Tiana (Starkis Family #3) (6 page)

“The three of us?” I asked, allowing hope to creep into my voice.

“Yes. You, me, and my husband.”

“Your husband, right, of course.” I didn’t know why I would assume she’d be willing to concede now when she’d stayed true to her course for the past seven and a half years.

“You have to understand how hard this has been on him.”

“How hard it’s been on him?” I said, feeling my rage surfacing. “What about me? Have you stopped to consider what this is doing to me?”

“I didn’t want anyone to get hurt,” she said, sniffling. “I thought I was doing what was best for everyone.”

“No, you did what you thought was best for you.” I knew that wasn’t fair. She’d been considering Dalia’s feelings too, but Andra wasn’t the only one who wanted what was best for our daughter. I did too.

“I don’t want to fight with you.” She sighed. “That’s why we need to talk. We can’t afford an expensive legal battle. We’re hoping you’ll see reason after we’ve had a chance to explain our side.”

“If you think I’m just going to walk away and forget Dalia exists, you’re delusional.” I’d already turned my life upside down to be a better man for her. No way would I concede defeat now.

“Maybe we can find some compromise.” She sounded weary, as though she was on the verge of giving up the fight, which gave me hope.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Eleni

“How was your date with Miles last night?” Mia asked, securing her hair into a high ponytail before increasing the speed on the treadmill.

Even though Mia and Deacon had a full gym at home, Mia still preferred to work out with me so we could catch up on our girl talk between grueling bouts of cardio. Apparently her sexy fiancé kept her too
busy
for nightclubs and late night lattés these days. Not that I was jealous… much.

“It was okay,” I said, shrugging. No way could I tell my friend I’d been too distracted by my argument with Damon to go home with Miles after dinner. “He’s a nice enough guy.”

I took a long sip from my water bottle before wiping my damp forehead with the towel around my neck. Ugh. Never-ending cardio sessions were the one thing I hated about my job. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to gain a pound if I wanted to make the cut for the next catalogue. Deacon teased that he would put in a good word for me with the boss, but I didn’t intend to use our friendship to secure my spot. I wanted to earn my way, just as I always had.

“Okay?” Mia rolled her eyes. “Only you would describe that guy as okay, El. I’m telling you, your standards are way too high.”

“Maybe.” If I told my best friend the truth—that the only man able to meet my standards these days was her soon-to-be brother-in-law—she’d trip and possibly land in a cast that would clash with her elaborate wedding gown, and it would be all my fault.

“Deacon mentioned you went out for lunch with his brother yesterday. How’d that go?”

“Okay” wouldn’t have begun to describe that kiss, but I refused to acknowledge that Damon lit me up in ways poor Miles couldn’t even imagine. “We, uh, kind of got into it. I told him I was dating Miles, and let’s just say he didn’t take it well.”

I needed a second opinion, and no one knew me better than Mia. I didn’t want Mia to feel caught between our friendship and her future family, but I had dibs on her, which meant I should have been able to count on her honest opinion, even when Deacon’s brother was the man in question.

“Don’t leave me hanging,” Mia said, scowling when the preprogrammed treadmill forced her to jog. “Tell me everything.”

At least Mia wasn’t playing Switzerland. That was an encouraging sign. If I’d ever needed her two cents, now was the time. “He acted as though he was jealous, but when I…” I bit my lip, trying to find words that wouldn’t make me sound like a total ho. “Propositioned him, he backed off.”

Mia’s jaw dropped as she punched the button to stop the treadmill. “You propositioned him?” She looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before she stepped down to stand next to my machine. “And he wasn’t interested? I can’t believe that. Damon has been after you since the first time he laid eyes on you. I would have thought finding out he had serious competition would have made him more willing to seal the deal.”

That was what I’d been counting on. A small part of me, the part that secretly liked it when a man opened my door or held out my chair, had hoped he would fly into a jealous rage and show me, rather than tell me, how much he wanted me. “I thought so too, girl. But that’s not the way it went down at all.”

“Hmmm, I wonder if he’s running scared. Could be he’s afraid of what he’s feeling for you and he’s not willing to acknowledge it just yet.”

“Oh God, here we go again.” Mia had been torturing me with her fairy tales for as long as I could remember, and now that she’d found her real-life Prince Charming, she was more determined than ever that I follow in her glass slippers. No. Way. In. Hell. “Not everyone wants to be Cinderella, you know. I don’t need a handsome prince to sweep me off my feet.” I wiggled my eyebrows as my machine shifted into cool down mode. “Unless of course I wind up flat on my back.”

“You’re so bad,” Mia said, giggling as she snapped her towel ineffectually, barely grazing my leg. “So what are you gonna do? Are you going to keep seeing Miles?”

“Why not? It’s not like Damon is stepping up.” Given the choice, I would gladly have forsaken all other men for a few weeks of action with the tabloids’ favorite bad boy, but since it seemed that possibility was off the table, a girl had to keep her options open.

“Did he tell you why he had to go out of town so suddenly?” Mia asked, stepping on the scale in the corner of the room.

“He’s out of town?” I was glad the treadmill had stopped because I might have been the one taking a nosedive. “Since when?”

Mia planted her hands on her hips, glaring at the numbers on the scale. “I told Deacon cooking all of those fancy meals would catch up with me! My wedding is right around the corner, and I can’t afford to gain any weight if I want to fit into that dress.”

Any other day, I would have felt her pain, but today, I was experiencing some of my own. “Where did he go?”

“Who?” Mia asked, frowning.

With a heavy sigh, I stepped off the treadmill and walked over to her to capture her angelic face in my hands. “For God’s sake, woman, would you focus? Where is Damon, and when is he coming back?”

Mia grinned, pointing at my sweat-soaked chest. “Ha, I knew it. You’re as crazy about him as he is about you. Admit it, girl. My future brother-in-law could be the man you’ve been waiting for all your life.”

“Yeah, my real-life Prince Charming,” I said sarcastically. If I hadn’t yet convinced her that I relished the idea of being a horny cougar someday, she’d never get the message. “He even kisses like—”

“You kissed him?” Mia squealed, tearing my hands away from her face as she squeezed them.

“Ssshhh.” I blushed when I caught a cute guy on the leg press smiling at me. “Are we tweens or what? He’s not the first guy I’ve kissed.”

“Yeah, but I was beginning to think it was never gonna happen. Talk about moving slow. You’ve known each other for, like, eight months. That’s seven months longer than you normally date a guy before you go to bed with him.”

She wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t appreciate the implication I was easy. I wasn’t. I just happened to prefer sex with real men to a quickie with my battery operated standby. Call me crazy. “Yeah, but Damon and I aren’t dating. We’re just friends.”

“I wonder why he backed off so suddenly?” Mia asked, leading the way to the changing room. “Remember when you first met? He was coming on so strong for the first few weeks, then it was like he…”

“Lost interest?” I knew Mia would never say that, even if it was what she was thinking. “Yeah, I’ve wondered about that too. Well, you know what? I’ve wasted enough time speculating about what his deal is. If he doesn’t want me, I’m sure I can find someone who does.”

“Speaking of which, you haven’t told me who your plus one will be for the wedding. Can I assume it’ll be Miles?”

I’d been leaving my options open in case Damon found his manhood again, but given the fact he’d left town with his tail between his legs after leaving me high and dry, I was beginning to suspect he’d never find it. “Yeah, I guess that’s a safe assumption.”

Damon

I wasn’t surprised they’d asked me to come to their house while Dalia was at school, but that didn’t mean I would leave without catching a glimpse of my daughter. I’d come all this way. I couldn’t leave until I’d looked into those big brown eyes again.

“Thank you for coming.” Andra stepped back, gesturing for me to enter.

I took in my surroundings, thinking how different my daughter’s life would be if her mother weren’t so stubborn. The house was tiny and old with a couple of piecemeal additions jutting out the back. There was a fenced backyard, but judging by the questionable neighborhood, it wouldn’t be prudent to let kids go outside without supervision.

“I was surprised you called.” I followed her into the small living room, noting that it looked tidy, though worn and a little tired. Zeroing in on the framed photos cluttering the tables, I picked up one.
My
daughter. My heart clenched at the sight of her frilly pink dress and matching socks.

“She was about six months old in that picture,” Andra said softly. “She was such a good baby.”

That I’d missed out on so many years with her pained me. First steps. First words. I would never get those back, and I felt an overwhelming urge to punish the woman who’d taken that opportunity from me. “I want to provide for my daughter, so we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You decide.”

“I suppose you think your money will buy you the right to see her?”

I turned to see a man who mirrored me in coloring and stature lingering in the small foyer leading to the living room. “You must be my daughter’s stepfather.” I didn’t offer my hand, knowing he probably wouldn’t accept it.

“I am Dalia’s father,” he said, taking a step closer. “Make no mistake about that.”

“Please,” Andra said, sighing. “Enough posturing. We’re here to try to work this out.”

Remembering my goal for an amicable resolution, I stepped back, giving Nic a wide berth.

“Did you get Johnnie down for his nap?” Andra asked her husband.

“Yeah.” Nic sank into a worn armchair next to his wife. “He’ll be down for a while.” His eyes flicked to mine. “It’ll give us a chance to talk.”

I nodded, claiming a seat on the sofa across from them. I didn’t want to sit. I wanted to pace, to work off some of my nervous energy, but I couldn’t let them know how unsettled I felt about this meeting. “Your son,” I said, hoping to find neutral ground. “How old is he?”

“Almost seven months,” Andra said, smiling. “They grow up so fast.” Her sharp intake of breath told me she wished she could take those words back.

“That’s why I don’t want to waste any more time,” I said, praying I could make them understand. “I want to be a part of Dalia’s life. I’ve already missed out on so much. You’re parents. Can’t you understand how I feel?”

Nic rolled his eyes. “You think you’ve earned the right to call yourself a parent just because you have good swimmers?”

“Nic,” Andra said, shooting her husband a warning look. “Remember, you promised.”

This could easily spiral out of control, and I didn’t want that. As angry as I was, I had to put Dalia first. “I know you’ve done your best to provide a good home for her.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Nic asked, leaning forward. “Just because we don’t live in some mansion and have chauffeurs take our kids to school doesn’t mean—”

“I didn’t mean to insult you,” I said, raising my hand. Clearly the man felt intimidated by my family’s wealth and nothing I could say or do would convince him I wasn’t there to judge him. “I know Dalia is well loved and well cared for. And really, that’s all that matters to me.” I knew she was because I’d had our team of investigators learn everything they could about her life. Their thorough reports had indicated she was a happy, well-adjusted little girl who loved school, her friends, dance, and gymnastics.

“If you know she’s happy, then why are you trying to mess everything up?” Nic asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “Can’t you imagine what the stress of this is doing to us, to our family? Why the hell won’t you just leave us alone? Dalia doesn’t need you. She has me!”

“Sssh,” Andra said, touching her husband’s forearm. “Please. I don’t want to wake the baby.”

The fact that that was her only concern fueled my fury. “Dalia is my daughter,” I said, clenching my teeth. “That means I have some rights.”

“A daughter you said you didn’t want,” Nic said, glaring at me.

I glanced at Andra, whose eyes were trained on her husband. It became clear to me that she’d fed her husband a story about what had really happened between us all those years ago. That meant I had a choice to make. I could tell him the truth—that Andra had never given me the opportunity to be a father—or keep her secret and hope I could use it as leverage to gain access to my child.

“I’m not the same man I was then,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “While it may be true I wasn’t ready to be a father then, I am now.”

“Right.” Nic chuckled. “Doing shots with half-naked lingerie models really makes me believe you’re ready to settle down and be a role model to an impressionable kid.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised they’d seen photos of me with Eleni. As much as I wanted to see Dalia, I wouldn’t let them disparage the woman I cared about. “Eleni isn’t just some lingerie model. Her best friend is marrying my brother. The picture you saw—”

“That one picture isn’t our only concern,” Andra said. “It’s all the other pictures.”

“What are you talking about?” I glared at her, hoping to convey the message that she was skating on very thin ice. “What pictures?”

“You two are obviously seeing each other,” Andra said, forcing herself to meet my gaze head-on. “There have been other pictures of the two of you together.”