Page 3 of Hot Momosa

Somehow, that didn’t make me feel any better. I still hated the idea. “I want to see Gunnar before you move.”

She frowned. “Why now, after all this time?”

“Because he’s my son.” And I love you both.

“A son you haven’t spent time with in almost a year.” She rested her hands on her hips.

Though misguided, I understood her skepticism. As far as she knew, I hadn’t visited Gunnar since I’d returned from Sicily thirteen months prior. What she didn’t know was that I’d bribed his nanny to bring him to my place damned near every day.

Dahlia moving to Baton Rouge would make seeing him difficult, to say the least.

“About that…” I couldn’t bring myself to look her in the eye.

I’m a moron.

When I’d sworn the nanny to secrecy, I thought I was doing the right thing for Dahlia. However, I’d overlooked a few crucial flaws in my plan. First off, I never should have snuck around behind her back. Second, by doing so, I’d led her to believe I was a shitty father. And last, but certainly not least, standing in the same room with her made it impossible for me to lie to myself about my motives. I’d been avoiding her.

Call me a coward, but I couldn’t stand seeing her happy and knowing another guy had put the smile on her face. That was my job, damn it.

She must have noticed the debate going on inside me because she narrowed her eyes. “What is it?”

I had to tell Dahlia the truth, even if it meant she went ballistic. I’d endure anything as long as she didn’t think of me as a deadbeat dad.

Running my hand over the back of my neck, I said, “It hasn’t been that long since I’ve seen Gunnar.”

“I don’t understand.”

Bracing myself for impact, I said, “I’ve spent quite a bit of time with him over the last year.”

Dahlia flashed me a smile and shook her head. “Is that why the nanny insists on taking him out every day at two o’clock, rain or shine? They were with you?”

Her reaction shocked the shit out of me. But then again, Dahlia had never been predictable. “Guilty as charged.”

She laughed and my cold, black heart softened.

The urge to touch her overwhelmed me, but I kept my distance. “You’re not mad?”

“Actually, I’m relieved. I thought you didn’t want to see him.” Her smile wilted. “You could have told me. I would have brought him to you…”

A surge of panic ran through me. I needed to take charge of the conversation before it went completely off the rails. “I shouldn’t have snuck around.”

Her eyes widened. “You did it because you didn’t want to see me.”

The pain in her voice cut me to the core. I sucked in a breath and chose my words very carefully. “You’re dating someone. I was giving you space.”

Her mouth fell open. “Space? What gave you the idea I wanted space?”

Why the hell is she surprised?“The night of Marco’s wedding, you told me you were dating Harrison.”

“No. I told you my father—” She held up her hands and turned her head. “You know what. It doesn’t matter. All of this is in the past where it belongs. As for Gunnar, I promised I’d never keep him from you, and I’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen. But…”

Here it comes, the reason she’s going to break her promise. “But?”

She raised her chin. “I have to make this move. Things are…complicated.”

“Complicated how?” So help me God, if she’s doing this to be closer to that douchebag…

“There you are!” My sister-in-law, Maggie, burst into the room and hugged Dahlia. “Shanna and I were starting to think you’d chickened out.”

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