knot settled in his gut. He had kept up with the town through the online news and knew that she’d died in childbirth. “Of course.”
Then the date of Natalie’s death flashed into his head, and the months fell away as he ticked them off in his head.
The dark blond hair…Hair just like his.
Was it possible that that baby was his?
B RIANNA CLUTCHED BABY R YAN to her, a frisson of alarm ripping through her at the sight of Derrick McKinney.
That same feeling of hopeless infatuation she’d felt as a young girl followed. Hopeless because he’d never even noticed her.
Just as she remembered, he was tall, muscled and broad-shouldered. The wind tossed his wavy dark blond hair across his forehead, snow dotting his bronzed skin. His eyes were the color of espresso, a magnetic draw to them that made her body tingle with want. She could still see him dressed in all black, tearing around the mountain roads on that Harley.
Sexuality leaked from his pores just as masculinity radiated off his big body. But even as need and desire swirled through her, fear sank like a rock in her stomach.
He suddenly stalked toward her, his jaw clenched, his eyes darkening as they raked over her and settled on the bundle in her arms.
She’d wondered who the baby’s father was, and had feared it might be Derrick, but Natalie had insisted he wasn’t. Besides, he hadn’t been in Natalie’s life the last nine months, nor had he attended the funeral, so she’d assumed that if he was the father, he didn’t want anything to do with the little boy.
“Brianna.”
She stiffened. His voice sounded rough and deep, the sensuality in his tone igniting desire inside her.
She had to get a grip. Had to steel herself against him. He’d slept with her best friend— not her .
And she couldn’t forget it.
Tears pricked her eyelids as she zeroed in on the bouquet in his hands. He’d even brought Natalie fresh flowers.
Lilies—Brianna’s favorite.
Natalie had loved roses.
God, she was pathetic. Jealous over her friend because Derrick had obviously loved her.
He cleared his throat. “I was sorry to hear about Natalie. How tragic.”
Brianna couldn’t speak. Instead she swallowed back tears. As if the baby overheard the reminder that his mother was gone, he whimpered and began to fuss.
“I know how close you two were.” He shifted awkwardly on the balls of his feet. “This must be really hard for you.”
She nodded. “I still can’t believe she’s gone. I miss her every day.”
His gaze dropped to the fussing baby in her arms. “So Natalie had a little boy?”
Brianna took a deep breath and tugged the blanket over his face to ward off the wind. Or was it so he couldn’t see the little boy’s face? “Yes.”
“What about the father?” Derrick’s voice warbled slightly over the word father .
Wariness filled Brianna, and she rocked the baby, trying to soothe him. “He’s not in the picture.”
Derrick’s broad jaw tightened. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know,” Brianna said, trying to stick as close to the truth as possible. “Natalie never told me.”
Surprise registered on Derrick’s face. “I thought you two shared everything.”
At one time they had. But Natalie had glossed over the details of that night with Derrick. And the last few weeks she’d acted strangely, secretive, even shut her out.
Because Derrick was the father of her son? Because she knew it would hurt Brianna even more to know that Natalie shared a child with the only guy she had ever wanted?
“W HAT IS THE BABY ’ S NAME ?” Derrick asked.
Brianna licked her lips, snowflakes dotting her silky shoulder length hair. “Ryan. It was Natalie’s father’s name.”
He nodded. The Cummings family had been a surrogate to Brianna.
A stiff wind picked up, swirling snow, leaves and dried pine straw around them. Brianna shivered, the baby’s cries escalating.
“I’d better get him out of the weather,” she said. Then she gave a pointed look at the flowers. “And I’ll leave you alone to speak to Natalie.”
Cuddling the crying infant to her, she dashed past him, picking up her pace and practically running toward her vehicle. He frowned, a knot gathering in his stomach.
Brianna had always avoided him, but for a moment, he thought he’d detected fear in her eyes.
No, not Brianna. She was as sweet as they came.
Too sweet for his badass ways back then, and too sweet now.
Don’t trust a woman, his inner voice warned. Didn’t you learn your lesson before?
He walked over and knelt at Natalie’s grave, then laid the spray of flowers on the top. “Natalie, is that little boy mine? And if he is, why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
He turned and watched as Brianna sped away, and anger began to simmer inside him. He’d never considered having a family, especially a child. Had never thought he’d be any good at it.
But if that baby boy was his, he’d find out.
B RIANNA WAS SHAKING AS SHE drove back to her house, but with the snow thickening, she forced herself to drive slowly and to avoid the dangerous patches of black ice.
What if Derrick was Ryan’s father?
Would he want the baby?
An ache rolled through her chest at the thought of having to give up the little boy she’d come to think of as her son. Yet at the same time, guilt pressed against her chest.
She loved Ryan and as his adoptive mother, she had to think about his future, to put him first. She’d never known her own father.
Didn’t Ryan have a right to know his, especially if the man wanted to be in the picture?
She parked, gathered Ryan from the backseat, rocking him as she rushed to her house and unlocked the door.
The wind sent the chimes into a soft musical symphony, her front porch swing swaying in the breeze. The wreath she’d hung on the door reminded her of the upcoming holiday, that this was a special time of year. Natalie had loved Christmas.
For Brianna, it had meant lonely nights, holidays without gifts, a reminder that her mother had dumped her on the doorstep of an orphanage and
