Page 9 of Big Bad Wolfe

Dammit.

Breaking eye contact, he dropped his gaze to the table.

“That’s when Deb grabbed my hand and made me swear that if anything happened to her, I would raise him. Iwillkeep that vow.”

“What exactly do you believe I can do to alter the situation?”

“Brooke can’t have children, and Richard and Brooke want a trophy child to complete their image. A toy puppet to dress up and show off. They’re never available when Casey needs emotional support. They constantly berate and criticize him, and expect perfect behavior from him. Neither of them has the common sense or warmth necessary to nurture a damnedgoldfish.”

Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. “Casey is miserable when he’s with them, and they’ll ruin his life. As his biological father, you have rights. You claim you don’t want him. I don’t understand that, but I can accept it. Just hang around long enough to grant me permanent custody of Casey. Then you can leave.”

He raised his head and his gaze clashed with hers, glittering with raw fury and pain. “I—”

“Youhaveto stay, Zane.”

He thrust aside his coffee and looked out the window, away from the determined, desperate woman. A plane hurtled down the runway and zoomed into the sky toward the red-orange sinking sun. Desperately wishing he was on board, wishing he wasanywherebut here, he scrubbed a hand over his face. “Deb and I weren’t close. I barely knew her.”

Jillian frowned. “Judging by the miniature replica of yourself waiting for me at home, you knew her well enough.”

“It was a one night deal. Hell, not even one night, a couple hours maybe. I wasn’t careless. I took precautions.” Not adequate precautions, considering. But wasn’t hindsight always crystal clear? And afterward, he’d permanently ensured he’d never again risk that chance.

“No matter how brief, your encounter resulted in a child. And you have a responsibility to him.”

Sweat beaded his upper lip as he fought temptation to gain his feet and run. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“Neither did Casey.”

“I can’t be a father.”

“I didn’t know who Casey’s father was before I read Deb’s letter, but when she was pregnant, I begged her to tell him. I felt he deserved to know. Deb insisted he didn’t.” Her frown deepened. “Maybe she knew better. But like it or not, youareCasey’s father.”

“Biology doesn’t make a man a dad.”

“No, it doesn’t. Investing time and love does. But time is precious and fleeting, and love is tenuous. Once it’s gone, you can never get it back. Do you want to be walking down the street twenty years from now, looking into the face of every dark-haired young man you pass, wondering … and aching with regret?”

Nausea churned inside him. “Regrets are what I’m attempting to prevent here.”

“Zane, you have a moral obligation to protect your son. Because Richard and Brooke sure as hell won’t.”

The situation Casey faced felt too gut-wrenchingly familiar. Zane rubbed the bridge of his nose. In reality, he couldn’t make any other choice.

“Fine. I have some vacation time banked. I’ll stay to establish custody. Then I’m gone. Underno circumstancesare you to evenhintto the kid that he might be mine.”

Jillian slumped in her chair, released a ragged sigh. “Thank you! You won’t regret it, I promise.”

He already regretted it. But responsibility to a child he hadn’t even known existed until three hours ago imprisoned him as securely as a steel cage. “Just don’t expect any miracles from me. They don’t exist.”

Jillian glanced at her watch. “We’d better go. I left Casey with my neighbor and her kids. Since his mom died, he’s had moments where he gets a little anxious when we’re separated too long.”

“Understandable under the circumstances.”

He exchanged his ticket for an open-ended return date, and Jillian cashed in hers. Zane followed her out of the terminal into the summer evening. Tangy ocean breeze brushed his face, lifted the feathered ends of Jillian’s hair and played with the burnished gold strands. He clenched his fists against the urge to slide his fingers into the warm, silky mass and play as well.

Internal warning alarms shrilled, and he tensed. Damn, he’d known the woman mere hours, and she’d already dented his unbreachable shields.

He’d relinquished his rental vehicle when he’d returned to the airport. As they approached Jillian’s eye-searing pink Mini Cooper, she pushed a button on her key chain that deactivated the alarm. Another button smoothly folded the top down.

Zane tossed his bags into the miniscule backseat, thrust out his palm. “I’ll drive.”

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