Chapter Ten

Gibson

As I made my way back up the mountain, my mind was spinning with possibilities. A child. I was going to be a father. It seemed that fate had handed me this blessing once more, but in an unexpectedly ironic way. The woman who now carried my baby was a virtual stranger. An attractive, smart, maybe a little-bit-sassy one, but a stranger nonetheless. And judging from her attitude, she wanted to keep it that way.

We may not be together as a couple, but now our lives were forever entwined. I didn't regret spending the night with her, what I could recall of it. I hadn't anticipated the result of a complication like this, but the fact it happened despite our initial precautions told me it must be fate. How it came about was not important.

I'd already searched for her online after that night to see who she was. She had a few profiles but hadn't posted in months, with scant photos. It didn't tell me much about her. If I was going to get to know the mother of my child, it would have to be on her terms. I'd been careful not to give her much information about me. Everything online-that I knew of, anyway-referred to me as John Colebank, or J.G. Colebank, which were also Dad's initials. And there were no photos of me with a beard. She'd have to really dig to find out who I am, and she hadn't seemed suspicious.

Wary, maybe, but I couldn't blame her for that. I was wary about her too. She could be mentally unstable or a raving bitch. Who knows?

When I arrived at Marvil's place, Edna had already left. I opened the door with the extra key she had given me to find the patient lounging on the sofa, surrounded by pillows and blankets.

"Was beginning to think you drove to Florida to get my meds."

I placed the vial of pills on the coffee table. "No. Sorry I'm late. I ran into someone I know in town."

"A girl? Of course, why else would you be late?"

The old man's smirk told him me this was bait, but I didn't bite. "It was about a job. And besides, I was giving you more time alone with Edna."

"Hmmph. Couldn't get the dang woman to leave. I'm not helpless."

"No, but you sure look comfy, sitting there like a prince. You love the attention and don't mind having her around. Admit it."

His grimace was almost comical. Marvil was protesting a bit too much on this one.

"Well, it's better than hanging out with you, that's for sure."

I stayed a few minutes more to make sure Marvil was set for the evening. As I was about to leave, he pointed to an envelope lying on the coffee table. "That's for you."

I leaned over to pick it up. The words "Important Info" were scrawled on the face of the envelope.

"What is it?"

"I made you my emergency contact person. That's all my medical stuff, legal contacts, account numbers. You know, in case something happens."

I turned the envelope over in my hand. For an eighty-year-old man, Marvil seemed pretty spry. The accident must have worried him.

"I'll keep it in a safe place. But I'm sure I won't need it for quite a while. You're too damn stubborn to go anywhere."

The comment earned me a nasty look, which turned into a smile.

When I finally entered my cabin, it seemed empty.

Just like my life.

I had chosen this life of exile, but now it seemed to be changing whether I wanted it to or not. I had to admit, an unexpected pregnancy was not something I would have wished to happen. But now that I was beginning to accept the situation, I could see that it was a chance to redeem myself, to right the wrongs of the past. I'd lost Bianca and the baby, but perhaps I could give the child Sacha was carrying a good life. Not only with money, either, but by giving my time and attention.

If I told her now about my financial fortune, would that change her opinion of me? I wanted to be more than a bank account to my future son or daughter. I wanted to be more to Sacha than just a rich baby daddy.

And what if I never went back to my old life? Before I knew about this, I'd all but convinced myself I could stay in Tilly indefinitely. If I told Sacha I'm worth billions but gave it up, she'd think I was crazy. She'd likely expect me to go back to work at CB Resorts International and want to meet my family, and I'm not ready for all that.

So, I couldn't tell her the truth, at least not until we figured out how to make our situation work.

I didn't know how it was going to happen, but I wouldn't rest until Sacha accepted me as an equal partner in the life of our child.

~*~