“You know he would help.” Cole could argue until he was blue in the face, and likely Lucie still wouldn’t change her mind, but he had to try.

“Financially, maybe. But that’s not what she needs.”

He begged to differ, especially if her mother was out stealing just to pay her medical bills. Instead of stating the obvious, he waited patiently until she continued.

“Haley needs a father. I get it. That still doesn’t mean I am going to tell him. He wouldn’t have time for her and quite frankly, I think that would be harder on her than not knowing.”

Reaching out and placing his hand over hers, Cole looked Lucie directly in the eyes. “Listen to me. You need to seriously consider this, Lucie. He deserves to know he has a daughter. It’s only fair to let him make that decision on his own. I know the last four years have been hard on you, but that doesn’t mean it has to continue to be that way.”

“What am I going to say to him? I mean seriously.” Lucie said, clearly exasperated. “Oh, and guess what? Almost five years ago you slept with me, and although I know you don’t remember, you have a daughter? Right. Like that’s going to happen.”

“He cares about you, Lucie.”

“That’s only because I work for him.” She argued.

Cole knew it was time for him to make his exit. He was only making the situation worse, and he couldn’t very well make Lucie’s decision for her. “Think about it, Lucie. That’s all I’m asking.” Standing from his seat, he noticed the relief on Lucie’s face. She didn’t want to continue this conversation, and he would grant her that reprieve.

When he reached the door, he turned back to her one more time, not knowing quite what he was going to say.

“You know him better than I do, Cole. What do you think he would say?”

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He wasn’t sure either, but at least she was starting to consider the implications. “I don’t know, honey. I really don’t, but I think you’ll be surprised. The three of you deserve to have a chance to figure it out together.”

Lucie looked at the floor for a moment before she nodded her head. “Thanks for coming by.”

“I’ll see you on Thursday. I meant it when I said I wanted to go to her doctor’s appointment.” Cole tilted her chin so she had to look up at him. “And I mean it, give it some thought. He might be angry at first because you kept this from him, but he’ll come around. And she deserves it, Lucie.”

With a look of clear defiance, Lucie straightened her spine, those chocolate brown eyes fixed on him. “I still don’t know how telling him he’s a father is going to make a damn bit of difference, but I’ll think about it, Cole. Goodnight.”

With that, Cole left. On his way to his truck, he thought about Lucie’s parting words, and he could only hope he was right.

Yes, Cole was sure Kane was going to be livid that Lucie had kept such a life changing secret from him, but in the end, it would work out. At least he prayed that it would.

Chapter Twenty One

“Feel like having dinner with me?” Luke asked Sierra when she answered the phone.

That was Luke, no other greetings, just right to the point.

“Tonight?”

“Can’t think of any better night.”

“Are you taking me somewhere? Or are you cooking for me?” Sierra asked, remembering vividly what happened two weeks before when Luke attempted to make dinner. If she thought about it too much, she might just break out in a sweat.

“Will your answer change depending on what I say?”

“Probably not.” She stated truthfully, infusing a smile into her voice.

“Then my place it is.” He told her, a wicked promise in his tone. “Be here at six.”

“Make it six thirty and you’ve got a deal.” She told him, remembering she had an errand to run that would likely make her late for a six o’clock dinner date, and despite the way her body hummed at the thought, she wasn’t used to making promises she couldn’t keep.

“See you at six thirty.” Luke said, and the phone clicked off.

Unfortunately Sierra wasn’t able to make it by six thirty, but she called Luke and told him she would be a few minutes late so he didn’t worry.

At fifteen minutes after seven, Sierra was pulling into Luke’s driveway only to see a familiar truck parked close to the house. Leary of what was going on, she took her time exiting her car, grabbing her purse and her cell phone. On her way to the door she listened closely to see if she could hear the sound of their voices. The silence that greeted her was either a blessing or an omen, and she wasn’t sure which it would be.




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