Page 4 of Julian

“I wonder if I should leave,” Kiara said.

Angie’s grip on her hand tightened, almost painfully. “Leave? Why?”

“I just think it’s going to be hard to raise a child here, knowing who the father is.”

“You need to tell him,” Angie said. “He should take responsibility for his part in what happened.”

Kiara shook her head. “He doesn’t remember. He might not believe me.”

“That’s what a paternity test is for. If he doesn’t believe you, he’ll probably want a paternity test. Agree to it.”

It was so much more than just getting Julian to accept that he was the father of her baby. He was a man known for dating beautiful women. She doubted that he would want the world to know that he’d been with her.

“It’s just an option,” Kiara said. “I haven’t decided.”

Angie frowned. “I don’t like that it’s an option.”

“It’s not like I’d disappear completely,” Kiara assured her. “I just need to have a little distance from… here.”

Angie let go of Kiara’s hand and wrapped her arms around herself. “We’ve never been apart.”

“I know,” Kiara said. “But you have Jude now. You don’t need me around.”

“That’s not true,” Angie protested. “I want you close. Jude isn’t replacing you in my life.”

“I know that,” Kiara said. “We’ll always be sisters, but Jude can protect you now. He can help you.”

“I still don’t want you to go,” Angie murmured.

“Nothing is for sure yet,” Kiara said, trying to head off the emotional reaction that was sure to come if they continued down this path. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Angie stared at her for a long moment, her blue-green eyes holding sadness. “Just promise me you won’t make a decision without talking it through with me first.”

Kiara held up her hand. “I promise.”

Angie didn’t look completely convinced but had obviously decided to let the subject drop for the time being. “Are you going to come down for dinner tonight?”

Kiara would have preferred not to, but she felt like she needed to give Angie something after she dropped the bombshell about possibly moving away.

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

Angie smiled. “Good. I’m going to get ready for dinner, then go see Jude. I think he’ll be joining us too.”

Though she did feel that Jude had replaced her in Angie’s life, she didn’t hate the guy. He had saved Angie from Jim, and Kiara was forever grateful to him for that.

Once Angie had left, Kiara went to the bathroom and tried to work her curls into some semblance of order, then applied a little bit of makeup to hide the dark circles under her eyes.

She changed into a dark knee-length skirt and tights and paired it with an oversized sweater. So far, her clothes all still fit, but maternity clothes were definitely in her future.

Down in the dining room, it was just her, Angie, Jude, Duncan, and Elizabeth. They were spaced out around the table, which had been shrunk down to its smallest size.

As usual, the food was delicious, but she was careful to eat only small amounts because she didn’t want to risk triggering her stomach. Dessert was the most tempting, as it was a warm blueberry crumble with vanilla ice cream, and she had a fierce sweet tooth.

“Ready to get back to your room, love?” Angie asked, probably having noticed that Jude had only eaten half his dessert before putting his fork down. He was still staying in themedical suite in the basement of the house where the doctor Duncan had flown in helped with Jude’s care, since he hadn’t wanted to stay in the hospital in Coeur d’Alene.

“Yeah. I think so.”

Kiara watched them go, then focused on the remainder of her dessert. Eating more than she probably should have, but it tasted so good.