Carrying the Lost Heir's Child

by Jules Bennett

Oh, no. Nash’s father was a wealthy mogul and famous in his own right in the horse racing industry. How would the media spin this story once word got out who her baby’s father was?

  The muscle in his jaw ticked as he crossed those muscular arms over his chest. “Yes, I lied.”

  No defense? Was he just going to reveal that jaw-dropping fact and not elaborate?

  Lily rubbed her forehead, hoping to chase away the impending headache. She wouldn’t beg him to let her in. He either wanted to tell her or he didn’t, but he better have a damn good reason for lying to her face.

  “I honestly didn’t want to lie to you,” he defended, as if her silence had triggered him to speak up for himself.

  A laugh escaped her. “And yet you did it anyway.”

  “Damon doesn’t know who I am.” In two long strides, Nash closed the gap to stand directly in front of her. Those bright blue eyes held hers as if pleading for her to hear him out. “To my knowledge he never even knew my mother was pregnant. I only found out he was my birth father several months ago and that’s when I came to work for him. I needed to see what kind of man he was, needed to know if I even wanted to pursue a relationship with him.”

  A bit of her heart melted, but he’d still withheld information from her, pretending to be someone he wasn’t.

  “You’re the son of the most prominent man in this industry and you didn’t even think to tell me?”

  Nash reached for her hands, held them tight against his chest as he took another step toward her. “When we first started our connection was just physical. You know that. But then I started getting more involved with you and I worried about disclosing the truth, but I also knew you’d be leaving at the end of the shoot. I wasn’t going to say anything to Damon until you were gone and it never would’ve affected you. But now...”

  Realization dawned on her. He’d had to tell her. But the fact of the matter was he only did so when forced to, and that hurt her more than she cared to admit.

  “The baby.”

  Nash nodded, squeezing her hands as if he was afraid she would turn and run. “I truly never wanted you involved in my mess, in this lie, but things were out of my control.”

  Lily raised her brows. “Out of your control?”

  “Fine.” The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, showcasing that devastating smile. “I couldn’t control myself around you, but I could control how much of my life I let you in on. I wasn’t able to tell you before.”

  “Why now?” she asked, searching his face, finding only vulnerability masked by a handsome, rugged exterior. “You could’ve kept this to yourself until you talked to Damon.”

  He held her hands against his heart with one palm and slid his other hand up along her cheek, his fingers threading through her hair.

  “No, I couldn’t. You’ve come to mean more, we mean more, than I thought possible. I wasn’t ready for you, Lily. I’ve had this secret living in me, I couldn’t just let anyone in.”

  His heart beat heavily against her hand and Lily knew that him baring his soul was courageous and brave. He could’ve kept lying to her, he could’ve gone to Damon first with this bombshell, but he’d opened himself up.

  “Besides,” he went on, drawing her closer. “I need you. More than I want to admit, and on a level that terrifies me. No matter what’s going on around me, in spite of all my issues, I need the passion we possess. I need you, Lily.”

  Mercy, when he said things like that her entire body shivered, her stomach flopped as nerves settled deep inside her. He wasn’t lying now. No man had ever looked at her the way he did. She saw the raw truth in his eyes. Saw how hard it was to expose himself.

  “I need you with me right now,” he told her, nipping at her lips. “I need to draw from your strength.”

  The man was twice her size, with his broad, muscular shoulders, his towering height, yet he wanted her strength? He humbled her with his direct, bold declaration.

  “Are you going to tell him soon?” she asked, gripping his shirt.

  “I really don’t know. Part of me wants to, especially now that the film is done, the racing season is over and the girls aren’t under as much pressure.”

  Lily smiled, warming to the idea of Nash being part of such an amazing family. “You have sisters. Nash, this is such a big deal. You have to go to them. They deserve to know. If you want me to go with you, I will. I’ll stay back, too. Whatever you want.”

  Encircling her waist with both arms, Nash pulled her close where her hands were trapped between them. “I’ll go soon. But right now, I want to embrace the fact the mother of my child is in my house where there are no interruptions, no schedules to keep. You’re supposed to be relaxing and I have the perfect spot.”

  She eased back, looking him in the eyes. “Don’t keep the truth from me again. We’re in this together and I can’t be with someone I don’t trust.”

  Those bright eyes held hers, the muscle in his jaw clenched and for a second she thought he was about to say something, but he simply nodded.

  “Was that our first fight?” she asked.

  Nash nuzzled his lips against her neck, his beard tickling her sensitive skin. “I guess so. We better go kiss and make up.”

  He walked her backward and Lily couldn’t help but laugh as she found herself being drawn more and more into his world. Yes, he’d kept something monumental from her, but in his defense he was still working through the new information himself. She couldn’t imagine finding your father at this stage in life and she couldn’t blame Nash for being confused on how to respond and what steps to take. This was all new territory and they had to wade through it together.

  They headed down the hall, his hands cupping her bottom as he led her into the bedroom.

  “This is where you’ll stay while you’re here,” he told her as he trailed his lips across her jawline and to her ear. “Clothing is optional.”

  A thrill shot through her. Being claimed shouldn’t be so arousing, yet she found herself wanting Nash more and more each time he threw down that dominance gauntlet.

  With a kick of his foot, the bedroom door slammed shut.

  * * *

  Nash jerked another bale of hay from the stack and moved it into the stable. Frustration and guilt fueled each aggressive movement. He’d lied to Lily, was still lying to her and had worked his way back into a corner he may never find the way out of.

  He’d never forget the look on her face when she’d discovered he was Damon’s son. But she only knew part of the truth. The rest of his secret wouldn’t be so easily defended and the damn last thing he’d ever intended on doing was hurting her.

  His plan was to reveal himself to Damon, figure out how the hell to get those horses and get back to his own estate. He was done living these lies, done hurting people he had been around for the past few months.

  As much as the guilt ate at him, he still wouldn’t leave without what he came for. Otherwise this whole journey would be in vain.

  Sweat poured down his back as he stacked the last bale against the far wall. He’d called and checked on Lily several times today and each time she assured him she was fine and if she needed anything she’d call him. Still, he couldn’t help but worry. Would he be like this the entire pregnancy? Always worrying?

  Nash knew it wasn’t just the pregnancy. Everything was closing in on him at once. He needed to confess now that the racing season was over and Cassie and Tessa were focusing on Cassie’s new school. He couldn’t wait for Damon to sell those horses to someone else.

  Nash’s assistant should’ve already proposed the next offer, now Nash just had to wait.

  Waiting was about the dead last thing he wanted to do, but he hadn’t gotten this far in life by being impulsive. Timing was everything in reaching your goals.

  And timing would definitely play a major
role in the next steps he took with Lily. It was like walking through a minefield. One wrong move and every plan, every unexpected blessing could all blow up in his face.

  He’d spoken with his mother this morning and she was still worried about him exposing the truth, but Nash assured her he wasn’t going to disclose everything, only that Damon was his father. Everything else...hell, he had no clue when to drop that bomb. Would Damon look closer and see the man who had been his rival for so long? They’d not been face-to-face in the business world in years and Nash knew he’d changed. Besides the hair, the beard and the clothes, Nash had done more grunt work on his own land, bulking him up quite a bit and changing his physique.

  “You may be the hardest working groom I’ve ever employed.”

  Nash jerked around to see Damon striding through the stables. Fate had just presented him with the perfect opportunity...but was he ready to take it?

  Damn it, this was harder than he thought. Before him stood the man who was his biological father and had no clue. How would he react? Would putting the fact out in the open change Damon’s life? Would he care? Would he embrace Nash as part of the family?

  In the past several months since learning the truth, Nash had played this scenario in his head a million times. Now that the perfect opportunity had presented itself, he didn’t know how to lead into the life-altering conversation.

  “Haven’t seen you down here much lately,” Nash finally said as he tugged off his work gloves and shoved them in his back pocket.

  “The girls are done training, so that’s freed up my time.” The elderly man rested his hand on one of the gates to a stall, curling his fingers around the wrought-iron bars. “I come down more in the evening now. Been spending some of my days playing with sweet Emily.”

  Nash smiled. Emily was Damon’s granddaughter...and Nash’s niece. So many instant family members. Actually, with Ian marrying Cassie, that would make Lily’s agent Nash’s soon-to-be brother-in-law.

  His head was spinning. Everything would start unraveling the moment he told Damon the truth, or the part of the truth that Lily knew.

  Nash had no clue how Damon would react to having a long lost son, but he knew damn sure how he’d react if he found out the rest of Nash’s identity. Epic anger like nothing Nash had ever seen, of that he was positive.

  One step at a time.

  “You going to be home later?” Nash asked, resting his hands on his hips.

  Horses shuffled in the background, one neighed as if trying to chime into the conversation. Nash was starting to love these stables as much as his own. Damn it, he hadn’t counted on getting emotionally invested in this place, this family...Lily.

  What the hell was happening to him?

  “Should be.”

  “Mind if I come back around seven? I need a private meeting with you.”

  Damon’s silver brows drew together. “You’re not quitting on me, are you, son?”

  Son. The word was a generic term yet Damon had no clue just how swiftly he’d hit that nail on the head.

  “No, sir.”

  “You’ve got me intrigued.” Damon let out a robust laugh and nodded. “Sure. Come on up to the house about seven.”

  “Will Cassie and Tessa be around? They may want to be there, too.”

  He’d made a split-second decision to include his half-sisters. Honestly, Nash wasn’t sure if Damon would want the girls to know, but Nash needed them to. The more time he’d spent here, the more he’d gotten involved in their lives and wanted a chance for a family.

  “I can ask,” Damon informed him. “You’ve certainly piqued my curiosity, so I’m sure they’ll be intrigued, as well.”

  Nash swiped his forearm across his sweaty forehead, then rested his hands on his hips. “Great. I’ll be up to the main house around seven.”

  If Lily wanted to join him, he wouldn’t turn down her support. He needed her, and that wasn’t weakness talking, either.

  Besides, if he shared everything he could with her now, perhaps the blow that would inevitably come later wouldn’t be so harsh. The only other woman he’d let close to him was his mother. Women in his life had come and gone, nobody really fit. Lily fit...as much as she could with all the jagged edges of his life he’d yet to smooth out.

  Nash knew he had fallen into a hole so deep, there was no way out and he was starting to wish for things that could never be.

  Eight

  Lily resisted the urge to throw her phone, and she would pull the childish tantrum if she didn’t have to go through the annoyance of getting a new one.

  But she wasn’t one to waste money.

  For pity’s sake, she was so sick of certain people in the industry—ahem, producers, actors, etc.—assuming that because they were a big name, she would jump at the chance to work with them. Then when she declined, the offer of more money really set her teeth to grinding. She couldn’t be bought, something they found hard to believe.

  Thankfully her agent, Ian, had called with the movie options and the ridiculous counteroffers. He was still trying to find her a film that could accommodate her expanding belly, but Lily wasn’t sure how work would fit into the life she was envisioning with Nash. The baby was no problem. A relationship with Nash? How would he feel about Hollywood? There was no way she could stay away from the limelight and she knew he was a private man. He’d made no definite declarations to her, yet she found herself hoping everything would work out, because she truly wanted this amazing man in her life, and not just for the baby.

  Swinging her legs around, she propped her feet up on the leather sofa and settled back against the cushioned armrest. This relaxing nonsense was getting really old really fast and she had only been here a few days. If this lasted her entire pregnancy she would go insane.

  Added to that, Nash was very attentive to her needs. Okay, wait, that wasn’t a bad thing at all. But the man wouldn’t let her do anything for herself. He insisted she take it easy and rest until her next appointment when the doctor would come and assess her.

  Funny, Lily didn’t recall agreeing to stay with him that long. Apparently he’d assumed she would just live here. That was definitely a talk they would be having soon. At some point she’d have to leave, to pack her things and go back to her life. She didn’t want all of this uncertainty in her future.

  And she was still reeling from the news that Nash was Damon Barrington’s son. Even though her first gut reaction was anger, she had to give Nash the benefit of the doubt. The man was obviously torn. He was struggling with this new identity and working as a groom to get close to his biological father. How could she hold that against him?

  He hadn’t deliberately lied to her and she’d seen the turmoil he’d battled with over revealing the truth to her. What had he done before coming to the Barringtons’ estate? Had he been a groom elsewhere? She assumed he worked with horses since he’d told her he did that as a child. Obviously love for the animals and hard work were in his blood.

  Had she been in his shoes, she wouldn’t have disclosed her secret to a virtual stranger, either.

  Oh, how fate had other plans for them. Lily never would’ve dreamed she’d be living in Nash’s cottage, pregnant with his child while he debated on when and how to drop the paternity bomb on the racing mogul.

  The sooner the past came out, the better. Wasn’t that true for any type of potential relationship?

  The front door opened and closed seconds before Nash’s heavy footfalls moved through the foyer. He rounded the arched doorway into the living room and offered her a half smile.

  “You look like I feel.” She rested an arm along the back of the couch, taking in his lean form as he propped a shoulder against the door frame. “Bad day?”

  “I’m grabbing a shower and heading back to the estate.” Nash ran a hand along his short beard, around to th
e back of his neck as he let out a sigh. “I’m going to tell him.”

  Lily jerked up, gripping the back of the couch. “Does he know you’re coming back?”

  “Yeah.”

  Lily couldn’t believe he was ready to take this step. She knew he wanted to, but she had no idea he was doing it so soon after telling her. Had opening up to her released something else in him? Something that made him want to get his life in order before the baby came? And, dare she hope, for them to move forward together?

  “Do you want me to come?”

  Nash’s eyes met her, his toe-curling smile spread across his face. “I would, but only if you’re comfortable going.”

  Lily came to her feet, smoothing her simple cotton dress down her legs. Rounding the couch, she crossed the cozy living room. Encircling his neck with her arms, Lily answered his devastating smile with her own.

  “I don’t want to assume anything in any part of your life, Nash. I know our relationship has been a whirlwind, but I don’t think you should go through this alone.”

  “Damn, I want to hold you,” he told her, resting his forehead against hers. “But I smell like the ass end of that stable and I need a shower.”

  Lily laughed as she settled a quick peck on his lips. “I don’t mind, you know. But, go shower. I’ll throw on my shoes and pull my hair back real quick.”

  Nash’s brows rose. “That’s all you’re going to do?”

  “Uh, yeah, why?” Stepping back and narrowing her gaze, she crossed her arms. “Are you saying I need to change or put makeup on? I know you’re used to seeing me all made up on set, but this is the real me, Nash. No fuss and kind of boring.”

  His hand snaked out, wrapped around her arm and tugged her until she fell against his chest. “I’m a much bigger fan of the no-fuss Lily. I’m just still surprised that you don’t care about getting all made up to leave the house.”

  With a shrug, she laid her palms against his taut T-shirt. “I’m not like most women and I’m definitely not like most Hollywood women. I’m pretty low-key when I’m not working.”