Neve stood breathless. A moment that she never imagined in her wildest dreams was happening before her very eyes. Her daughter was being held in her father’s arms. Neve had tears streaming from her eyes, and in the pit of her stomach was a knot that she desperately wished she could bury under the snow on the ground. She was too scared of what this meant to be happy or even a tiny little bit hopeful. The possibilities steamrolled through her mind quickly, each one causing more fear to tighten the muscles in her stomach.

When she first turned in the direction of her daughter’s haunting gaze, she hardly recognized the man standing in front of her. When she had known Connor, he was a lean teenager. Taller than most men at around 6’3”, he had strong arms and a waist that narrowed into firm and masculine hips. His legs were long, with strong thighs that were well-proportioned and toned. Now, he seemed larger than life. His shoulders and arms were packed with muscles, obvious even through his winter coat. His legs were still long, and the intoxicating memory of her body pressed between them nearly pushed her beyond the frail calmness she was trying desperately to project.

His large gray eyes were still dark and hid a layer of sadness Neve knew many couldn’t detect beneath his dominant exterior. He had the same beautiful mouth with full lips, and darkly lashed eyes. His high cheekbones set off his strong jawline, which was clenched with the effort she imagined it was taking him not to freak out in front of Ivy.

“Mommy! Can Daddy stay for dinner?” Once again, Ivy’s words pulled her from the trance she had fallen under while admiring Connor’s beautiful features.

Jesus, girl, get it together! He may be Ivy’s father, but he’s nothing to me anymore. Especially not his amazing body. She mentally rolled her eyes at her pleasure-deprived mind.

“I’m sure he has better things to do…” Neve began, unsure of what she even wanted to say. She was not sure of anything at that moment. She felt anger, fear, and something else that she wasn’t quite ready to put a name on just yet.

“Actually, I don’t have any plans,“ Connor responded, cutting Neve off and now looking at her with a firm, unreadable expression.

“Well, I’ll think about it,” Neve stalled “Ivy, don’t you have something you want to give your dad?” The change in topic was designed to distract both of them and she hoped that Ivy would leave for a moment to give them some time alone.

“Yes!” Ivy squealed, turning to run into the house.

“Sweetheart, don’t forget to put your boots by the heat register to dry!” Neve called out after her daughter’s retreating figure, thus leaving her and Connor standing in the yard, staring at each other.

Neve could hardly trust her legs to hold her up, and she could feel her chest heaving as the energy from his body so near to hers warmed her skin, despite the chilly temperature outside. She could hardly believe the way his nearness still affected her after so much time had passed.

She couldn’t help but stare, her gaze devouring him, taking in every inch of his matured frame and stopping to linger on his sensual mouth and lips. Judging by the fire that suddenly lit in his eyes, there was no doubt in her mind that he could see her body coming alive to him.

Dammit! That was the last thing she wanted to show to him right now.

“It’s getting cold. We should probably go inside,” Neve choked out, but only after she dropped her gaze to her feet.

Get it together. With all the good memories came a lot of bad ones. Terrible memories of loneliness, fear, and longing for something she’d doubted she could ever have again.

“Are your parents home?” he asked, pulling her out of her reverie.

Neve couldn’t help but laugh. “Some things really never do change.” Neve remembered that Connor used to hate seeing her parents.

They were very clean-cut suburban parents, and he could never help but be embarrassed about the neglect that the whole town knew his own parents showed him and his brother. So instead of showing the townspeople embarrassment, he had projected a cold and aggressive demeanor towards almost anyone other than Neve.

“No, they’re not here. They moved to Arizona and this is now my home,” Neve explained. She almost wished her parents would have been there, if only to make him as uncomfortable as she felt now. But he didn’t seem uncomfortable, even though she knew that he was still struggling with the secret she’d kept all these years from him.

Neve turned to walk into the house, and the feeling of Connor following behind her brought her back to years ago. How many times he’d followed her just so, waiting for her to go into her parent’s house first. Always the gentleman with her. As the clack of the screen against the doorframe echoed through the kitchen, Neve turned to face Connor, her hips leaning against the counter top. She could hear her daughter running across the floor upstairs.

“What is she looking for?” Connor asked hesitantly.

“Her name is Ivy, and she’s looking for all the drawings she has made for you,” Neve answered with a level tone. She watched as his face blanched.

“I didn’t know, I had no idea…” he began to trail off.

She was aware that he had no idea. She was also aware that it had been her choice, but his fault that it was so.

Neve looked at the man standing in front of her, and his reaction to learning he had a child was a far cry from the response she had expected. He seemed…hurt. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his furrowed brow was aimed at her intently, but the malice she expected must have been buried deep in the shock of the discovery.

However, her own anger was right there at the surface.

“You had no way of knowing, because I had no way of finding you,” Neve finally let out curtly. She was surprised by her ability to speak the words that had haunted her for years now. “The only reason I even knew you were alive was because I’d seen you on TV – after you’d been gone for four years. Imagine my surprise.”

Her flat tone clearly made him feel uncomfortable. He shuffled his feet. “I have no explanation for that, Neve,” Connor finally responded, unwilling to bring the truth into the conversation. “I was a child. We were so young…” he trailed off again.

“No, you were a child. I was forced to grow up,” she said, looking up at the ceiling where footsteps could still be heard.

“I want to be part of her life,” Connor suddenly said, standing up straight.

“You are her father, and you are entitled to time with her,” Neve whispered after a long pause.

She couldn’t help but think about the money Connor had now—money that could be used to take her daughter away. Not to mention, she had no idea who this man was anymore. His showing up had shocked Neve to the point of near numbness. Like a limb that had fallen asleep, her senses were beginning to re-awaken, and Connor’s presence was causing mountains of fear and anxiety rather than comfort.

A tear fell down her cheek as she struggled to rein in her roiling emotions.

“How much longer do you think Ivy will be?” she heard Connor ask as she kept her face tilted down towards the floor.

“I have the drawings in a box in the garage. She won’t find them until she asks,” Neve explained in a shaky voice, and then bent down to take off her boots, in a futile effort to distract herself from the man standing in front of her. “I wanted some time alone with you. We need to figure out what we’re going to do before she gets back. I won’t have her be thrust into the disagreement between the two of us.”

“What disagreement?” he asked, confused.

She scoffed and then sniffed, which ruined her harsh sound. She removed her jacket and hung it up before putting on a brave face, and turning to face Connor once more. “Obviously there was some reason why you left all those years ago. So, let’s hear it. Spit it out now, before she gets back.”

He shifted his feet uncomfortably. “Neve, it wasn’t like that.”

“Then what was it like?” Her voice was cold, patiently waiting on an answer she was almost certain he wouldn’t provide. Might never provide. Because that was Connor – dangerous, mysterious, and unwilling to trust another person. Or maybe that had changed, but just not with her.

He sighed. “I’m not ready to do this right now. Not yet. I’m only in town because I need to sort out some things with Cyrus.”

She was surprised at that. “Cyrus? What’s wrong with Cyrus?”

“Nothing serious. At least, nothing I didn’t do too, when I was his age,” Connor replied with a slight grin, obviously trying to lighten the mood. And failing.

“I’m surprised that you actually stayed in contact with him. Although, it’s fairly clear where your priorities were at that point in your life, if that’s the case. Did you tell him that you were leaving at least? Give him some warning so he could prepare?” Her voice wavered at the end, something that she hated but honestly, it was amazing she’d lasted this long without breaking down.

He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Cyrus had nothing to do with why I left, Neve. Leave him out of this.”

Then the footsteps could be heard racing down the stairs, and Ivy asked her mother where the drawings were. The moment was broken, none too soon for either party. Both heaved a sigh of relief before realizing that no decision or justification had been made.