Wasn’t that why he was here to begin with? Every action he’d taken over the past twenty years had led him to this moment, all for the sake of his late mother and her wishes.
No matter what might come of him and Harper, that child was his future, and he would provide and be part of his or her life.
“I don’t want a relationship just because I’m pregnant,” she stated with a defiant tilt of her chin.
Ethan released her arm but didn’t back away. She was quite adamant about this whole casual, uncommitted relationship status, which was perfectly fine with him, but each time it had been mentioned or hinted at, Harper had a flash of hurt in her eyes.
Who had hurt her? What had she gone through to bring her to this point? More importantly, why did he care to make it his business? He’d known about this baby for all of five minutes, and already his mind was playing with him. He had his own past hurts to focus on. Not that he wanted Harper to be in pain—he’d never want that—but he couldn’t afford to get swept into her world and risk losing sight of his goals.
“I never said anything about a relationship,” he countered. “But we’re bonded together whether we like it or not.”
Beneath that steely look in her dark eyes there was a hint of vulnerability and fear. She wasn’t quite as calm as she led him to believe, but he’d be more worried if she wasn’t scared. Hell, he was terrified, but there was nothing that would pull him away from his child or the woman carrying it.
His mother had been a hardworking, single mom. Ethan couldn’t ignore the parallels here.
He would have Robert Anderson out of the picture and this resort back in his possession before his baby was born. Timing and persistence were everything right now.
“How long are you staying?” she asked. “We probably should dig a little deeper into each other since, well...”
She was more than welcome to go ahead and dig, but he would only feed her enough information to pacify her curiosities until he had his personal life all straightened out. No need to involve her in his family affair, which he was quite certain would get messy.
“I have no set plans.” Partial truth, but all he was willing to give. “I’m here for as long as I want to be.”
Harper’s brows drew in. “You’re so vague. Please tell me you’re not married or running from the law.”
Ethan laughed. “I’m not running from the law, and isn’t it a little late to ask about a wife?”
“I assumed you didn’t have one before we hooked up, but now I feel I should know the truth.”
Ethan shook his head. “No wife, no girlfriend. I have a twin brother in Montana, and that’s all the family I have. Well, he’s getting married soon, so I guess I’ll have a sister.”
Harper’s gaze darted down to her clasped hands, and he thought he saw that flash of hurt again, but maybe not. Maybe he just couldn’t read her well enough quite yet. He knew exactly how to read her in the bedroom, but now, well...this was completely new territory. Trying to get a bead on women emotionally had always been foreign to him.
“What about you?” he asked.
Harper shifted her attention back to him. “I have a father that I met when I was twenty. My mother is a little eccentric and floats from one spot on the globe to the next. I’m not sure what hemisphere she’s in half the time. I had a sister, but she passed away six months ago. She was...every
thing to me. I’m still trying to figure out how to do life without her.”
Well, damn. Not what he thought she’d say. He’d pegged her for someone with several siblings, doting parents that all gathered around a big table for each holiday. He figured she was here as a loner to get away and have some time for herself.
But instead, she was alone. Like him.
Oh, he had Dane, but since their mother’s death, nothing had been the same. For nearly twenty years, an invisible wedge had separated them, and Ethan was hoping that by getting their mother’s resorts back, maybe they’d find closure and get back that relationship they’d once had.
So, his twin was getting a wife and Ethan was getting a child. Not at all what he’d envisioned when they’d started this journey.
“Sounds like we have something in common besides physical attraction,” he told her. “Loss of family is... It’s rough.”
Harper tucked a dark curl behind her ear and nodded. “I’m keeping this baby.”
She laid claim like she dared him to argue. He had to admire a woman who wasn’t afraid to say exactly what she wanted and made no apologies about it.
“I assumed,” Ethan replied. “If you hadn’t wanted to, I would have tried to change your mind. Family is everything to me.”
Harper pursed her lips then blew out a sigh. She stepped back from him and headed toward the patio doors once again, only this time she opened them and stepped on out into the sunshine. Ethan followed her, having no clue what to say or do. For the first time in his life, his confidence, his control slipped.
No, that wasn’t true. His control had slipped when his mother died and Robert stole everything from him and Dane. Ethan had vowed to never feel helpless again—which was why he was taking this revenge head-on.