He didn’t love her, and he would never put her first. They’d landed ten hours ago, and Daniel had already forgotten about her, forgotten that he’d promised to accompany her to this appointment. He’d looked her in the eye and told her that she and the baby were his top priority, that he’d put them first. It only took him ten hours to forget that promise, to put his work and The Silver C in front of her.
Alex felt the tears slipping down her face as she stared at the picture of their baby. Her heart cramped and she felt the familiar wave of uncertainty. Since breaking up with Daniel a decade ago, and reinforced by Sarah’s death, she’d avoided emotional entanglements and this was why. Because she couldn’t handle the disappointment, the fear and the uncertainty. Relationships made her needy, vulnerable and so very insecure. She’d spent so many years running away from those weak emotions, and by sleeping with Daniel, she’d opened herself up to them again. What a fool she’d been to think that they could raise this child together and that, maybe one day, she could trust him enough to build a future with him.
She couldn’t even trust him to keep a damned appointment, so how could she trust him with her love, her feelings, her very scarred heart? No, it was better that she return to Houston, and in a few months, she’d contact him and make arrangements for him to be part of the baby’s life. Hopefully by then, she’d be stronger and mentally together.
Her passenger door opened and a gust of cool, wet wind accompanied Daniel into the car. He slammed the door shut and fiddled under his seat for the lever to push the seat back. Leaning back, he stretched out his long legs as far as they would go before turning to face her, looking weary. “Hi. Sorry I’m so late.”
Daniel rubbed his hands over his face as if to wake himself up before looking at her again. “How did it go? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”
He was asking the right questions, but he sounded distracted, like he had more pressing problems on his mind. “God, it’s cold out there.”
Wow. He was talking about the weather. Could he not see that she was upset, that his missing the appointment had rocked her world? While Alex tried to make sense of his preoccupation—was he so oblivious that he couldn’t see that she’d been crying?—Daniel reached for the sonograph. “Is this him? Her? Did they know what sex the baby is?” Okay, she now heard a little more interest in his voice. He cared about his child, that was obvious, but he hadn’t cared to keep his commitment to her. She hadn’t meant for it to be, but today turned out to be a test.
And he’d failed.
Daniel looked at her and frowned. “Are you okay?”
Well, no. “Do I look okay?” Alex asked, her voice soaked with emotion.
Daniel lifted his hand to touch her face and his expression hardened as she pulled back. “Look, I’m sorry I was late.”
“You’re not late, Daniel. You missed the entire appointment!”
“I know but—”
Alex banged her hand on the steering wheel. “No, no buts, Clayton! I asked you to be there, and you said you would.”
“Something happened, Lex. If you’d just let me explain—”
She doubted that he could say anything that would make a difference. The fact of the matter was, once again, his precious ranch was more important to him than she was. “You believe that actions speak louder than words, Daniel. You told me this morning that I was your number one priority, that you would be here. Your actions disprove that.”
Alex heard the frost in her voice, a direct contrast to the heat of Daniel’s curse. She had to walk away—she couldn’t do this for the rest of her life. She couldn’t love him and not have him love her back. Great sex wasn’t a good enough reason to stick around.
“Alex, for God’s sake, let me explain.”
She couldn’t risk being persuaded to trust him, this would just happen again and again. Their time on the island had been a holiday romance, something that couldn’t be replicated in real life. Real life wasn’t sun and good sex and sparkling water; it was a chilly overcast day in Texas and two people who couldn’t give each other what they needed. No, she had to end this today. Now. “I’m going back to Houston. That was my first instinct and I think it’s the correct one.”