by Deanna Chase
Sienna owed him a lot more than that, but he’d let all of that go months ago. “That doesn’t matter anymore. I just want to move past this, Sienna.”
“I know.” She nodded and pulled her hand away from him. Grabbing her sleek black handbag that was on the table, she started to rummage around. She found a tissue, and as she dabbed at her now-swollen eyes, she said, “You need to know why I left.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but she held a hand up, stopping him. “Please, Jacob, I need to get this out.”
“Okay.” He sat back in his chair, watching as she got to her feet and stared out of the window. It was then he noticed she looked different. Her body had changed. She was no longer the rail thin, super model type but was now rounder, softer looking. The manufactured beauty had been replaced with something real and accessible. “You look… different,” he said before he could stop himself.
She turned to eye him warily. “Good or bad different?”
“Good different. More…” He wanted to say human, but that sounded harsh even to his own ears.
“More what, Jacob?” she asked, tilting her head to one side with a curious expression.
“I don’t know… authentic, I guess? Like you’ve settled into your own skin.”
Emotion flickered in her eyes before she closed them and said, “A year can really change a person.”
“I suppose so,” he said. Then he narrowed his eyes. “How have you changed, Sienna?”
She bit down on her bottom lip and pressed one hand to her abdomen.
Jacob was done talking, and he was determined to wait for her to finally find the courage to tell him why he’d been summoned from Keating Hollow.
The minute hand clicked over on the wall clock, the sound almost deafening in the silence.
Finally, she turned her back to him and stared out at the city as she said, “I never wanted to hurt you.”
He stifled an irritated sigh. “Isn’t that what everyone says after they’ve hurt someone?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, still facing the window. “I could’ve just stayed.” She glanced over her shoulder. “My mom told me to, you know.”
“I’m not surprised,” Jacob said. Janice Teller loved the idea of her only daughter marrying into the Burton family. She’d told Jacob once that she always knew her daughter had the potential to marry well. Jacob had been offended on his fiancée’s behalf. Sienna Teller didn’t need to marry well. She was a college graduate who was intelligent enough to excel at whatever she put her mind to. In other words, she sure as heck didn’t need Jacob or his family’s money to make her mark on the world. “Has Brian won her over yet?”
She turned and faced him, her hands clasped in front of her. “I don’t want to talk about Brian right now.”
“Why not?” Jacob snapped. “He’s the reason we’re in this predicament.”
“No, he isn’t!” she shouted. “I am. Don’t you get it yet, Jacob?”
He stood, his entire body vibrating with white-hot anger. “I get it, Sienna. You used me and ran off with my best friend, leaving me looking like a fool.”
Her face paled again, and she shook her head. “I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“You’ve said that before.” He stalked to the other end of the room, needing to put as much distance between them as possible. “Just say whatever it is you need to say, Sienna. Whatever it is, I’m sure it isn’t going to change anything between us.”
“Trust me, Jacob. It changes everything,” she said, her voice strong and full of certainty.
He turned to her, his insides cold as he stared her down.
She lifted her chin and said, “The reason I left was because I was pregnant.”
Jacob blinked, wondering if he’d heard her correctly. Then his gaze dropped to her waist as if he was looking for evidence. There wasn’t anything to see of course. She’d left over a year ago. If she’d kept the child, it would have been born months ago.
Child.
The word rolled around in his head. His child? Or Brian’s? A cold chill washed over him. He cleared his throat. “Did you keep it?”
She jerked back as if he’d slapped her. “Of course I kept it. You know how much I wanted to have children.”
“I also thought you wanted to marry me, but that didn’t happen did it?” It was a petty thing to say, but the words had just flown out of his mouth.
Sienna gritted her teeth. When she spoke again, her voice was low and barely audible. “How many more times do you want me to apologize?”
He sighed heavily. “I don’t want you to apologize. I want you to sign the agreements so I can get on with my life.”
“That’s just it, Jacob. You can’t get on with your life. Not the way you think,” she said.
“And why not? You have Enchanted Bliss, Brian, and a child…” His voice trailed off on the word child. Hadn’t she just said she’d left because she was pregnant? They’d been together, sleeping together, right up until she’d pulled the rug out from under him. His heart sped up, and suddenly the room started to spin. “Are you saying that your child could be mine?”
She stared at him for a few beats then nodded. “Jacob, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner—”
“I have a child?” he bellowed, completely beside himself with her betrayal. “You were pregnant with my child and you never told me?”
“I didn’t know—”
“Of course you knew! You said you left because you were pregnant. Dammit, Sienna. I deserved to know. I should’ve been there through the pregnancy. I should’ve been there in the delivery room. How could you keep this to yourself? How?”
Her face flushed red, and she tilted her head down, staring at her clasped hands. “I’m so sorry, Jacob.”
“I don’t need your apologies, Sienna. I never did. All I needed was honesty.” He stared at her, his insides hollowed out, and he realized that he felt absolutely nothing for his child’s mother. Sadness washed over him. What a complete and utter mess. All he’d ever wanted was a wife to love, spoil, and call his partner. And someday a family to call his own. Eighteen months ago, he’d thought he had everything he’d ever wanted. The woman standing in front of him had stolen it all, including his child.
“I…” She clutched her throat with one hand. “I didn’t know. I thought… I’d been with Brian for two months by then. You were off doing work for Bayside Books, and we’d barely seen each other. I thought for sure the baby was Brian’s. When I told him, he confessed he’d always loved me. And I—um, I guess I’d always felt the same way. You know, he was with someone else when we first got together. I thought they’d get married, so I moved on with you. I loved you. I did, Jacob. I—”
He glared at her. “I don’t want to hear it,” he said flatly. “The last thing I want to hear is the details of your affair. All I care about in this moment is how you know this child is mine if you were so convinced Brian was the father.”
“Brian kept saying she looks like you, and he demanded a blood test.”
“She?” he asked on a hushed whisper, feeling as if his heart were going to explode.
“She.” Sienna smiled softly then added, “Her name is Skye.”
“Skye,” he said just to hear the name on his lips. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what she might look like. But before he got too invested, he had to know for sure Skye was his. “What did the blood test say?”
“Her blood type is B. Both Brian and I are O.” Her expression turned sad. “The doctor said there is no way she could be Brian’s.”
Jacob’s breath left him as reality crashed down on him. B. His blood type was B. Unless Sienna had been sleeping with a third person, Skye was definitely his child. He hated to ask and definitely didn’t want to know the answer, but he had no choice. “Was there anyone else?”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean did you sleep with anyone else besides me or Brian? Is there any chance at all Skye isn’t mine?”<
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“Jeez, Jacob. No. Of course not. Why would you even ask that?”
He gave her a flat stare. “Hmm, I wonder why, Sienna.”
She opened her mouth to no doubt argue with him, but she quickly shut it and inclined her head so that she was staring at her feet. “I guess I deserved that.”
He couldn’t disagree. Still, whatever she’d done, it didn’t matter now. Jacob had just learned he had a daughter. He walked over to her, and very gently lifted her chin with two fingers so that he could look her in the eye. “When can I see her?”
Chapter Fourteen
Monday morning rolled around dark and dreary, but Yvette found herself dancing around her office, her fist in the air as she celebrated the weekend’s numbers. She’d just finished adding up the sales they’d raked in during the signing and was elated to find out they were on track to have the best month ever. She couldn’t wait until Jacob came in so she could share the good news.
Just the thought of seeing his face after he’d been gone all weekend made her stomach do a little flip. And even though she was pretty certain Miranda had been off her rocker with the guardian angel stuff, Yvette hoped she’d been right when she’d said Jacob was smitten, because it was clear Yvette was head over heels for him.
The bell on the front door chimed, and Yvette hurried out into the shop, expecting to see Jacob. They still had ten minutes until they opened, and Brinn had the day off. But instead of her tall, dark, and handsome business partner, she found Hanna Pelsh at the pastry and coffee bar, stocking the display with fresh cookies.
“Hanna! You don’t have to do that.” Yvette hurried over and nudged her friend out of the way. “You’re already doing me a huge favor by delivering this stuff. You don’t have to put it away as well.”
Hanna shrugged. “I wasn’t sure you were here yet.”
Yvette had given the Pelshes a key to the front door as part of the delivery arrangement so they could have a bigger window of time for deliveries. Since Brinn was off, no one had been upfront when Hanna had let herself in. “Thank you. You’re so thoughtful, but I can take it from here.”
“Sure.” Hanna stepped out from behind the café counter and glanced around. “I can’t believe you got this place in order already. I heard you guys were busier than the brewery this weekend.”
Yvette grinned. “That was Saturday. We still had a good crowd yesterday, but man, that signing was crazy successful. Be prepared. We’ll be doubling our pastry order for next month’s signing.”
“Excellent. I’ll let my mom know.” She moved to the door. “Tell Jacob and Brinn hi for me.”
“Will do.”
The bell on the door chimed as she let herself out, and Yvette found herself wandering the store and wondering what she should do with herself. Brinn had stayed late the day before, and they’d managed to get the store back in order in record time. And because Yvette had known she’d be working the store by herself until Jacob showed up, she’d come in early to deal with the bookkeeping.
Now she found herself by the front door, eyeing the deserted street, looking for Jacob’s familiar truck. When she didn’t even see any lights shining through the rain, she sighed, flipped the open sign and headed for the café counter.
Armed with a fresh latte and a couple of cookies, Yvette positioned herself behind the checkout counter and cracked open Jovee Winters’ newest twisted fairy tales book.
Yvette picked up her smart phone and sighed. No calls. It was late afternoon, and the weather had only continued to deteriorate. Thunder rumbled overhead, and the rain had become a punishing downpour over Keating Hollow. She’d expected Jacob sometime before noon, but so far, she hadn’t seen or heard from him. And after sending him two unanswered messages, she was getting worried.
The bookstore phone rang, and Yvette pounced. “Hollow Books, Yvette speaking.”
“Hey, it’s me,” her sister Noel said.
Disappointment settled in her chest, and she sank down onto the stool behind the counter. “What’s up, sis?”
“Faith is here. We wondered if you’d want to join us for dinner. I made pie.”
“Pie for dinner?” Yvette asked.
“Yep. Blackberry. Whipped cream is in the fridge.”
Yvette sat up straight on full alert. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Faith met someone.” Noel’s voice was full of mischief now.
Yvette glanced at the clock. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Excellent.”
The line went dead. Yvette replaced the phone on the charging station, grateful for the distraction. Now she wouldn’t be sitting at home waiting for Jacob to call. She quickly cleaned the café station that had only been used twice that day then cashed out the register. After she took one last glance around the shop, she bundled up in her wool coat and hat and then locked up.
The biting wind cut right through her jeans and coat, while the rain blew in horizontal sheets. Normally Yvette would just walk down to her sister’s inn, but tonight, she jumped in her Mustang and drove the two blocks. Still, by the time she made it from the parking space out in front of the Keating Hollow Inn and into the lobby, she was dripping and in desperate need of a hot cup of coffee.
“Noel?” she called as she slipped behind the check-in counter.
The door to Noel’s apartment was flung open and Faith, her baby sister, stood in the doorway. She was gorgeous, with interesting, angular features and big green eyes. Yvette had always thought Faith had been made for the runways of Paris, but she’d been content to stay right there in Keating Hollow, working odd jobs while she completed her massage therapy schooling. She was holding two large mugs. Steam billowed out of the one in her left hand, and she thrust it at Yvette. “Here. You need this.”
The scent of Irish whiskey assaulted her nose as she tilted the cup to her lips and took a long, fortifying sip. “Oh, thank you. You’re a goddess.”
“It’s about time you noticed,” Faith said and pulled Yvette into Noel’s apartment.
Yvette glanced around at the tidy living room and spotted Noel lounging on the couch, her feet curled under her and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair had been dyed and cut again. It was shoulder-length now with long layers and was a fetching strawberry blond that perfectly complemented her skin tone. Of the four sisters, Noel was the one who was always changing her look. “I’m here,” Yvette said. “Where’s the pie?”
Noel laughed. “In the kitchen. Are you starving?”
“Yes. I didn’t get lunch today.”
“Why not?” Noel frowned. “You couldn’t have been that busy at the bookstore. Keating Hollow has been a ghost town since the storm rolled in.”
“No, definitely not busy,” Yvette said. “I just didn’t have any help today, so I skipped lunch. It was Brinn’s day off.”
“What about Jacob? Wasn’t he there?” Faith asked, flopping down onto the couch next to Noel.
“No. He’s still out of town, I guess.” Yvette sat in one of the arm chairs and glanced around. “Where are Olive, Daisy and Drew?”
“Olive is with her grandmother for the night, and Daisy and Drew are out on a father-daughter type date,” Noel said, her eyes going soft. “Oh. Em. Gee.” She pressed her hand to her heart. “You guys, this nearly killed me. This morning Daisy and I were in the kitchen getting breakfast ready when Drew walked in. We said our good mornings, and suddenly out of the blue, Daisy asked if she could take Drew out for dinner and a movie.”
“Whoa, Noel. Looks like Daisy is moving in on your man,” Yvette said with an exaggerated wink.
“It’s true,” Noel said soberly. “Those two… sometimes I swear the only reason Drew and I ended up together is because he fell in love with her.”
Faith put her mug on the coffee table and turned to stare Noel in the eye. “Would you have it any other way?”
“Absolutely not,” she said with a grin. “But dang… when does this girl get dinner and a movie?”
“Have you asked him?” Yvette asked.
She shrugged, and Yvette took that as a no.
Yvette laughed. “Your kid has a thousand percent more game than you do. Maybe you should take notes.”
“Maybe,” Noel grumbled, but the twitch of her lips gave her away. “She’s just got a cuteness that he can’t resist. Do you know the last time he's told her no to anything at all?”
“When?” Faith asked, now perched on the edge of the couch.
“Never.” Noel stood, leaving her mug on the table. “I’ll be right out with the pie. Double heaping of whipped cream for everyone?” she asked, directing her question to Yvette.
“Yes for me,” Yvette said and added, “Faith?”
But before their baby sister could answer, Noel laughed and said, “Everyone except for Faith. She has a man to impress.”
“Impress, ha! We’ll just see about that,” Faith said, flinging her long blond hair over one shoulder with plenty of attitude. “He’s the one who’s going to need to impress me.”
“Okay, hold on,” Yvette said. “Who is this man, and where did you meet him?”
“Wait right there.” Noel held her hand up. “This calls for pie first.” She turned to Faith. “Do not say a word until I get back with the pie.”
“Only if I get extra whip. These hips can handle it.” Faith waved a hand over her long and lean body.
“No kidding,” Yvette muttered under her breath. “I don’t think I’ve looked like that since the sixth grade.”
“We can’t all be curvy, delicious pinups, now can we?” Faith shot back, giving her sister as good as she got.
Yvette grinned at her. “I guess we all have our own crosses to bear.”
“Okay, enough, you two.” Noel turned to Faith and pointed a finger at Yvette. “Do not let this one needle any information out of you, or I’ll throw both of your pieces of pie out.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Faith said, leaning back into the couch cushions.
Yvette’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Noel. “That’s just rude. Pie is sacred.”