Page 96 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

“That’s not going to be easy. Noa and I are close friends.”

“This is big, Hellcat. It’s going to put all the attention on us. I can’t do that to Ginty. Not after what his family’s just done.”

“If that’s what you want.” She didn’t like keeping secrets. Especially with her closest friend.

“It’s what I want.” He said it quickly. Adamantly.

And it rubbed her the wrong way. But for now, she’d give him grace. “Okay. But just so you know, if she asks me about it, I’m not going to lie.” She started off toward the house. “We should go. We’re doing s’mores.”

“Noa might’ve already figured it out.” He walked alongside her, close enough that their arms brushed. “This afternoon, when we were talking about the plans, she noticed that the kid?—”

“Stevie.”

“Sorry. Stevie has my eyes.”

She sure as hell does.“When she was born, they were slate blue. But then, they turned this unusual green, and I thought, oh, man, I’m going to look at this child every day of my life and be reminded of the man who taught me how to grate cheese.”

He smiled. “You’re really stuck on that.”

“I am. It was a turning point in my life.”

She supposed they needed to lighten the conversation—nothing could be resolved tonight—but she was dying to know what he was thinking and feeling. She had so many questions.

You won’t hurt her, will you?

Do you still not want kids?

But she wouldn’t ask any of them. He’d need time to figure it all out.

It was just… He was all business. His career meant everything to him.What if he decides to walk away?Her heart squeezed hard at the idea of her perfect little girl knowing she had a dad out there who didn’t want her.

That’s how I grew up.

And I couldn’t stand that for her.

She couldn’t take it anymore. She had to say something. “Slick.”

He stopped, waited.

“She’s a really good girl. I mean…the best.”

“Okay.”

“I know you just found out, and I’m not asking you for anything. Well, except one thing.” She touched his shirt. “Don’t hurt her.”

“You think I don’t know how important this is? Believe me, I do. The last thing I want to do is hurt her.”

“But you don’t know what you want. I can see it in your eyes.”

“No, I don’t. But I sure as hell don’t want tohurther.”

They continued on, but her legs felt shaky and weak.

Because he said he didn’t want to hurt her.

That meant the possibility existed that he might not want to be in her life.

Otherwise, he’d have said,I won’t hurt her. She’s my daughter.

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