“Husband?” I ask. His brow arches. I hold up a finger before catching Violet around the waist. I pick her up and carry her to the sofa where I retrieve the remote. “How about you watch Doc McStuffins?”

Violet claps. I set her down and turn to Chase. I crook a finger at him to follow me into the kitchen. I hope he doesn’t go ape shit when I tell him the truth.

Once we are there, my hands shake. To hide it, I pour two cups of coffee and hand him one.

“You still like it black, right?”

He nods.

“What’s going on, Andi? I know when you’re hiding something. What’s up?”

I let out a sigh. Over the years I’ve told myself I was doing the right thing. But seeing his questioning eyes, I know I’ve made a colossal mistake. I can’t force out the words, so I start off easy.

“How are you feeling?”

His gaze narrows. “Fine.” He speaks as if he’s forcing himself to remain calm. My heart races and I feel slightly lightheaded at the idea of diving into the past. “It’s a little sore, but I’ll live. Now what’s this about? Why did you send Owen away?”

Despite the impending conversation, I reach up, touch his temple, glide my fingers down his cheek, and over to probe lightly at his nose. I have a feeling he won’t let me near him when our conversation is over. He winces when I touch a sore spot.

“Sorry, occupational hazard. I need to make sure you’re okay.”

He snags my hand. When he doesn’t let go, my hearts skips so many beats it’s surprising I remain standing.

“As much as I enjoy you touching me, I need to know who Owen is before this goes any further.”

I lick my lips, catching the lower one between my teeth for a second as I try to prepare myself for what’s coming.

“He’s my neighbor and a friend.”

“That’s it?” His face brightens and I hold onto that picture. He won’t look that way for long.

As much as I don’t want to, I pull free of his grasp and turn away. Tears prick the back of my eyes, though I have no right to cry. When I turn, I can see the wheels turning in his expression.

“When you walked away and went to Europe, I thought that was the end of us,” I begin.

“Andi, I made so many mistakes. That’s why I’m here.”

I hold up a finger as he takes a step in my direction.

“When you left, you didn’t leave me alone.”

Confusion makes lines form on his beautiful face.

“What does that mean?”

I glance over at Violet to make sure she isn’t paying any attention to us. I turn back to find that he’s followed my line of sight. When our eyes meet, I see when the pieces begin to connect for him.

“I never meant to keep this from you. I thought I was doing the right thing. I even wrote a letter to you I meant to send a thousand times.”

Every muscle in his body goes stock-still.

“What are you saying, Andi?”

He’s put it together, but the frost in his tone means he wants me to say it. Without wasting another breath, I do.

“Violet’s your daughter.”

I’m not sure what he will do next. Chase can be the sweetest guy in the world, but he also can freeze people out with a single glare.

He points a finger at me and narrows his eyes.

“She’s mine and you kept this from me?”

His disbelief only heightens the guilt I’ve felt over the years.

“Honestly, I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“My daughter?” he repeats.

“Chase.” I make the mistake of reaching for him, but he takes a huge step back.

So far, our talk, though fueled with emotions, remains in a conversational tone bordering on whispers at least with his last ragged words.

“Does Mark know? Your parents?”

I shake my head.

“You’ve kept this secret from everyone?”

Yes, and it’s been eating away at me bit by bit.

“How could I tell anyone before I told you? That didn’t seem right.”

“That didn’t seem right?” He laughs, though a humorless one. “But keeping my daughter from me is okay. She’s what, three now?”

“No, she’s two.”

“Two years I’ve had a daughter. Here I thought I screwed up by walking away from you, only to find out you’re nothing but a liar.”

I step forward and plead with him. I hate the way he looks at me now, like I’m a stranger. “Please, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t give me back two years, Andi. Sorry doesn’t even come close.”

“It’s not like you ever made it a secret that you didn’t want kids,” I blurt. It isn’t fair, but it had been part of my reason for keeping it to myself. “I didn’t want you to give up your career or resent me later because I got pregnant.”

His lips compress as he shakes his head in bewilderment. “It’s your body. I get that. But I had a right to be in on your plans, assuming she’s mine.”

I move back, a gasp held in my lungs.

“Don’t be an asshole, Chase. You know you were the only one.”

He shakes a finger. “No, I don’t know anything, least of all you. The Andi I knew wouldn’t have kept this from me. I don’t know who you are.”

I rein in my anger. He has every right to be mad. I’ll give him a pass for that bullshit comment because he’s upset, rightfully so.

“I deserve that. I get you’re pissed at me. But know this, Chase Wilde. Violet is your daughter. I would never lie about that.”

He turns to find her. Violet’s in her own world singing to herself while mesmerized by the show. I keep my mouth closed because what else can I say? When he faces me again, it’s as if I’m staring into the face of an alien. All the tenderness is long gone.

“She called me Dada. Why?”

Nothing I say will help me in this moment, but he will get only the truth from me going forward.

“I have a scrapbook with pictures of everyone. She likes to look at it every night before bed. Your picture is in there.”

He chuckles darkly. “So she knows who I am?”

I nod.

“Fan-fucking-tastic. She knows that I haven’t been in her life, that I’ve been a ghost of a father, while I didn’t even know she existed.”

He pivots before I can answer, making short work of killing the distance between him and the door.

“Chase, wait!”

The door is open and the menace on his face stops me.

“I always knew you were good at keeping secrets. Hell, our family doesn’t know about us. But this … I didn’t think you could keep something like this from me.”

“If I could do it over—”

Even when Chase thought Owen was my husband, in my heart I felt that he still cared for me. Looking at him now, it’s as if I never meant a thing to him.

“What can I say to make this right?”

“Right?” Another laugh born of pain escapes him. “Honestly, I can’t stand the sight of you right now. But know this, you’ve had two whole years with our daughter. It’s my turn now.”

Panic fuels my rapid steps in his direction. “What does that mean?”

The door is almost closed, but I hear him clearly.

“It means you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”

I cover my mouth with my hand as a sob tears through me. Yes, I’ve royally fucked up. But the idea of losing my daughter scares the absolute shit out of me.