I nodded. “I’m never doing any of it without you again.”
“I like how that sounds. I don’t know that I totally believe it. Yet,” she added.
“We have a lot to put back together, don’t we?”
She nodded. “Starting with figuring out how to merge your busy billionaire life with mine?”
“Actually.” I cringed. There was never going to be a good way to tell her about Avajean, but I knew it was time. I couldn’t let the days go by without explaining the truth.
“Actually what?” I heard the alarm in her question.
“There’s something I want to talk to you about. It’s why I walked out.”
Her eyes misted over. “Ashe, I don’t know if I can… We’re happy right now. We can go over it later. Maybe get a couples’ therapist or something.” She let out a nervous laugh.
“It’s not something I can put off. I promised you the truth. I promised you I was a changed man and I think you need to know why.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“I know. It’s scary as hell, but there’s no other way to say this, J. I’m a dad. I have a daughter. Avajean and she’s four-years old.”
“Holy shit,” she whispered. “You can’t be serious. Really?”
“I’m serious. I found out the paternity results the day I left. I didn’t want to bring that kind of scandal to your name.?
?
She blinked. “She’s the reason you walked out?”
I threaded my fingers through hers, relieved she hadn’t withdrawn. “You had just landed that first big movie. I didn’t know if your career could take it. I didn’t want to involve Dante. It wasn’t a pretty story, or a happy story.”
“But her mother? Are you two…” She looked away.
I tipped her chin toward me. “No. God, no. I haven’t even seen her. Or talked to her since I picked up Avajean. Her parents are the ones who reached out to me. I didn’t believe them at first. So I had paternity tests performed at more than one lab—just to make sure. I didn’t know how to tell you what I’d done. I didn’t know how to be a dad. I didn’t want to drag a kid, practically baby through the Hollywood paparazzi. There was no happy ending at that time. The only thing I could do was take Avajean and start over.”
“And start Westbrook Securities?”
My jaw flinched. “Yeah. I kind of threw all my energy into it. I wanted to give her a legacy. Make sure no matter what happened to me my daughter had something. Her grandparents are too damn old, and her mom has never come back. She depends on me for a future. For everything.”
“Oh my God, Ashe. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe any of it.” Her palm reached for my cheek. “You’ve been a single parent? Doing all this on your own?”
“It doesn’t mean I’ve done it well. I hired a nanny. She spends the most time with Avajean.”
“Where are they now?” she asked. “Does she know you’re in Big Bear?”
I nodded. “They’re in Valencia, visiting her grandparents. With everything going on with your recovery I didn’t want to make things worse.”
“You think meeting your daughter would make it worse?”
I hung my head. “No. I’m not sure. Until last night, I thought I had lost you forever, babe. I couldn’t put Avajean in that situation either.”
She exhaled. “I see. You were protecting both of us.”
“In my own way. Yes.”
“I want to meet her.” She smiled. “Is that something you want?”
“More than you could imagine. My two girls?” I laughed loudly. “Shit. It would be incredible.”