“You and me. How do I even know the baby is mine?”
“I’d like to think that no one would lie about such an important thing. But you obviously don’t trust me. So after the baby is born, a test can be done. But there’s no way I’m having one of those great big foot-long needles stabbed into my stomach.” She visibly flinched at the memory of what she’d seen on the internet. She didn’t like needles. They all looked huge to her.
“I want to trust you, but I’ve had people lie to me in the past about much smaller matters.” Pain reflected in his eyes.
“It’s understandable that you would want confirmation. It isn’t like we’ve been in a loving, committed relationship.”
His eyes widened. “Is that what you want? For us to marry for the sake of the child?”
“No.” It was a short, straight-to-the-point answer.
His gaze narrowed. “Are you sure?”
Why was he pushing this so much? Surely he didn’t think marriage was a good idea, did he? It was not even like they were in love. They were, well, they were friends at best. And not very good friends at that.
“I’m sure.” Her tone was firm. “Besides, you don’t have time for a family. You’re always working.”
“I can make time for everything—” Just then his phone buzzed and he retrieved it from his pocket.
“Point proven.”
After nothing more than a glance, he returned the phone to his pocket. “So you’re planning to do this all on your own?”
“If you mean raising the baby, then yes, I plan to be a single parent. It’s not like there are a lot of single guys on the island. Most are bridegrooms or a guest of a wedding party. They generally bring a date and don’t flirt with the island staff.”
“You’re going to stay here on the island and raise the baby?”
“This is where my ancestors were born and raised. It’s where my mother grew up. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me and the baby.”
“And what about what happened today with the honeymoon bungalow?” he asked.
“What about it? Things break.” She tried to brush off the incident as nothing out of the ordinary, but she knew it was a very big deal indeed.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Don’t act so blasé. I saw you earlier. You were practically in a panic. This island needs a lot of work—work that you don’t have the money to do.”
Her mouth gaped. How dare he? “Since when do you know about my finances?”
“Since I did some digging when I wanted to buy the island. I needed to know just what I was getting myself into.”
She wanted to ask what he’d learned, but she didn’t. Nothing good would come of it. Where finances were concerned Infinity Island was in disastrous straits.
Xander gazed into her eyes, making her heart race. “You need to rethink this—”
“Rethink what? Giving up my home? My past? My future?” She shook her head. “If you think you’re going to talk me into selling you the island, it isn’t going to happen. Remember? We already had this conversation.”
“You don’t have to stay here. I can set you up in Athens. Anywhere in the city. You name it.”
She crossed her arms. “I’m not leaving the island.”
“Stop being so stubborn and see what’s right in front of you.”
Her voice started to rise. “I do see it. And just because this place isn’t perfect doesn’t mean I should turn my back and walk away.”
He sighed and got to his feet. Without another word, he started for the door.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Out.” And with that he stepped onto the covered deck.
She should be relieved, but she wasn’t. She felt like they’d talked about everything except what he really had on his mind. And then there was the whistle of the approaching ferry.
She rushed to the doorway. “You’re going to miss your ride back to the mainland.”
“I’m not leaving.” He kept walking.
Not leaving? He made it sound like it would be indefinitely, but she knew that couldn’t be the case. He had a business empire to run.