“Are you here to talk to Carina about the London project? She usually meets you there, right?” Jake asked.
And all at once it hit me.
I hadn’t told my father or Jake that Ian was the father. I’d been so busy with work I honestly hadn’t even thought about it. My skin prickled with panic at the scenario about to unfold. Like a train wreck, I could only stand by and watch.
Ian’s gray eyes lifted to mine, and I knew it was coming. My pulse thundered in my ears, and I couldn’t hear anything but saw his lips move. Saw their heads jerk my way.
“When the mother of your child wants a cheeseburger, you bring her a cheeseburger.”
“The what?” Jake and my dad said in unison.
I think I started laughing, but it was dangerously close to a cry. “Yeah, didn’t I tell you?”
“You sure didn’t,” my father growled.
Ian’s brows dropped low, and something like hurt flashed behind them. The baby chose that moment to kick hard up into my ribs. I gasped and placed a hand on my stomach, bringing Ian to my side. “You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah.” The heat from his hand on my back wasn’t helping the light-headed feeling. “Just a kick to the ribs.”
Ian’s hand dropped to my stomach, and he leaned low. “We talked about this, Peanut. Only kick out and avoid all vital organs.”
Forgetting everyone in the room, I smiled at the dark head hovering over my belly. I think I swooned a little when said head shifted and the beautiful lips I’d been thinking of too much lately, smiled up at me.
“Carina.” Dad barked my name, bringing me out of the trance. “What the hell is going on?”
I quickly recapped the story of how Ian and I ran into each other, and by the end, Jake looked a mixture of contemplative and concerned, while my dad’s chest puffed up more and more.
“You going to make an honest woman of her?”
“Dad,” I gasped.
Ian laughed softly. “She won’t let me, sir.”
My father’s shoulders dropped, and he laughed too, shaking his head. “Sounds about right from my daughter.”
I felt like I was in an alternate dimension when my father stretched out his hand, and Ian grabbed it.
“Don’t let her walk all over you. I raised a real ball-buster over there.” He winked my way, and it might have been one of the best compliments he ever gave me. “I’m glad to hear the business is doing well. I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”
“It helps that we had a solid foundation to build on, thanks to your work.”
My father stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Don’t be a kiss-ass.”
“Dad,” I gasped again. Jake laughed beside me, and I slapped his arm. “It’s kind of funny,” he defended.
“Traitor,” I muttered.
“Well, I won’t stand between my daughter and her cheeseburgers. We made it through with barely any cravings, and this one came at us hard. Thankfully, we’re all here to support her addiction.”
“Oh, my god. Just go,” I pleaded.
Jake pulled me in for a hug and kissed the top of my head. “Let me know if you need anything.”
When they stepped out, Ian closed the door behind them.
“Who was that?” he asked far too lightly.
“What do you mean? My dad and Jake?”
“Who's Jake to you?” he asked, his eyes sharp like a knife.
I thought about playing dumb, but it wasn’t like I had any reason to lie other than to avoid an uncomfortable conversation.
“My ex-fiancé.”
“The guy who left you upset at a bar doing shots that night?”
Sometimes I forgot how I’d met Ian initially. I forgot that he’d seen me at one of my lowest points. “The one and only.”
“Dick,” he muttered.
I huffed a laugh. “He’s really not. It’d probably be easier if he were.” Ian hummed and looked at me, but I was over this conversation. “Now bring me my burger.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Silence descended in the office other than my hums of happiness with each bite.
“Oh, my god. This shake is giving me life.”
Ian laughed, polishing off the last of the fries before tossing the box in the trash. “Yeah? You want to share so I can know how good it is.”
I scowled, holding the cup close to my chest. “No.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “All right then.”
I took another long drink and looked him over. He made the loveseat in my office look minuscule under his big body. A body I could remember every inch of. A body I wanted to be under again.
Suddenly, I was hot, and having a hard time prying my eyes from his crotch. The way he lounged back with his legs spread invited my eyes there perfectly. God, he’d been big. Like a tripod. And he’d known how to use it.
I missed sex. I missed sex with Ian. Once wasn’t enough.
“Carina?” His soft voice called my name like a siren, but also snapped me back to attention. Needing to form words before I asked him to try and have sex with me, I said the first thing I could think of.
“I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.” The words were aggressive like I’d shot them out of a gun. His brows rose high, and I rushed to follow it up in a softer, I’m-not-imagining-your-big-dick, way. “If you wanted to come.”
He smirked like he knew what I’d been thinking, but thankfully he let me off the hook. “I’m there.”
“We won’t get to see the baby,” I warned.
“Carina,” he sat up, resting his elbows on his knees, focusing his laser attention on me. “I’ll be there, no matter what.”
“Okay.”
The silence stretched as I considered how serious he was. Ian was a smooth talker, and I was a little off my game right now, with my hormones hijacking my body, so I was easily misled. But he didn’t give the slightest indication that he wasn’t in this all the way.
“I have a favor to ask you,” he began, breaking the silence.
My eyes narrowed. “Okay.”
“I’d like you to meet my parents.”
“Oh…” That wasn’t what I expected. “Umm…okay.”
“Are you sure?”
Was I sure I wanted to meet my baby-daddy’s parents? No. “Yeah,” I answered instead. “I guess I’ll meet them soon anyway. When were you thinking?”
“Tonight?”
“Umm…okay.”
“Good, because I told them we’d be there.”
“What if I was busy?” I asked, pursing my lips.
He gave an arrogant smile just to get a rise out of me. “You’d make it work for me.”
I rolled my eyes—a typical move around him. “You’re so presumptive.”
“I like to get my way.” He shrugged unapologetically.
“Good luck with that.”
“I don’t need luck. I’m getting skilled in the ways of Carina.”
“Please. I could crush you.”
“And I’d like the fight.” The words were low and almost a growl reminding me of all the other things he’d growled in my ear that night.