Rake had taken it in stride. “I guess you have two choices then. Go back and face Ethan or stay here and marry me. I’ll look after you, Mari. I promise we can have a good life together.” He’d reached for her hand. “We get on well, balance each other out. I’m cool with what we have.”
She’d been almost six months along before she’d made the decision to marry him. Ethan had made his position clear in their last heated argument. One day out of the blue, he’d informed her he didn’t want to get married to her nor did he plan on having children any time soon, if ever and the hopes and dreams they’d shared were no longer important to him. Those had been his words and they’d been the deciding factor in her decision. It didn’t seem right to go back and announce she was having his child, giving him no choice but to take her and the baby on. That wasn’t the kind of life she wanted for either of them. Standing in front of the judge taking her vows with Rake, she was convinced she was doing the right thing.
Now she wasn’t so sure. Noah listened without a word until she’d finished.
“So Dad wasn’t really my dad?” Tears filled his eyes.
“Honey, Dad was your dad in every sense of the word. He raised you and loved you from the minute you were born. Nobody can take that away from you. But Ethan is your biological father. You both have the right to know that.”
He hung his head down and fiddled with the edge of the tablecloth. “Does this mean I have to go and live with him? What if I don’t like him or he doesn’t like me?”
“That’s something we’ll have to deal with when it happens. I’m pretty sure we can work something out, Noah. Your father and his family are good people.”
He raised his eyes to hers. “How come you didn’t marry him then?”
“It wasn’t our time, honey.”
Chapter Three
Mari was waiting downstairs when Ethan arrived early the next morning. Her palms were sweating and she had a tension headache that threatened to split her skull in two. After she’d settled a confused child to bed last night, she’d lain awake knowing she had no choice but to put all her cards on the table. Ethan had to know and the sooner the better. She’d already left it far too long.
She’d dropped Noah off to her sister Bella’s early so she could get him to school, giving Ethan and Mari some uninterrupted time to discuss everything. When he drove into the back parking lot, her heart pounded. You’ve got this, stay calm. Easier said than done. If she’d ever felt like passing out from stress, this would be it.
“Mari.” Ethan climbed out of his truck just as a larger vehicle pulled in behind him. His team had arrived as well. She hadn’t even thought of them being here while she told him about Noah. Foolish. Guilt made her sloppy. “Everything okay to start work? You look a little troubled.”
“Yes, yes, that’s fine. Sorry to pounce on you before you start but could we talk?”
He glanced at his team. “Can you guys go ahead and unload and I’ll be with you shortly. Ben, this is Mari, the hotel owner. Mari, meet Ben, my foreman. You two will be seeing a fair bit of each other.”
She smiled, held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.” His big hand engulfed hers and gave it a shake.
“Likewise.” He turned to the back of the truck and started unloading gear as Ethan followed her inside.
She led him upstairs and inside the apartment. “Please, have a seat.” Mari stood with her back to the kitchen counter, closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing.
“Are you okay? If this is about the job, maybe we should call in Christian. He deals with the financial side of things and…”
“Ethan, I have a child. A little boy. His name is Noah.” She stared at him to gauge his reaction.
He stared at her with his mouth open. “I have a nephew and you never bothered to tell us?” He stood up, pushed away from the table, and turned away from her. “What did we do to you that makes us deserve this, Mari? Mom should have been told she had a grandchild, don’t you think? I can understand you being bitter with me and Dad, but Mom? That’s just, just unbelievable.”
“Yes, and that’s why I’m telling you now.”
He threw his hands up in the air and scoffed. His mood had changed as soon as she mentioned the word child.
“Oh, please. You only told me because you knew I’d find out.” Ethan glared at her. “I guess I was right back then. I made the right decision dumping you, didn’t I? We never would have been good together if this is what you’re capable of.”
The pain of his words whipped up and lashed at her heart but she swallowed them down regardless of how much they hurt. “I employed you so you would find out. I wanted you to know, Ethan, and having you do the work on the hotel made it so I couldn’t not tell you. It was my failsafe method in case I panicked.” She swallowed again and forced the words out before her throat closed over. “He’s your son.”
*
He slumped against the chair, all the air sucked from his body. His son? What on earth did she mean?
“I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you sooner but it didn’t work out when I tried.” Tears ran freely down her cheeks.
“My son?” He couldn’t fathom what she was saying.
“When I left I didn’t know I was pregnant.”
“But…”
“After the way you broke up with me and the things you said…”
“But my son?”
“The thought of coming back and
