Billionaire's Island Bride(50)

“Ahh, no,” she said, which was the truth. But it wasn’t the whole truth. The fact was, she’d turned off her cell phone the day Soleil was born and had refused to turn it back on since then. She’d been living in a bubble of her own making. She’d done everything she could to insulate herself from the poison darts that Robyn could throw. But now she could see that her efforts had all been in vain. Robyn was determined to burst her bubble and send her reeling back to reality.

“Did she say what she was calling about?” Erin asked. It took all her effort to keep her face calm and her voice steady.

Dare shook his head. “No, but she left a number where you can reach her.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. He rested it on the table nearby and shifted the vase onto the edge of it to keep it from blowing away. “Give her a call as soon as you can,” he said. “It sounds as if it’s pretty important.”

Erin pursed her lips. She knew exactly what was so important for Robyn. She was intent on ruining her life. But she would not give her the satisfaction of being the one to reveal her secret. She’d run away from her truth long enough and now she was tired of running.

“Dare,” she said as she put the baby on her shoulder and gently rubbed her back, “we need to talk.”





Chapter 12





Dare looked at her, curious. “About what?” he asked. “Something to do with Soleil?” Then he grinned. “Has she been a naughty princess? I know she loves to boss her mommy around.”

“No,” Erin said, her voice solemn. “It’s about me.”

Dare frowned. “About you? Is everything alright?”

She shook her head. “No, but let me set the baby down for her nap and then we’ll talk.” Still rubbing Soleil’s back she got up and headed for the nursery.

Dare stood there in the sitting room, confused. Erin had seemed so peaceful when he’d come in but now he could sense her agitation and it bothered him. It had something to do with this Robyn woman, he was sure. Her whole demeanor had changed at the mention of Robyn’s name.

He threw off his jacket and dropped on to the sofa to await her return. He didn’t have to wait long. Erin approached and her face was serious. Whatever she wanted to talk about was not going to be fun.

She sat in the chair across from him and folded her hands in her lap. She was so beautiful, with her dark hair curling around her face and onto her shoulders, and those hazel eyes that were so expressive. Now, though, they were clouded over with what looked like heartfelt pain. He sat up and reached for her hand but she pulled it back.

“What’s going on, Erin? Is something wrong with you?” At her nod his heart jerked inside his chest. “Are you sick?”

She shook her head.

“Then what is it?” he demanded, beginning to lose patience. She had him on pins and needles and was taking her own sweet time in clearing up the mystery. “Just spill it.”

She sighed. “All right, I will.” She plucked at the fabric of her yellow sundress and then began to twist it with her fingers. Clearly, what she had to say was not easy for her. “I’ve not been honest with you, Dare. I’m not who you think I am.”

His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She sucked in a deep breath then let it out slowly. “It means, when I tell you who I really am you’ll probably want me out of your life. For good.”

That gave him pause. What in the world could Erin have done to let her say something like that? He loved her. Couldn’t she see that? There was nothing that could make him want her out of his life.

“Tell me,” he said. “Let me be the judge.”

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and for several seconds she worried the lip until finally she opened her mouth to speak. And when she did, her voice was a hoarse whisper. “I know how important honesty is to you,” she said. “You said it yourself. You said it was the most important thing to you in a friendship. And that’s why I know you’ll hate me for this.”

“What are you talking about, Erin?”

“My parents died when I was twelve and I grew up in foster care.” She’d begun wringing her sundress again. “I was moved from home to home and some of them were…awful.” She gave a hiccup up at the last word. She seemed on the verge of tears. “At one of the homes, I had to struggle to survive. I often went without meals. Once, at school, I was so hungry I passed out.”

Dare held his breath. He could already guess what she was about to say.