Devour Me, Baby(37)

“I don’t know what to do,” I cried. “What to think. Who to believe.”

“Me,” he rasped. “Believe me when I tell you I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy. Come to Texas with me. Be mine, like you already are.”

“It’s not that simple.” It couldn’t be, could it?

“When it comes to you and me, it’s exactly that simple, Lilah. We’re a team, you and I. Maybe even a team of three if you’re already carrying my baby.”

“You really expect me to follow you to Texas? To live with you. To meet the man who knocked my mom up and scared her off… while I may very well be pregnant with your child? With his best friend’s child? Sure. Why not? I’m sure nothing can go wrong with that plan.” Sarcasm was thick in my tone, but Ethan didn’t seem to care. He rushed towards me and wrapped me up in his arms.

“Samuel’s not like that. Once he gets used to the idea of the two of us being together, he’ll be happy for us.” He paused to kiss my forehead and drop a hand to my belly. “After he tries to kick my ass, of course.”

“Oh, no,” I gasped. “No way. You want me to meet my father? The only way that’s going to happen is if we keep our relationship a secret for a while. I’m not ready to face two battles at once. Not yet.”

“Fuck no,” he growled. “I refuse to hide what you are to me. Mine.”

“Well, then. I guess you should have told me all of this sooner. Maybe I would have had time to come to terms with it. But you didn’t, so you’re going to have to suck it up and do this my way, ‘cause it’s the only way it’ll happen at all.”





Chapter 7





Ethan



I glanced over at Lilah as we waited for a car to pick us up at the Dallas airport. She’d been quiet since our talk the other night. Too quiet. I missed her chatter and the cute way she blurted out all of her thoughts.

I was grateful that she hadn’t pulled away from me, but I wanted her smile back, the spark of life inside that I fell for the first time I met her. There was a lot to process and she was nervous. I’d called Samuel the day before we left and finally given him the news that Bonnie had passed away and I was returning with the daughter he’d always wanted but never had the chance to know.

It took great restraint on my part not to let any of my feelings for Lilah bleed through my words. Keeping our relationship from him was not going to be easy, especially when I wanted to let the whole world know she was mine. I would have fought Lilah harder about it, but ultimately decided to go along for a little while. Samuel deserved some time with her, and I wasn’t anxious to test our friendship.

I was fucking his little girl, doing my best to put my baby in her, and would be taking her away from him when I put my ring on her finger. It was not a conversation I was looking forward to.

A black Escalade pulled up to the curb in front of us and parked. The driver alighted from the car and came around to greet us. He started loading our bags as I opened the door and helped Lilah climb into the back seat before following behind her. She scooted to the far side and stared out the window, her fingers twisting together in her lap.

The driver returned to his seat and pulled out onto the road. I slipped an arm around her waist and hauled her over to my side. Lifting her chin, I stared down at her intensely. “Do you trust me, baby girl?” I asked quietly.

Her quick nod of agreement filled me with satisfaction, and I rewarded her with a swift but hard kiss. “I would never put you in a harmful situation. I protect what’s mine, and you”—I placed my hand over her flat stomach—“and the little one I’m doing my damndest to put in here, are mine.” Lilah blushed prettily and laid her head on my shoulder.

I had wanted to take Lilah home first, but she’d insisted that she wouldn’t be able to relax until after the initial meeting with her father was done. I almost put my foot down but I was worried about her stress level, especially if she was already pregnant. She’d already been more tired than usual from all the worry and anxiousness. So, we were going straight to Samuel’s house. I was immensely relieved when she quickly fell asleep on the drive. She needed to rest.

A little over an hour later, we pulled into the driveway of a large, brick house with white pillars and shutters. Samuel had built the house for Bonnie after he’d proposed, but she’d never had the chance to see it. When he got serious with Lola, he considered selling it, not wanting to make his new fiancée live in the house he’d built for another woman.

Except, Lola was everything Samuel needed and she knew that it wasn’t actually Bonnie tying him to the house. The truth was, he was afraid to move just in case his daughter ever tried to find him.