“Let me talk to her,” Sabrina said. “I haven’t known her long, but she needs a friend right now.”
“I …” He supposed he could let Sabrina try. “Okay.”
“I’ll let you know if she’s ready to talk,” she said. “But, do you promise you’ll respect her decision, whatever it is?”
There was no way in hell he was going to let her and Evan go. They were his. But, at the same time, the guilt was starting to eat him up inside. He’d left her alone, all this time, to have his pup. She did it all by herself, and here she was, stronger than ever.
“All right.” What choice did he have? He knew what it was like to have grown up without his biological father. All his life, he’d cursed the man for not being there for him, for what he and his mother had endured … he would have let Evan go through the same thing.
He didn’t deserve him, or Isabelle. But he had to at least earn her forgiveness.
Chapter Eleven
By the time Isabelle got into her apartment, the pain in her chest had become so intense she couldn’t breathe. Having the truth laid out after all this time should have brought her some relief, but in reality, it made the dread she’d been carrying around grow heavier.
Evan fussed in her arms and grabbed a fistful of her shirt, jolting her out of her thoughts. “It’s all right, baby,” she soothed as she sat down on the couch. She was just glad he was too young to understand what was going on. If only she could shield him forever.
The look on Ransom’s face when he realized that he had a son—it was unexpected. Of course, in the past year and a half, she’d wondered what his reaction would be if he ever found out. With the way he’d walked out on her so casually that night, she expected shock, maybe even denial. Or cool indifference. She imagined telling him that he didn’t have to take any responsibility, and he’d just shrug and be fine with it.
But she never imagined the fierce anger. Or the complete acceptance that Evan was his, not even questioning if there was another man who could have fathered him.
Her wolf whined sadly.
Stop it. Ransom was in shock, that was all. Maybe he would still walk away from them, just like he did that night.
The knock on the door made her start. Evan still in her arms, she stood up and padded to the door, sighing in relief when she saw Sabrina’s face through the peephole. For a second, she thought Ransom had come after her. But then again, who knew what he was doing right now? Telling Lucas—or her father, that he was Evan’s dad? Of course, if that was the case, then it would be her entire family banging on her door right now.
The sympathetic look on Sabrina’s face when she opened the door told her everything she needed to know. “How did you figure it out?”
Sabrina smiled weakly. “Before I met you and Evan, I’d spent a few days in Kentucky, hiding out at Ransom’s sister’s place,” she explained. “Then I saw Evan. The resemblance … it’s startling.” She chuckled. “I’m an artist, it’s a hazard of the job. May I come in?”
“Did he ask you to come here to talk to me?” she asked defensively.
“I volunteered,” Sabrina said. “But only because I wanted to see how you were doing. And to see if there was anything I can do for you. We don’t have to talk about Ransom if you don’t want to.”
Though she wanted to tell Sabrina to leave, Isabelle didn’t have the heart, not when Sabrina had been through a lot herself and had been nothing but nice to her. When she heard about the pups being kidnapped, she came right away to The Enclave to offer her support.
“All right.” She stepped aside to let her in. “I need to get Evan ready for bed.”
“I don’t mind,” Sabrina said. “I’ll help.”
“Thanks.”
Sabrina took Evan as Isabelle went to the bath to get it ready. She called out to Sabrina once she was satisfied with the water temperature and level in the tub. After taking off his dirty clothes, she bathed him, then left him in Sabrina’s care as she went to prepare his bottle before heading back to the nursery. Evan was sitting on the changing table, laughing as Sabrina played peekaboo with him, seemingly having no idea of the danger he had been in earlier or the current upheaval happening now.
“He’s such a happy baby,” Sabrina commented. “Did you have trouble with him at all?”
“I think all newborns are difficult, and I had trouble adjusting.” Sabrina had already dried Evan and wrapped him up in a towel, so she put on his diaper and PJs then sat on the rocker. She cradled him in one arm and fed him the bottle, rocking back and forth gently. “Before Evan came along, I was a party girl. I never thought I’d enjoy spending quiet nights alone at home.”
“You do it so well, though,” Sabrina remarked. “The mom thing.” Her hand went to her own stomach. “I just hope I do half as good as you.”
“Oh.” She glanced down at Sabrina’s hand. “So it’s for sure now? You and Cross …?”
“Yes,” Sabrina confirmed. “He told me about True Mates and … and I thought I didn’t want to wait. But now …” A look of uncertainty passed across her pretty face. “My mother died right after I was born, so I don’t really know what it’s like to have a mom. I was raised mostly by nannies, though my dad was there as much as he could be.”
“You’ll do great,” Isabelle said. “I was a disaster at first. I didn’t know how to do anything. I had help from Julianna and Mama, but other than
