Page 8 of One Night with my Best Friend's Dad

“Kelly,” he whispers, his gaze locked on mine. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine.” My eyes widen in surprise as I wonder why he asked the question.

He takes a deep breath before his hand touches my arm. “Kelly. About the baby—”

“How did you know?” I gasp.

“I noticed you’ve been touching your stomach a lot.”

My cheeks warm as I look down at my plate.

“Were you going to tell me?” he asks.

I nod. “That’s what I needed to talk to you about after the wedding. I didn’t want to spoil your day.”

“So the baby is mine?”

My blood pressure rises a little, but I smile and keep my calm. “As you’re the only man that I’ve ever slept with. I can say with one hundred percent truth that the answer is yes, but—”

“What are we going to do?” he asks, interrupting me as I’m about to go off on a tangent about how I can look after myself and the baby.

“We?”

Mac swallows as he nods. “Yes. We. It’s my baby too, and I want to be in my child’s life.”

“You do?” I breathe. My heart races at the thought of a life with Mac and the baby. “I thought—”

Then I stop talking because he isn’t talking about me, just the baby. My racing heart stutters against my rib cage as my eyes fill with tears. “We can work something out or maybe we should just forget it,” I say. The words leave a bitter taste on my tongue, like ashes from a fire that once burned bright. Like that night.

It hurts to even suggest it, to think about walking away from the man who has consumed my thoughts for months.

But what choice do we have? Piper is his daughter, my best friend. She’s the reason we met, the reason we’re here today celebrating her wedding. How can we betray her trust like this?

Mac’s hand tightens on my arm, his eyes intense as they bore into mine. “Forget Piper.” The deep timbre of his voice reverberates inside me. “We’re having a baby, Kelly. I want to be in our child’s life. I want to be there for you, for both of you.”

My heart leaps not only at his words but also at the fierce determination in his gaze. But even as hope blossoms in my chest, I glimpse Piper across the room. She’s staring at us, her eyes narrow in concern or something else…

I swallow hard, tearing my eyes away from her suspicious gaze. “Piper warned me,” I confess, my voice trembling. “She told me to stay away from you, but I didn’t listen. I couldn’t help myself.”

“It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault. I was there too. I could have stopped what we did.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Why do you think, Kelly? Because I never wanted to. I wanted you as much as you wanted me and when you left me without a word, I was in shock for weeks. I thought we had something special. But I should’ve known. I’m nearly twice your age. Why the hell would you want to be with me?”

Tears lace my eyes. “You wanted me?”

Mac’s jaw clenches. “Yes, I wanted you. I wanted you more than I’ve wanted anyone in my damn life.” He grits out the words. “But I know I’m too old for you, and I’m certainly not good enough for you. But we still need to talk about the baby.”

“Meet me in my room after the reception,” he says, his voice low as he stares at his daughter before returning his gaze to me. “We need to talk properly, without interruptions.”

I nod, my heart races at the thought of being alone with him again. But even as I agree, I know I shouldn’t. My secret will hurt everyone involved.

None more so than me.

But I have to listen to what he has to say. He no longer wants me, but he wants to be in our baby’s life, and I can’t take that away from him.

But what will he want to work out?

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