His Best Mistake

“Not always, Kevin. Remember that wild time we had on our trip to Cabo last summer?” The trip where Kevin hadn’t been himself. She’d learned the reason for his attitude a week later when he’d dumped her. “I had one too many margaritas the last night we were there. You had too much testosterone.”

“But I—”

“Not quickly enough. Besides, we both know that coitus interruptus is not a fail-proof form of birth control.” Yet that night she hadn’t been thinking clearly, and it had had little to do with alcohol because she hadn’t been intoxicated. The overriding passion between them had been the only thing that mattered. A passion that had often clouded her common sense.

When he still seemed doubtful, Leah added, “All you have to do is look at her, Kevin. She’s the mirror image of you.” So much so, she ached every time she looked at her baby girl. Their baby girl.

“Where is she now?” he asked as he continued to focus on the photo.

“With my roommate, Macy.” All the more reason why Leah needed to leave as soon as possible, before the baby woke from her nap and Macy—a confirmed kid phobic—had to deal with Carly.

Kevin stared at the picture a few more moments, and when Leah couldn’t stand the silence any longer, she said, “Say something.”

He leveled his gaze on hers. “I don’t know what to say, Leah. This is one helluva shock.”

She understood that all too well. She also acknowledged that he might have a difficult time coping with the news. He might decide not to cope with it. For that reason, she retrieved an envelope from the bag and offered it to him. “Here.”

After a brief hesitation, he took it from her. “What is this?”

“It’s a document that will terminate your parental rights if you sign it. You’re under no obligation to be involved in her life, emotionally or financially.”

A flash of dismay crossed his expression. “After everything you’ve told me about the abandoned kids your parents fostered, you’re willing to raise her by yourself?”

If she had a choice, Leah would prefer raising her child in a two-parent home. But that wasn’t an option, at least not with Kevin. “We’re doing fine.” For the most part. “I also have a good support system at home.”

“You mean your new boyfriend.”

Leah opted not to comment on that supposition. “My parents insist I move back in with them when I return to Mississippi. You don’t need to worry about whether or not Carly’s going to be cared for if you decide to sign the papers.”

Without offering any response, Kevin lowered his head, the envelope and photo still in his grasp. He appeared so visibly shaken, Leah fought the urge to hold him.

Instead, she gathered her things and stood. “I realize this is a lot for you to think about, so I’m going to give you that time to think. If you’d prefer to walk away from this situation, I’ll understand. All you have to do is sign the documents, have them notarized and mail them back to me in the envelope I’ve provided. I’ve already addressed it. In the meantime, I have the same cell number if you need to reach me.”

It took all of Leah’s strength to leave without any answers from Kevin. She wasn’t certain what to hope for—that he sign the papers to sever his parental rights, ending their relationship, once and for all, or that he decide to be a father to Carly, gaining a permanent place in his child’s life—her life—for years to come. Either way, she would have to deal with the consequences of her actions. Her mistakes.

But Leah didn’t view her baby as a mistake. Falling in love with Carly’s father had been a grave mistake. Thing was, a part of her still loved him, and probably always would.

SHORTLY AFTER DAWN the following morning, Kevin traveled to Bodies by O’Brien, the health club owned by his twin brother, Kieran. His reasons behind the visit were twofold—a workout to clear his mind and counsel from someone he could trust.

Even though he’d barely slept the night before, adrenaline sent Kevin through the double doors at a quick clip and straight to Kieran’s office where he found his brother seated behind his desk.

“Do you have a few minutes?” Kevin asked as he stood in the open doorway, clutching his gym bag in a death grip.

Kieran looked up from a stack of papers and tossed the pen aside. “Come in. You’re saving me from approving invoices, and you know how much I hate the business end of the business.”

Spoken like a die-hard personal trainer, Kevin decided. But saving Kieran from accounting was a far cry from what Kieran had saved Kevin from—certain death—by providing his bone marrow. The ultimate gift, as far as Kevin was concerned. Since that time, they’d put aside their differences and had become as close as they’d been when they were kids, one of the few positives resulting from his illness.

Kevin crossed the room and dropped down in the chair in front of the desk. He decided to ease into the conversation while preparing to get into the crux of the matter at hand. “How’s it going with the wedding plans?”

Kieran smiled. “At least we finally have a place to have it, which is good considering the ceremony’s in less than a month.”

“Where did you decide to do it?” Kevin asked.

“Logan’s father-in-law offered his garden. It’s going to be damn hot, but Erica wants an outdoor wedding. And it shouldn’t be too bad at sunset. Are you still willing to stand up for me under those conditions?”

“You bet.” Kevin would gladly brave the elements to fulfill his duty as Kieran’s best man, although he’d never really been “the best man.” Not even close.

Kieran inclined his head and sized him up. “If you don’t get a haircut before the wedding, people won’t be able to tell us apart. I don’t want my bride kissing the wrong man.”

Kevin ran a hand through his hair and laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. In the meantime, I’m going to let it grow out. I kind of want to hang on to it a little longer since I lost so much during the chemo.” The same chemo that could have altered his chances of having a child, which reminded him of why he’d come to see his brother.

In preparation for the boom-lowering, Kevin drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Leah came by the house yesterday.”

Kieran leaned back and rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I’ll be damned. What did she want?”

Kevin reached into his gym bag, pulled out the items Leah had given him yesterday and offered the photo to Kieran. “She brought me this.”

Kieran took the picture and stared at it for a long moment before he turned his attention back to Kevin. “Is this what I think it is?”

“If you’re thinking that’s my daughter, you’d be right.” My daughter. Never in a thousand years would he have believed he’d be saying that. Nor did he expect to feel what he’d felt after learning the news.

“She looks exactly like our baby pictures.” Kieran shook his head. “Man, this is a shock.”

“Yeah. What a way to start a week.” What a way to change your life in a matter of minutes.

Kieran laid the photo on the desk and slid it toward Kevin. “I can’t believe Leah waited this long to tell you.”

“Considering what I did to her, I can’t really blame her. And as it turns out, she did try to tell me. She hung up when some woman answered, and I’m fairly sure that woman was a home health-care nurse who was giving me transfusions at the time. But I understand why she would assume otherwise.”

“She assumed she’d been replaced,” Kieran said.

Kevin couldn’t fault Leah for that, either. “She was going to try to tell me again right before the baby was born, but she went into premature labor.”

Kieran frowned. “The baby’s okay?”

Exactly the same thing Kevin had asked the baby’s mother. “She’s healthy, according to Leah. And since Leah’s a pediatrician, she should know.”

Kieran grinned. “As far as I’m concerned, Kev, this is damn good news. I say tell Leah the whole story, and maybe you’ll get another chance with her.”

If only that was a possibility. If only he’d done things differently, told her about his illness instead of using his pat confirmed-bachelor excuse. If only he hadn’t done irreparable damage to their relationship by trying to protect her, maybe he wouldn’t be in this predicament now. Then again, he wasn’t certain he would do anything differently, even knowing what he knew now. The last thing she’d needed during a pregnancy was dealing with his problems. “I don’t see any reason to tell her the whole story.”

“You can dole out the advice, Kevin, but you can’t follow it.”

Kevin couldn’t remember giving his brother any advice worthy of notice. “What are you talking about?”

“When you were in the hospital, you told me I needed to drop my guard and confide in Erica or risk losing her. I did that, and look how well it turned out. Now you have a chance to do the same thing, and you’re not even going to try.”

“There’s no point in trying. It wouldn’t change anything.”