude a week later when he’d dumped her. “I had one too many margaritas the last night we were there. You had too much testosterone.”
“But I—”
“Not quickly enough. Besides, we both know that coitus interruptus is not a fail-proof form of birth control.” Yet that night she hadn’t been thinking clearly, and it had had little to do with alcohol because she hadn’t been intoxicated. The overriding passion between them had been the only thing that mattered. A passion that had often clouded her common sense.
When he still seemed doubtful, Leah added, “All you have to do is look at her, Kevin. She’s the mirror image of you.” So much so, she ached every time she looked at her baby girl. Their baby girl.
“Where is she now?” he asked as he continued to focus on the photo.
“With my roommate, Macy.” All the more reason why Leah needed to leave
