Page 21 of Taming a Heartbreaker

He could tell by the harshness in her voice that she wasn’t happy to see him. “I’m here to see Carmen,” Redford said.

Leslie’s eyes narrowed at him. “Why?”

It was Sloan who answered. “I told him about Carmen’s condition. I felt he had a right to know.”

Leslie turned sharp eyes on her husband. “And just how did you know about it?”

“I overheard your conversation. You thought I was still in the shower and your voice carried.”

She glared at him. “It was a private conversation, and you had no right to tell Redford anything.”

“I disagree. I had every right. That’s how Redford and I roll. You of all people know that. Need I remind you that if it hadn’t been for him telling me about that asshole Martin Longshire trying to take away your company, I would not have been able to help you keep it?”

Sloan’s reminder worked somewhat. Leslie dropped her arms to her side, and she took a step back to let them in. The moment Redford walked inside, he took note that the two-story townhouse had a spiral staircase off the living room. He liked the design of the modern furnishings and the bright colors of several large throw rugs on the polished wood floors. Several art pieces hung on the wall and bestowed a cheerful and sophisticated air to the room.

Redford thought the decor suited Carmen. He then wondered why he would think that when he didn’t know her that well. He was basing his assumption on what he did know. Whenever he saw her, she was prone to wear bright colors that blended well with her cocoa-colored skin. He would even say the colors also blended well with her cheerful disposition.

“In the kitchen, guys. We need to talk.”

From the curtness in Leslie’s voice, maybe the reminder of how he’d helped her hadn’t worked to the extent that Sloan and Redford had hoped. However, he would let Sloan handle his wife since his best friend didn’t seem the least bit bothered by her tone and glare.

They followed her through the dining room into a spacious kitchen that appeared just as modern as the rest of the house. Shiny stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. They all sat down at the table.

“So what do you want to talk to us about, sweetheart?” Sloan asked, leaning back in his chair and giving his wife a charming smile.

Her frown deepened and so did her glare. “I will deal with you later, Sloan. Right now, my issue is with Redford.”

She then gave Redford her full attention. “As far as I’m concerned, you’ve done enough. You’ve turned one of the most cheerful and optimistic people I know into someone who now believes she’s been living a lie all her life. That she doesn’t deserve her happily-ever-after. That she will never have a soulmate. You did that to her, Redford.”

Redford took offense to what she’d said. “How? By being me? I’ve never pretended to want anything from a woman other than sex, Leslie. I am a one-and-done guy, a womanizer to the third degree and a man who never intends to get married. You of all people know that.”

“You’re also a heartbreaker, Redford,” she retorted. “You broke Carmen’s heart.”

He frowned. “That’s not fair. I would never deliberately break someone’s heart because I know how it feels. I’ve been there myself. That’s the main reason I make sure any woman I sleep with knows the score. Carmen knew. There’s no way I’ll believe you didn’t warn her about me.”

Leslie lifted her chin. “I did warn her.”

“Then it’s not my fault or yours that she didn’t heed the warnings. She took it upon herself to believe anything different about me.” Redford rubbed his hands down his face. “But now there’s a bigger concern than what Carmen assumed. She’s having my baby, and I understand that she isn’t well. I want to be the one to take care of her and our baby.”

Leslie glared across the table at him. “There’s no way Carmen will let you do such a thing.”

“Why? Is she angry about that night?”

Leslie shook her head. “No. She knows it’s not your fault she assumed you had accepted her as your soulmate.”

Redford didn’t say anything for a minute, then he asked, “In that case, why wouldn’t she let me stay here and take care of her and our baby?”

“Mainly because she doesn’t think you want the baby. She heard it directly from you that you never wanted kids.”

Yes, he had told her that. “I might have felt like that before, but I don’t now.” He then shared with her the reason he’d never wanted children. From her expression, he knew Sloan had never told her about Candy, but he wasn’t surprised. He, Sloan and Tyler had a bond; what they shared was between them.

Leslie met his gaze for a long moment; her glare was gone. “I regret what that Candy woman did to you all those years ago, Redford, which led to you not wanting anything permanent in your life such as marriage and kids. But even if you shared that same reason with Carmen, you’re still going to have a hard time convincing her you feel differently about her pregnancy.”

“There’s no way I can leave without trying, Leslie.”

Her glare was back. “Then what? What happens if you convince Carmen you want the baby? What about her?” Leslie asked.

Redford released a deep sigh. He should have been expecting that question from Leslie since he’d been asked the same thing by Sloan on the flight here. He met her gaze and provided the same response he’d given Sloan. “I honestly can’t answer that. For me, it will be one day at a time with Carmen. I had planned to come here to see her again even before I found out she was pregnant.”

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