Page 11 of Darla's Christmas Knight
His wom—
But Darla isn’t your woman, arsehole.
Not anymore.
He gave up that right when he cruelly ended their relationship without explanation.
Whenyoucruelly flicked her off like a pesky fly.
Bobby caught hold of the barn wall to keep his body from sinking to the ground.
No. It’s different. I did not abandon her, pregnant and alone. I had a valid reason—
But the reason you walked away is no longer relevant.
He shot upright as a new truth slapped him upside the head.
The reason hestayedaway was no longer applicable.
And Darla needed him.
4
Darla Miller. Cat lady.That was her future.
She trudged up the stairs, the notion of her lonely destiny weighing down her already exhausted steps. Even walking into her apartment, her refuge from the world, did not ease her frustration with life.She kicked off her shoes and flopped facedown onto her couch, drained to her bones. The last few days had been physically and mentally grueling, but above all else, she was hurting.
Her soul … her heart … both pulverized with lost dreams.
Lostimpossibledreams.
She had really, really hoped Sullivan would take her up on the baby-daddy proposal she had presented to him several weeks ago.
But all that planning was for naught.
When Sullivan explained, allum’sandah’sabout a chance encounter with a woman (one who turned out to be the freaking princess!) in a bar and how they ended up spending the night together, she had been hurt.
Oh, not because she loved Sullivan and he had (in a convoluted way) cheated on her, but because she’d always subconsciously known that using a man merely to father a child was ridiculous.
She needed to set aside her dreams and come to terms with the idea of never having a child of her own.
Like with Lee, the babies she helped bring into this world would be her substitute children. And by living in a small town, she got to see them grow up.
And of course, she would get a cat.
No. Make thattwocats. Maybe even three. One would be lonely. Just tomorrow she would pay the shelter a visit and—
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Her body jerked. She lifted her head off the cushion and twisted her neck, looking toward the door with a frown.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Annoyed, she pushed up off the couch, marched across the room, and—
Hand on the handle, about to yank the door open, she had the presence of mind to peer through the peephole.
And pulled away as if slapped, her heart kicking into a frantic rhythm.
