Page 19 of Bound By Her Shocking Secret

Their main courses arrived: tender fillet steaks with fresh vegetables and baby potatoes. Except Mia’s legendary appetite was fading fast. After a few mouthfuls of the exquisitely cooked food, she put down her knife and fork.

Daniel looked at her. ‘Not to your liking?’

Mia shook her head. ‘No—I mean,yes. It’s delicious. But...can we just talk about Lexi and come to some agreement? I don’t want to be gone too long.’

Daniel put down his own knife and fork and picked up his wine. ‘You really think it’s that simple?’

No.

‘I don’t think we need to make it complicated.’

Daniel’s jaw clenched. ‘You made it complicated when you didn’t tell me you were still pregnant.’

Mia fought down the guilt. ‘I can’t change the past. Can we please move on and discuss where we go from here?’

Daniel stood up and went over to the window. Darkness had fallen over the square outside. He turned around and said, ‘I’ve already told you what will happen.’

Marriage.

Mia’s insides knotted even tighter. She put her napkin on the table and stood up. ‘If you’re not going to make any attempt to be rational then I’m leaving.’

And not just because of what he was saying, but because the longer she spent in proximity to Daniel, the more she found herself remembering what it had been like to be with him. The more she found herself yearning for his touch again. Yearning to be consumed by passion. Which was the last thing she should be thinking about or wanting. That was what had led to here. This moment.

The realisation hit her that, no matter what, her life was entwined with Daniel’s for ever. Entwined with a man who didn’t want her any more but who felt a responsibility to a child he’d never wanted.

Mia returned to the drawing room and looked around for her bag. She couldn’t see it.

‘Where are you going?’ asked Daniel.

She was feeling panicky. ‘Where’s my bag?’

Daniel walked over to the other side of the room and picked something up from a table near the door. ‘Here it is.’

Mia walked over and moved to take her bag, but Daniel held it out of reach. ‘You’re really refusing to continue discussing this?’

She glared at him. ‘There’s nothing to discuss. We are not getting married.’

A muscle ticked in his jaw. ‘So how do you see this panning out, then? Some loose arrangement where I get to be on the periphery of my daughter’s life and see her intermittently?’

Mia dropped her hand. Daniel put her bag back down on the table. He folded his arms.Whydid she have to be so aware of him? It was so inappropriate—and not conducive to clear-headed thinking.

Mia moved back into the room in order to try and put some distance between them. She even put a chair between them again. Not that Daniel looked as if he was about to bat it aside to get to her.

‘Are you saying your feelings have changed and that you now want a family?’ she asked.

‘I nowhavea family.’

Mia blanched.

He had a family whether he liked it or not, and clearly he didn’t like it, but he wasn’t going to shirk his responsibility.

She shook her head. ‘I will not marry just for the sake of it. But I’m perfectly happy to sit down and come to a mutual decision about visitation and access to your daughter.’

Daniel’s face became stony. ‘I won’t agree to anything that’s not legally binding. If we take this to court, Mia, it’ll cost a lot of money.’

Mia stepped out from behind the chair. ‘If it goes to court that’ll be down to one person—you. And I don’t think Devilliers will look too favourably on their CEO’s personal life being splashed all over the press. It works both ways.’

Daniel felt frustration rise at the same time as admiration. Mia had always stood up to him. One of the few people who ever had. And she was right. If they went to court it would be messy, and the board were still letting it be known that they were less than happy with his short-lived marriage.

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