The Baby Claim

“This isn’t a negotiation, Jack,” she said, her voice rising with frustration. She shot to her feet, water dripping from her body as she stalked out of the pool. “This is our lives. Our children. Our hearts.”

He followed her, fear filling his gut. He took her hand just as she reached for a fluffy towel. “You are my heart.”

“It’s not that simple.” She turned to face him, their hands clasped between them.

“For me, it is just that simple.”

She shook her head, backing away. “You’re deluding yourself. Life is never as simple as ‘love solves all.’”

Her words sank in, but more than the words, he saw her face. Felt her letting go, his whole world slipping out of his grasp. “You’re breaking things off.”

“I just… I need…” She gathered a towel to her chest and backed toward the changing room. “I’m going home, and no, I don’t know when I’ll be back. Jack, please honor that. We need space right now.”

As he stood with water pooling around his feet, he could do nothing more than let her go. For now. His heart was broken, but he would not let that defeat him. He refused to believe he wouldn’t have the chance to place an engagement ring—and wedding band—on her finger.

He would do whatever it took—when the time was right—to convince that stubborn woman they were meant to spend the rest of their lives together.

* * *

Glenna had just settled Fleur down for the night. The day in the snow had been exhausting—and rewarding.

Quietly, she slid shut the barn-like door to the baby’s room and made her way back to the living area where—

Her stomach flipped and her heart squeezed. She blinked, barely able to believe her eyes. But sure enough, a lovely, thoughtful gesture was laid out for her. A small dinner table had been pulled in front of the crackling fire. A romantic gesture—the kind born of simplicity and earnestness. This man could afford to hire legions of caterers. Writing a check was easy for someone like him—or her. She knew the effort that had gone into what he’d done for her.

Two bowls of stew with steam rising framed a plate of thickly sliced bread. The Steele family’s personal beer label on a large longneck bottle glinted in the firelight. Two beer mugs were filled with the pale foaming brew.

A real home-cooked dinner. It’d been ages since she eaten something that wasn’t ordered in or prepared by professional staff. Even when home, she avoided the kitchen. Cooking for one had been difficult, a glaring reminder that rendered her husband’s death all the more palpable.

This gesture touched her heart on so many levels.

A candle flickered on the table, adding to the spicy aroma of the caribou stew. They both could buy whatever they wanted, which made the personal touch and effort mean more to her.

He draped a hand towel over his arm and smiled with that wicked glint in his brown eyes. “Dinner is served.”

His attention was completely on her. A heady sensation. She felt the warmth of his gaze touch her skin, send her reeling. He looked so sexy, standing with the chair pulled out for her, his dark hair slightly messy.

“Thank you, Broderick. This is truly thoughtful of you.” She took her seat, enjoyed the brush of his fingertips as he guided the chair forward.

“I realize you’ve been doing the bulk of baby care. It’s only fair I pull my weight where I can. I’m definitely a better cook than I am a diaper changer,” he joked, his laughter rumbling up to the vaulted ceiling.

The beauty of the fire was nothing compared with the magnetism of this man as she sat across from him. Needing to break the spell, she looked out the window, drank in the fading sun splashing the little valley in orange and red, recalling an artist’s palette.

The scenery, too, failed to distract her, being just as romantic as this dinner. She might as well surrender to the moment.

She picked up her spoon, scooped up a bit of stew. Silence lingered between them as she tasted the first bite. The flavor rolled along her taste buds. Bliss. She’d had caribou stew before but nothing like this. She couldn’t hold back a sigh of delight.

“Oh my, this is… I don’t even have words to do it justice. Such rich flavor. I could go on, but I’m too hungry.” She spooned up another taste as he laughed.

His smile of appreciation sent a thrill tingling through her. Everything about this moment had her senses on high alert, like a conduit in a lightning storm.

Across from her, the fire whispered its approval, flames leaping like dancers in a perfectly coordinated ballet. A structured, beautiful dance. Much like the one she had to perform now, to keep this surprisingly thoughtful, yet devilish man from making her life more complicated.