Page 26 of Her Christmas Wish

Tried to read her expression and came up blank.

“I agree to the session,” he told her.

And hoped to hell he hadn’t just opened another Pandora’s box.

What the hell was with all the drama? Sage cringed as her brain spit back a quick replay of her last five minutes.

And, figuring the buildup for a childish attempt to stall, hating that she’d seemed to need one, blurted, “I have a four-year-old daughter.” Without officially starting the session.

“I know.”

Her mouth fell open. She closed it. Stared at him. Opened it again to say, “You know.”

And got that nod. Short, easy bobs.

His gaze held hers without any visible tension. He hadn’t tensed.

She hadn’t shocked him.

“You looked me up?” she asked then, the only logical conclusion, since Scott wouldn’t have lied to her. Was feeling a flush of...something not terrible at the idea of Gray having been interested enough to... No, wait.

“No.” His response interrupted her.

And when he was done, she said, “Harper told you.” She was truly fond of the woman. Couldn’t hold it against her at all to have talked about Scott’s family to one trusted to stay in his home.

Flooded with resentment, with no good cause, she awaited Gray’s confirmation. Using the time to get herself in check once and for all.

“No one told me,” he insisted, steepling his fingers in front of him, with his elbows on the arms of his chair.

Drawing her attention to the bit of chest hair she could see at the top of the loose-fitting scrub shirt.

“I saw you with her Tuesday night.” He saved her any further embarrassment by filling a potentially volatile silence with words. “My first night on the beach. I was on Scott’s porch, and she was riding on your hip as you carried her off toward your place...”

He’d seen her with Leigh.

And was completely nonchalant about it. Didn’t seem to care one way or another that she had a child.

The family he’d let her believe they’d have together.

Until two days before the wedding when he’d told her he didn’t ever want to father her, or any woman’s, child...

He’d been watching her.

Had met with her the day before, knowing about Leigh.

Was that why he’d so easily agreed that there’d be no personal contact between them? Because she had a child?

When he’d told her he’d tried to get on board with the idea of having a family, but just couldn’t, that the idea of marrying her knowing that a family was coming was keeping him up nights, and not in a good way...

Wow.

She took a breath. And another.

She thought of Leigh. Her heart lit up inside as her brain replayed the little girl’s laugh, and her initial fight for life.

Sage’s own life righted itself for a moment. Long enough to say, “Okay, then, I hope you understand that she’s had the run of the beach from my place to Scott’s since she was able to crawl. She might, at some point, appear down by Scott’s and I would then need to come get her. I ask only that you be kind and polite if that were to happen.”

He grinned. “She gets away from you, huh?”