Donovan walked around his desk and came to stand in front of her. He caressed her cheek and pressed his lips against hers. “Hi. Have a seat.” Taking her hand, he guided her to a small leather sofa, waiting until she was seated before he sat next to her. “You look exhausted. Long day?”
She nodded. His thumb stroking the back of her hand sent electricity up her arm. Simona gently pulled her hand away so she could gather her thoughts. “Donovan, I—”
He placed his finger against her lips. “Baby, I’m so sorry for the way I’ve treated you over the last two weeks. Please forgive me.”
His emotionally charged words brought tears to her eyes.
“I let my past overrule my good sense and hurt you in the process.”
“Your past?”
Donovan nodded. “Two years ago, my girlfriend got pregnant. I only found out when the hospital made a follow-up call after she’d miscarried. She had no intention of telling me.” He paused. “I’ve always wondered what it would’ve been like to hold my little girl or boy.”
Simona gasped. She could still hear the hurt in his voice and see the pain in his eyes. “I’m sorry.” She couldn’t imagine keeping that kind of information from the father of her child. “And you thought I was doing the same thing.”
“Yes. When I walked into your house that night...” He trailed off and shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me, Simona?”
“Donovan, I had planned to tell you that night after the barbecue, in fact. I didn’t say anything initially because I didn’t know where this was headed. I saw no reason to bring it up if we were only going out a few times. But then I didn’t want to stop seeing you, and I worried about how you’d react. Most men don’t want that kind of responsibility.”
* * *
Donovan got up, paced the office, then came back and sat down. “I guess I responded just like you thought. Where’s Yasmine’s father?”
Reaching into her purse, she took out a picture and handed it to him. He studied the smiling young couple—a man in an army uniform with his hand over the belly of a very pregnant woman. He brought the photo closer and realized the woman bore a striking resemblance to Simona, with a slightly lighter skin tone...and she was younger. A feeling of dread crawled down his spine. “Who are they?”
“That’s my younger sister, Yasmine, and her fiancé, Aidan. She was twenty-two.”
“Yasmine? You mean, she’s...you’re not...?”
“No. I’m not her biological mother. Yasmine is my niece. Her parents were killed in a car accident. Aidan died instantly. The police said they found his body wrapped around my sister, as if he was trying to protect her. My sister was seven months pregnant and died in surgery, but they were able to save her baby. The baby spent six weeks in the hospital before coming home. We thought it fitting to name Yasmine after her mother. So now you know.”
Yeah, now he knew. And Donovan felt like an even bigger fool. Why hadn’t he listened to her explanation in the first place? It would have saved them both some misery. “You’re a remarkable woman, Simona. It had to be a big adjustment for you.”
“It was. She’s only been with me for two months. My grandmother was taking care of her, and I went up as often as I could to help. But Yasmine is a busy little girl, and it was getting hard for Nana to chase her around. I was fortunate enough to be able to reduce my hours, and Eve volunteered to babysit, so the transition hasn’t been too bad.”
“What about your parents?”
She snorted. “My parents divorced when I was sixteen and Yasmine nine. I talk to my father every now and again. He lives in Atlanta with his wife. As soon as my sister Yasmine turned eighteen, my mother said it was time to live her life. She married and divorced twice more and is currently traveling with her newest boyfriend. When baby Yasmine was born, Mom said she had already raised her children.”
“Wow.” He thought about his parents. Under similar circumstances, his mother would move heaven and earth to raise her grandchildren, no matter how difficult it was. They fell silent. There was still one other thing that nagged at him. He lifted Simona’s hand and kissed it. “Simona, that night you said you were trying to protect Yasmine. Is someone trying to take her away from you?”
Simona stood and paced the room, wringing her hands and biting her lip.
Donovan rose to his feet and reached for her hands, his heart pounding in alarm. “Tell me what’s going on, sweetheart.”