Page 45 of His Long-Lost Baby

And, shamefully, like a date.

Monica’s words come back to haunt me. James is the enemy. I need to watch my back when it comes to him.

But then there’s that helpful adage — keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

“Do you have family close by?” I focus on cutting my steak, trying to make the question sound as innocuous as possible.

There’s a pause. “No. I don’t.”

His tone of voice speaks volumes. Putting my fork and knife down, I look up at him.

“I’m not close to my family either,” I say.

His eyes sparkle in the candlelight. It seems there’s something else he wants to say.

But then he pivots. “What about Quinn’s father? Is he close by?”

My skin warms.You’re Quinn’s father.

Of course, I don’t say this. I’m at least semi-decent at keeping my cool.

I take a deep breath before answering. “She doesn’t have a father. When my ex and I learned we couldn’t have children, we started the adoption process. We weren’t married yet. We were engaged.”

Saying the words reopens that old wound. But it’s like I can’t stop talking. I never speak about this, and it feels good to let it all out.

“He said he wanted kids.” I stare into my champagne. “Said he wanted to be with me. I guess when things became real, he freaked out and realized that wasn’t what he really wanted. So he left in the middle of the adoption process, and I haven’t heard from him since. I reapplied as a single parent, though, and I was lucky enough to get Quinn when she was three months old.”

My chest burns with the memories — both painful and ecstatic. Coming home and finding Kevin’s bags packed. Seeing Quinn for the first time.

“You adopted Quinn?” James says slowly.

I look up, and there’s an odd look in his eyes. Almost like he’s shocked.

“Yes.” I cocked my head. “Does that surprise you?”

He shakes his head. “No, not at all. It’s just… I had no idea. That’s really amazing of you.”

I can feel my cheeks heating up. No one’s ever called me amazing before. “Thanks. She’s my world.”

James looks down at his plate, picking at a piece of asparagus. “I can’t even imagine what that must’ve been like. Going through all of that alone.”

I shrug, trying to play it off. “She was my dream come true. I made it work.”

“But all on your own,” he says quietly. “No partner.”

“No. No partner.” It feels like a weight in my chest. Like something I failed at. Something I missed out on.

James’s expression softens, and I can see the sympathy in his eyes. “I’m sorry your ex did that,” he says quietly.

I shake my head, trying to push away the pain that still lingers. “It’s fine. We’re better off without him.”

Anyway, what my ex did wasn’t half as bad as what James did. Kevin left before we even had a child. James abandoned Quinn knowing full well that she existed.

So why is he showing so much concern for my situation?

Is it guilt over leaving his pregnant ex? Is he trying to make up for that mistake?

Or is there something else going on here?

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