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His heart seemed to twist in his chest. Her love for Gabby was pouring out of her like sunshine. Gabby was a lucky kid to have Sascha as her mom. The teenager would never have to doubt if she were loved…by her mom at least. "Is she really my kid, Sascha? Don't get me wrong, I'll claim her either way. But is she mine?"

Sascha searched his face. "You mean that, don't you? You literally will claim her even if I said she wasn't your biological daughter?"

"Yeah. She believes I'm her dad. I'm not going to let her down. If she's not my biological daughter, I figure you had a reason to tell her I was, so I'm not going to abandon her just because she doesn't carry the same DNA as I do. The Harts don't give a shit about blood ties when it comes to family, as you know."

She smiled. "I do know that."

He rubbed his fingers over Millie's scruffy head. "Plus, logistically, she could be mine, so I'm not stepping away from that responsibility."

Sascha's eyes glistened. "I was wrong not to tell you," she whispered. "I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry, Keegan. I didn't know what to do, and—"

Her grief was so palpable he felt it wrap around him. He gave up resisting. He got up, went around to her side of the table, sat down beside her, and pulled her into his arms. Not to kiss her. To hold her.

She stiffened, and he thought she was going to pull back.

Then suddenly, her body softened, her arms went around his waist, and she sagged into him, pressing her face into his chest, Millie tucked happily between them.

He closed his eyes, breathing in the feel of Sascha's body against his. Their time together had been so fleeting. It had happened so long ago. And yet, the feel of her body against his was so familiar, so right.

There was so much to unpack between them. So much he needed to know. Things that could very well unravel this bond they still had, a bond that was built on fragile filaments of fleeting moments and stolen freedoms so long ago. Gossamer threads held them together, glistening in the icy pre-Christmas sparkle.

Threads that might break at any moment.

But in this moment, they were still, surprisingly, intact. So, he sat there, holding her, refusing to move, breathing in the moment for as long as they had it.

It was more than he'd had in almost seventeen years, so he'd take it.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Keegan smelled delicious.

He was muscled.

He was strong.

And his arms felt familiar, safe, and, if Sofia were honest with herself, thrilling. Like how she used to feel with him. And the little puppy in his jacket made her remember how soft his heart had been back then, so gentle, despite all he'd been through.

"Damn you." She pulled back. "You feel ridiculously good. Aren't you supposed to be old and decrepit now?"

Keegan grinned. "I'm unequivocally opposed to becoming old and decrepit." He cocked an eyebrow. "You look fantastic, by the way."

A warm, fuzzy feeling settled inside her, and she smiled. "Thank you. You look like you're stripping me naked with your eyes."

He had the grace not to look remotely embarrassed. "It's nothing inappropriate. Just trying to figure out if you're a walking zombie. You know. Since you've been dead for fifteen years."

She wrinkled her nose. "You thought I was dead?"

"As of a couple days ago, yeah." He shrugged. "But only for a short time, so I'm over it." His eyes were turbulent and dark, making her pretty sure he wasn't over any of it at all. He gestured toward the bathroom. "Gabby will be back any moment, so let's say what we need to say before she gets back."

"Right. I'm sure we can get through all this in a minute or two."

Amusement flashed in his eyes. "Nothing much to talk about, really," he agreed, with a tone that said he didn't agree at all. "Just curious really about what brand of vanilla extract you use. I'm always interested to hear what folks are using these days."

"Local brand. Very nice." Oh, God. This was excruciating. She needed to focus and get through the tough part. She took a breath, trying to hold down her attraction to him. She hadn't dated or been with anyone for years. She'd thought that she was over that. But being around Keegan had lit something up inside her…just like before. "Look, we don't want anything from you—"

"Who are you hiding from?"

She stared at him, her mouth dropping open. "What?"