didn’t want the intimacy of seeing Justin at either of their homes. The restaurant seemed a good compromise.
Justin had arrived before her and he stood as she neared the table.
“Hello, Lily.”
“Good morning.” Unfortunately, her determination to remain distant and unaffected disappeared the moment she saw him. He wore a long-sleeved shirt, the perfect fit obviously custom-tailored. The cuffs were turned back, the white cotton a stark contrast to his tanned skin at his forearms and collar. A silver-buckled black belt was threaded through the loops of his jeans, and polished black cowboy boots covered his feet. Raindrops dampened the shoulders of his shirt and gleamed in his dark hair. Unlike her, he apparently hadn’t bothered with an umbrella.
He held her chair and she caught the subtle hint of his cologne as she took a seat. The familiar male scent brought with it a wash of unwanted memories. Her heart stuttered and she drew in a silent deep breath.
“I spoke with my attorney this morning,” she said, determined to set a brisk tone to the meeting, as he took his own seat across from her.
“Did you?” he said, his face inscrutable as he surveyed her.
“Yes.” She waited until the waiter had filled their cups and left a carafe of coffee before she continued. “Evidently, ours is not an unusual situation.”
“It is to me,” he replied. “I’ve never had a child before Ava.”
“I meant the circumstance of having a child together without being married,” Lily said evenly. “He’s handled a lot of cases for couples with this issue.”
“I see.” Justin sat easily in his chair, his non-commital expression giving no indication as to what he was thinking. “And what advice did your attorney give you?”
“He recommended we focus on Ava and what’s best for her.”
“And you agree with that?”
“Yes, of course.” Lily wished she knew what he was thinking. She lifted her cup and eyed him over the rim. “Do you agree?”
“Absolutely.” His reply was prompt, with no hesitation.
“Good.” She smiled with relief. “I’m delighted to hear that.”
She hesitated, gathered her courage, and cut to the heart of the matter. “Now that you know you have a daughter, Justin, what do you plan to do about it, if anything?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. I think we should start with my getting to know her.”
“You mean, you want to visit?”
“I suppose ‘visit’ is as good a term as any.” He leaned forward. “I want to spend time with her. I’ve missed the first year of her life, Lily. Don’t you think getting acquainted is long overdue?” A faint hint of anger surfaced.
“The night you ended our…affair, you made it very clear you weren’t interested in marriage or children.” She met his gaze without flinching. “Don’t try to make me the bad guy here, Justin. It never occurred to me you’d want to know I was pregnant or that we had a daughter. In fact, just the opposite. Your words were very convincing—I believed you. If you didn’t mean them, you shouldn’t have said them.”
He stared at her for a long moment before he shrugged. “You’re right. I should have made it clear that if you learned you were pregnant, I wanted to know. When did you find out?”
“A few weeks after we broke up. I thought about telling you, but then I remembered your breakup speech. It seemed very clear to me that you had no interest in any commitment, including having a child.”
“I didn’t, then.”
Lily searched his face. “And now?”
His eyes darkened. “Kids were never in my plan, Lily. But seeing Ava with you last night…” He paused, as if searching for words. “Let’s just say she’s changed all the rules. I’m her father. That means something to me, something important. I want to be a part of her life.”
“Just how involved do you want to be?”
“Can’t we start out slow? I’d like to spend time with her. Do you have any objections?”
A million, she thought. Remember what the attorney said, Lily told herself. If you refuse to let him visit Ava, he can sue you for visitation, or custody. “I can live with you getting to know her,” she said, carefully evasive.
“Good.” Justin appeared relieved. “When can we start?”
Lily wanted to name a date weeks away but knew she shouldn’t delay the inevitable. The sooner he’s exposed to toddler-world reality, the faster he’s likely to get bored and bow out of our lives. “How about tomorrow? We’re usually home by four o’clock andAva goes to bed between seven and seven-thirty. If you’d like to come by around four-thirty, you can read to her while I make dinner.”
“I’ll be there. Can I bring anything?”
“Just your patience,” she said dryly.
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