Page 27 of Saved by my Baby Daddy Spy
She bites her bottom lip and pushes a stray strand of her hair out of her face. “Holden, this isn’t the kind of life you would want for yourself. You said a few days ago that kids were a bad idea and now you want to date a woman with a child?”
Guilt claws at me. “Hannah, what I said was stupid.”
“Yeah, well, I come with a daughter. We’re a package deal. I’m not going to entertain the idea of a date with you if you aren’t willing to have a child in your life. Because let me tell you,sheis my first choice. Always and forever.”
“I never thought children were in the cards for me because of the job I had. Now that I’m going to be leaning into my security company and leaving some of the other stuff behind, I’ve thought about what a future would look like. I honestly do think I want kids to be a part of that.”
Hannah takes her hair down, letting it fall around her shoulders as she rakes a hand through it. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
“It’s up to you, Hannah. I would love to take you out, but I understand if that isn’t something you want.”
She takes a deep breath before nodding. “Alright. One date. But we’ll have to work around my schedule. I basically don’t stop working for the next two weeks and even after that, I still have a book on deadline to write. And on top of all that, I never stop being a mom.”
“And none of that is scaring me away.”
Her lips purse before she nods. “Fine. One date.”
“You said you have a book signing over the weekend. What if I take you out to dinner after?”
“Dinner sounds nice.”
“Yes, it does,” Audrey says as she walks over to us. “I’ve got dinner going now. Why don’t you join us tonight, Holden? You can tell me all about this date you’re going to be taking my sister on.”
Hannah’s cheeks turn a bright pink as she glares at Audrey. Audrey shrugs, her grin stretching from ear to ear as she turns and makes her way into the kitchen.
“Well, I guess we’ll be having dinner tonight too,” I say, following behind Audrey. “Don’t worry. She’ll spend most of the night bullying me.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
As she hurries to catch up with her sister, I feel a sense of peace settle over me. The guilt I’ve been holding onto for the last two years over not telling Hannah what was going on is finally starting to fade.
This might be the start of something new and exciting for us.
Please don’t let me screw this up.
Chapter Nine
Hannah
Slippingintothesilkyembrace of the dark blue slip dress, I revel in the smooth caress against my skin. The rich color of the fabric adds a subtle allure as it drapes elegantly. As I run my fingers through my hair, softening the curls, I can’t help but worry about dinner.
With meticulous care, I enhance the subtle details — a touch of makeup to accentuate features, a delicate necklace to complement the neckline of the dress.
As I prepare for the night ahead, a worry lurks at the corners of my mind. Going on a date with the Holden doesn’t sit right with me, especially when I’m keeping a huge secret from him. I have truly become overwhelmed and anxious.
This is the first time that I’m going on a date in two years, if I could even count the nights Holden and I spent together.
This will also be my first date with a man who doesn’t know he is the father of our baby.
Tonight, I’m going to tell him the truth about Kerrigan. At least, I’m pretty sure I am.
I’ve thought about breaking the news to him a thousand different times over the last week, I’ve even rehearsed it in front of the mirror countless times but it never felt like the right time. I didn’t want to tell him in front of our family, and I didn’t have a moment to get him alone until now.
I’m going to ruin our date by telling him about the child I’m not sure he wants. His entire world is going to shift on its axis.
Once again, I’m going to be left picking up the pieces of a disaster of my own creation.
Maybe I should have tried harder to contact him over the last two years. I know that Hampton and Holden’s sisters tried to talk to him, but even they couldn’t get through to him.
