He was rightshe couldnt deny it. But she could, and she would, resist it. What was chemistry without staying power, anyway? Nothing more than an invitation to heartbreakand shed been there, done that.
She took a deliberate step back. I have no intention of being a distraction for you while youre in town.
Do you think thats all I want?
I gave up trying to figure out what you wanted a long time ago.
He moved toward her, breaching the careful distance shed put between them. I want you, Nicole. Ive always wanted you.
Her heart did a silly little flip-flop inside her chest, but she refused to show how much his words affected her. What about me? she countered. What about what I want?
Tell me, he said, his voice as seductive as a caress. Tell me what you want.
She steeled herself against the traitorous yearnings of her body, the inexplicable longing in her heart.
I want you to go.
Before she could speak, the familiar creak of the screen door snagged her attention. Every muscle in her body stiffened, her breath caught.
Colin, his eyes still focused on her own, hadnt heard the sound. His back to the house, he couldnt see the tiny figure standing in the doorway. But Nikki could, and she saw the whole of her universe start to crumble around her even before Carly spoke.
Mommy?
Chapter 2
Mommy, I had a bad dream.
He saw Nikki move toward the child, smooth a trembling hand over the little girls tousled blond hair.
Mommy.
Whatever hed expected when hed returned to Fairweather, he hadnt expected this.
Nikki had a child.
He shook his head. He couldnt believe it. He didnt want to believe it. But the relationship between the woman and the child was obvious, and triggered a multitude of other questions in his mind. Whose? When? And most heart wrenching of allhow could she have betrayed him in such a way?
Nikki didnt spare him a glance as she crouched down beside the little girl. What did you dream about, sweetie?
I dont member. Her bottom lip quivered. I just woke up an I was scared.
Its okay, Nikki soothed, wrapping her arms around the child. Mommys here.
Its been five years. A lot of things have changed in that time.
Her words echoed in his mind. Obviously a lot of things had changed, more than he ever would have expected.
Nikki had told him shed never married again, and hed mistakenly assumed that meant shed never loved anyone else. The existence of this child proved otherwise.
The pain of knowing shed been with another man, loved another man, was like losing her all over again. It was a betrayal of everything theyd shared, of all that theyd meant to each other.
You were the one who wanted the divorce.
Dammit, he hadnt wanted the divorce. He hadnt wanted anything more than hed wanted to be with Nikki. But his career had made that impossible, and he couldnt bear to see how much their separation hurt her.
So hed said goodbye; hed walked away. And shed found someone else. As he stared at the blond head nestled against Nikkis shoulder, the realization simply shattered him.
Somehow sensing his perusal, the little girl turned. The initial shock of hearing her call Nikki Mommy was nothing compared to the impact he felt when the child looked at him through
eyes that were the mirror image of his own.
Colin grasped the railing behind him for support as a whole new wave of emotions washed over him. The most overwhelming, and the most unexpected, of them all was joy. Pure, unadulterated joy filled his heart as he stood face-to-face with his child.
His child.
There was absolutely no doubt in his mind, not the slightest hint of uncertainty in his soul. This beautiful little girl was his daughter.
She, however, obviously had no clue about his identity, because she turned to her mother and demanded, Whos that?
Nikki looked from the child to him, her teeth sinking into the soft fullness of her bottom lip in what he recognized as one of her nervous gestures.
Colin waited for her response, silently daring her to deny what was now so painfully clear.
This is she cleared her throat Uncle Shauns brother.
Uncle Shauns brother.
The words were a double-edged swordslashing through him with the denial of his parental relationship and the startling realization that his brother had been privy to the deception.
The child tipped her head back to study him more carefully. Are you my uncle, too?
At another time, Colin might have been impressed by her deductive reasoning. Now, however, he was too stunned to speak.
Colin, can you, uh, just give me a minute? Please.
He heard the plea in Nikkis voice, the desperation.
He wanted an explanation and he wanted it now. After more than five years, he didnt want to wait another minute. The numbing shock that had settled over him earlier had been supplanted by bubbling hot fury. He wanted to shout, to rage, to demand. He wanted to shake Nikki, as hed been shaken by this revelation. But he knew that the worst thing he could do right now was confront his ex-wife about her lies in front of their daughter.
He nodded tersely.