Page 103 of Accidental Theirs

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it, Bree.”

He glares at me as I say the childhood nickname but doesn’t interrupt.

“Right now, I have to wrap my head around the fact that I may be a father in a few months.”

“Okay.” He nods, chewing his ravioli and swallowing. “Let’s just assume itisyours. Are you going to marry her?”

I startle. “Marryher? God, no. Why would I do that?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do. Because she’s the mother of your child.”

“It’s not the eighteenth century anymore, Bree. She won’t beruinedif I don’t marry her.”

“Maybe not, but that doesn’t change things. It’s still the gentlemanly thing to do.”

I snort. “When have I ever been a gentleman?”

“You used to be,” he says quietly, and I go silent.

I used to be a much different man, before everything lifethrew at me. I was a hopeless romantic, wore my heart on my sleeve, and when I met Sophie, I knew we were soulmates.

But things change. You lose what you thought would always be yours, get shattered into a thousand painful pieces, and you have to pivot. I pivoted.

“That Sebastian died a long time ago.”

He sighs. “You’re still a good man. I know that, and you do, too. You just need to get your head out of your ass.”

“What are you suggesting? That I drop everything, make her fall for me? Did you not hear the part where it might not be mine? The girl has options.”

“When have you ever backed down from a fight? That part of you hasn’t died, has it?”

I’m struck silent again, looking down at my barely touched food.

He’s right. I have to figure out how I feel about Olivia. If I’m willing to take the leap again.

It’s been so long since I’ve had someone to come home to. I have to admit, I do get lonely.

Would it be so bad? To have a wife and child? To have alifeagain outside of dirty, unfulfilling one-night stands and three-month flings?

It would be if you lost it.

That voice in the back of my mind always reminds me that as soon as you think you have everything figured out, the world sweeps the rug out from under you.

Can I go through that again? Will I survive it?

Chapter Twenty-Three

DOMINIC

The next weekgoes by in a blur of work and worrying.

Olivia is keeping mostly silent, only answering every other one of my texts.

I’ve been busy handling Edward and putting off the deep dive into Carter Holdings’ assets, citing that I wanted to go through it with a fine-toothed comb and needed a little more time.

“We don’t have much time, Hayes, so I need you to get it together.”

“I understand. I just need another two weeks.”