Consequence of Their Dubai Night by Nina Milne

Author:Nina Milne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-11-14T18:40:27+00:00

* * *

Stella glanced quickly across at Max, as they exited the market; rage still churned inside along with a healthy dollop of hurt and she wondered why she was even giving him three minutes when he didn’t even deserve three seconds. All that time, pretending to be kind, offering help, kissing her for Pete’s sake. And all that time he’d been having her investigated, checking if she would be a good mum.

She increased her stride as he checked his phone looking for a destination. ‘There’s a park about ten minutes away.’

‘Fine.’

Once they reached the wide-open green space, he led the way to a bench under the shade of a massive dark-leafed tree and she sank down with an inner sigh of relief, set a timer and placed her phone on the bench beside her.

Turned to face him, arms folded. But to give him his due, he met her gaze dead on. ‘I would never try to take the baby away from you.’

‘And why should I believe that?’

He opened his mouth, closed it again, looked down at her phone and then stared straight ahead. ‘I grew up without a mother—I’d never wish that on anyone.’ The words hit her as she realised she hadn’t even thought about his background. ‘You can choose to believe that or not. But it’s the truth.’

It was, and on a gut level she knew that, but she couldn’t leave it at that, not with so much at stake. ‘Then why did you do it? What were you scared of?’

‘Everything. But most of all I was scared you’d decide to keep the baby from me. That you wouldn’t put me on the birth certificate, that you’d move to the Outer Hebrides, that you’d decide I can only have visiting rights once a year.’

‘But I wouldn’t do that.’

‘I don’t know that you wouldn’t. We barely know each other and you were very clear that you could “do whatever you decide is best for the baby”. Finding out more about you seemed a good place to start. I wanted to make negotiations easier so I told myself the more I knew about you the better. In truth I felt helpless and I wanted to do something. Because I also grew up without a father and I don’t want my child to do the same.’

‘I...’ Stella opened and closed her mouth; had no idea what to say. She did believe the final call was hers to make but...from his viewpoint, the stance of an abandoned baby...even the smallest chance that his baby would suffer the same way he had must have been terrifying. ‘I should have been more sensitive. Because I do want to do what’s best for the baby, and I do want you to be part of the baby’s life. You are the father.’

‘Providing I measure up.’

‘Yes. But I should have considered how you were feeling, should have made it clearer that I was starting from the premise that I want you in the baby’s life. And of course I should have taken your background into account.

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