"And you think I sent that note?" she asked incredulously. "Well, I didn't."
"I'm beginning to realize that. Regardless of who sent the damned note, don't you think it might've been prudent to let me know I had fathered a child?"
"No." She lifted her chin. "I never had any intentions of you knowing."
"And why is that?"
"I'd rather not talk about this right now," she said, smoothing her daughter’s curls. "Please go. I'll call you later, I promise."
"I don't even know your name," he retorted with a shake of his head. "At the time, the mystery hadn't bothered me because it was a little exciting but now I realize that was pretty stupid."
"I didn't get pregnant on purpose," she nearly hissed, her eyes flashing with indignation. "But I'm not about to talk about this with you right now so get out. I promise I'll call you later. Leave me your number and we will set up a time to talk but I'm not going to have this conversation with you while I'm holding my daughter at my place of employment. Got it?"
"Is this guy bothering you, Shannon?" A deep gravelly voice asked from behind Nolan. Nolan turned and saw a mountain of a man giving him a hard look. "You were asked to leave. If you don't want your pretty teeth rattling down the back of your throat, I'd suggest you do as she asked."
Shannon graced the big man with an appreciative smile but said, "it's okay, Rocky. He was just leaving." Rocky stared Nolan down before walking away slowly, clenching a fist and purposefully crushing it against his palm with clear intent. Nolan didn’t want to leave but he had no doubt that Rocky’s threat wasn’t idle. And since Nolan had no wish to swallow his front teeth at the moment, he plucked a business card from his wallet and tossed it to her desk.
"I expect a call. Shannon." His gaze strayed to the toddler one last time and his knees wobbled. Eyes identical to his own stared back at him. Nolan stepped away, his heart hammering. "This isn’t over. Not by a long shot."
He left her with that promise and walked away, his brain frozen in place.
He had a kid. Holy fuck. He had a kid.
Shannon's hands fluttered as she handed Aubrey off to CeCe, her nerves completely shot. How did he find them? Who would have known that Aubrey was Nolan Buchanan's child? Precious few knew Aubrey's paternity and the ones who knew, would never betray her. When she’d found out she was pregnant, Shannon had been stunned. They'd use protection — she was sure of it. But there was no mistaking that eight weeks after that one night with Nolan Buchanan she was most definitely pregnant. And since there’d been no one after Nolan, and in spite of all attempts to be responsible, Shannon had found herself pregnant from a one-night stand. A little digging into Nolan Buchanan's reputation, had uncovered plenty of evidence proving that he would make a terrible father. She wasn't about to subject her child to a spoiled rich boy who treated people as disposable. Her one saving grace had been she’d never given Nolan her name.
But he knew now. One look at Aubrey and he'd known. Just as she had. Of all the dumb luck, Aubrey had been born sharing her father's genetics. And she was such a beautiful baby. Everywhere they went Aubrey elicited “oohs” and “aahhs” over her precious strawberry blonde curls and her aristocratic, China doll features. What was she going to do? Crossing a Buchanan was tantamount to tangling with a lion. But she wasn't about to hand over her child to a man who was a stranger.
"Are you okay?" CeCe asked. "You look like you're about to be sick."
Shannon cast CeCe a wan look. "Probably because I feel like I’m going to barf. Did you know that man who just left?" she asked. At CeCe’s shake of her head, Shannon muttered, "I'm pretty sure he's the devil. And I think that devil wants my child."
"Why would he want Aubrey?" CeCe asked, frowning.
"Unfortunately because he's her father."
CeCe's mouth formed a silent ‘oh’ and Shannon dropped into her chair. Who hated her so much that they would reveal Aubrey secret paternity? “I should’ve known this day would come. From what I know about the Buchanans…they don’t give up anything that belongs to them without a fight.”
“He doesn’t seem that bad,” CeCe ventured cautiously, earning a black look from Shannon. “I’m just saying, he seems clean-cut and he’s really good-looking. How bad could he be? Maybe give him a chance.”
“Absolutely not. The devil was the prettiest angel in heaven, remember?”
CeCe sighed and shook her head as if Shannon were being dramatic and maybe she was but Shannon wasn’t about to latch loose of her child without drawing blood first. “Well, if you can’t work it out amicably, I guess you’re going to need an attorney. If you want I can do the team assessments while you find a good one.”
God, CeCe was right. She needed a damn good attorney if she was going to stand a chance against Nolan. She looked to CeCe. “Do you think you can handle the assessments on your own?” she asked, taking Aubrey back.
“Of course. I did get a degree in this stuff,” her intern reminded her with a smile and Shannon nodded with relief.
“You’re right. Thank you, CeCe! Just leave your notes and I’ll go over them tonight.”
And with that, Shannon hurried from the office, intent on finding the best attorney her money could buy.
“How can you tell?” Vince asked over the phone, confused. “Don’t all babies, sort of, look alike?”
“She looks like me with strawberry blond curls,” Nolan said, wiping away the sweat that kept beading his brow. Perhaps he was having a heart attack. “What does it feel like when you’re about to have a coronary? Or a stroke? I might be having both.”
“Calm down. First things first: get a paternity test. Your mind could be playing tricks on you. Chances are this kid isn’t even yours.”
“No. I know she is. I can feel it in my bones.” Nolan cradled his head in his free hand. “I don’t know the first thing about being a father. What if I suck at it? Our own father was a dick. Maybe it’s genetic and I don’t have a chance.”
“Stop. Don’t compare that man with yourself,” Vince said, surprising Nolan with his stern tone. “Our father was a dick. End of story. His actions don’t have to have anything to do with you. But you know, it doesn’t sound as if she’s eager to have you be in the kid’s life. Maybe you ought to just walk away.”