Inheriting Miss Fortune by Lucy Lennox

Author:Lucy Lennox [Lennox, Lucy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-10-08T00:00:00+00:00

SEVENTEEN

TULLY

Telling Dev about the subpoena and the requirement to go to Texas for the paternity test was a shitty way to end our night together.

But it was also necessary.

Dev’s expression shut down just like I knew it would.

I sat up and wrapped my arms around my knees so I wouldn’t have to look at him. “Don’t shoot the messenger,” I said under my breath as he cursed and reached for his phone, flicking on the bedside lamp and throwing the covers back.

As soon as my words were out, he stopped blustering. There was a beat of silence before he let out a breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He leaned over and cupped the back of my head before gently turning me around to face him. “I’m not upset at you. I’m just… upset.”

“I am, too.” I hadn’t meant to say that, exactly. I’d intended to say, “I understand.” But when my words came out, I realized they were true.

Dev looked surprised. “Why are you upset?”

“Because I don’t like to see you so worried, and hurt, and frustrated. And because I don’t want Lellie to have to go through this. It’s also unnecessary since anyone with functioning eyeballs can see she’s your daughter.”

He sat down on the edge of the bed and turned toward me, reaching for my face. Before he could say anything, I added, “And because I know you don’t want to go back to Texas.”

Dev’s large hand on my face was warm and gentle. I closed my eyes and leaned into it, wishing I could turn back the clock half an hour and put us back in our intimate little bubble.

“You’ll come with us, though,” he said, sounding calmer than he had in a while. “And while we’re there, we’ll go to Katie’s and see what needs doing.”

“What about Lellie?” I could tell he knew what I meant. Would he keep her?

His jaw firmed, and his eyes hardened. “I’m sure as hell not letting the Scotts raise her. I care about her too much to allow them to shape her beliefs into the hate they preach. As for whether I’m going to keep her… the answer is yes. I told you I’d been thinking about it, and it really hit me today that I… I can’t stand to give her up. Maybe that’s selfish of me⁠—”

“It’s not.”

“Yeah?” Dev’s eyes met mine, their hazel depths pleading for reassurance. “There might be people out there who know more about parenting than I do and are maybe even better suited to it than I am, but… there is no one in the whole world who loves her as much as I do.”

“I know.” I said the words with my whole chest, believed them to the core of my being. “I’m so happy for you. Both of you.”

“I’m scared shitless,” he admitted. “I have a lot of things to think through. Hell, I don’t even know what the schools are like here. And I’m going to have to hire an amazing nanny who loves her as much as I do.

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