Page 41 of Six Nights in Paradise

“She does, but her parents threatened to cut her off if she stayed with him. They were furious when she broke off her engagement to Dalton.”

“Do they know the baby isn’t his?”

“God, no. They would be devastated.”

“That is messed up,” Jacklyn protested.

“So messed up,” the other woman agreed.

They both entered stalls and I snuck out of mine, washing my hands quickly before I could get caught. My mind was reeling with what I’d just learned.

Gianna tricked Dalton into thinking he got her pregnant, when in reality it belonged to the man she was cheating on him with. She lied. About everything. She’d been sleeping with this Antonio guy longer than she’d admitted, which was why Dalton didn’t think it was possible the baby belonged to Antonio based on how far along she was. I had to do something. Dalton had a right to know he was being tricked into remaining in Gianna’s life.

He grew up without his father. The loser split because he couldn’t handle the responsibility. Dalton never wanted to be like that, and Gianna knew it. She was using that to keep him close, and it was only a matter of time before she sank her claws into him so deep, he’d never be able to wriggle out of her grasp. If this went on and she managed to get away with this deception, he’d be stuck with her forever. Once that baby got here and Dalton took responsibility for it, he would never turn his back on it, whether his by blood or not.

And poor Antonio… He would miss out on everything because of Gianna’s lies. She was keeping a man from his child for her own selfish benefit. She could get by with it though, which she knew. Both men had dark hair and dark eyes. Antonio’s child could easily pass for Dalton’s.

Even though I was devastated and furious with him for what he’d done, I had to do the right thing. I couldn’t let him continue to believe a lie that would forever alter the path of his future.

Dalton

Another dinner with the Venettis was in the books. I didn’t know how many more times I could sit there and listen to her parents talk about how glad they were that I was back in the picture and how happy the news of Gianna’s pregnancy made them. They apparently didn’t care much for Antonio.

I had to endure Gianna hanging all over me at dinner and afterwards as we visited with her family. I couldn’t peel her hands from my arm and back without them noticing, and she’d asked me not to break the news to them that we weren’t back together after our long chat the other night.

“Please don’t tell them,” she begged, tears welling in her eyes. “They’re so glad you’re back in my life. It would break their hearts.” Then she asked the one question I hadn’t wanted to answer. “Do you think you’ll ever be able to forgive me and give us another chance?”

“Gianna…” I began, unsure how to break the news to her. I’d already made it clear that we weren’t a couple, and that just because she was pregnant with my child, it didn’t mean we were back together. I couldn’t just forget that she’d slept with someone else and called off our wedding for him, ruining any chance at a future for us. But she was more emotional than usual, thanks to the pregnancy hormones, and I didn’t want to be the cause of her next breakdown. “Let’s just try to get through the next six months without putting too much pressure on ourselves. We need to focus on the baby for now.”

That was my way of letting her down easy, but I wasn’t sure she got it. She was still touching me more than necessary and leaning in to kiss my cheek every time we parted ways. She’d even been bold enough to go on about how much the surge of hormones had increased her sex drive. This whole subtle don’t-upset-the-pregnant-lady approach wasn’t working, and if she kept on like she was, I’d be forced to tell her it was never going to happen and possibly suffer her wrath.

She was exhausted when I dropped her off at her condo, so she didn’t put up too much of a fight this time. When I arrived home, there was a familiar car parked in my driveway. I pulled up next to it and shut off the engine, hesitating a moment before getting out. Walking up to my front entrance, I noticed Aiden sitting on the steps leading up to my porch and my guard went up. The last time I saw him, I thought he was going to kick my ass. He wanted to. I could see it in his eyes. I hurt his sister and he wanted to make me pay. I hoped he’d cooled down since then.

“‘Bout time you got home,” he said in greeting, rising from the step.

“What are you doing here?” I was wary of his motive for being here, so I kept my distance. If he decided to throw a punch, I wanted to be out of his reach.

He let out a slow breath and a feeling of dread settled around me. “I’ve got something to tell you. Can we go inside?”

“Sure.” I unlocked the door and led him inside. We walked to the kitchen and I flipped on the light, motioning for him to have a seat at the bar.

“You got any beer?”

“Yeah.”

“Grab two. We’re both going to need it.”

What the hell?“Okayyyy.” I drew out the word, letting it hang in the air. Reaching into the fridge, I grabbed two beers, handing his over before opening my own.

“Might want to take a seat.”

I sat on the third stool at the bar, leaving an empty one between us. “What’s this all about?”

“Taylor wanted me to bring something to your attention,” he began, and I balked at the mention of her.

“Why couldn’t she just tell me herself?” I was dying to see her so I could explain myself to her. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing by putting things on hold with her while I figured out this whole pregnancy issue with Gianna, but once again I was wrong. I should have just waited and talked to her when I got back, but I panicked. I was a coward, too afraid to face her, which ended up hurting her more.

“I think you and I both know the answer to that.” He was right. The look on her face when she saw me with Gianna nearly broke me. “She doesn’t want to see you, especially after you came into her restaurant flaunting your pregnant ex-fiancé in her face, but-”

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