Fortune's Baby Claim (The Fortunes of Texas: Digging for Secrets) by Michelle Major

Author:Michelle Major [Major, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2024-01-22T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

He was going to murder his brother. Brandon had insisted that after the dinner, the group head over to The Corral, a local bar known for its wings and being the best place in Chatelaine for a game of pool.

It was nearly midnight before Ryder, the evening’s designated driver, dropped off the last group of out-of-town Hayes Enterprises’ employees at the LC Club, where they were staying. As far as he knew, Brandon was closing down the bar with a couple of cowgirls he’d been flirting with most of the night.

He had finally given up on getting home at a reasonable hour and had texted Esme not to wait for him and that he’d see her in the morning.

A part of him had hoped she’d still be awake, although he knew that wasn’t fair.

Taking care of two babies would exhaust even the most devoted parent, and he had no idea how she managed it each day with a smile on her face. If anyone deserved a few hours of peaceful sleep, it was Esme.

Walking through the dark, quiet house, he reminded himself there was no rush in taking their relationship to the next level. The fact that she wanted to had been a surprise, albeit a pleasant one. He suspected she was still worried about his intentions and whether he was the type of guy to hurt her as her late husband had.

Ryder would never disrespect Esme that way, but he wasn’t ready to share how much he cared about her. It made him feel vulnerable, and he hadn’t let himself open up like that other than with Steph, which had turned out horribly.

There was too much at risk with Esme. He couldn’t imagine his life without her, and not only because she was a better parent than he could ever dream of being. She made him want to be better but seemed happy with him just as he was.

With Esme, he didn’t have to worry about needless complications or striving to hit some arbitrary expectation. He could completely relax, maybe for the first time in his life. Whether he was happy, sad or in between, she accepted his emotions with the gentle patience she showed their babies. As far as he could tell, nothing rattled Esme Fortune.

She was a gift, a true treasure, which made him wonder at the wisdom of giving in to his desire for her. What if he ended up wanting more than she was willing to give or vice versa? Ryder didn’t think he could handle being a parent alone now that he knew how good it felt to share the responsibility with her.

He paused in the upstairs hall and thought about knocking on the closed door to her bedroom. The worry that connecting with her on a deeper, intimate level would come with strings attached, no matter what either of them claimed, might plague him, but deep down he knew that continuing to resist would be a losing battle. He wanted Esme, and when Ryder’s mind became set on something, there was no stopping it.

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