“That’s because it can’t be fixed,” her mother told her. “There is nothing to be resolved. There is information to be shared and plans to be made.” She paused. “As for which you tell him first, I understand your dilemma. However you choose to handle this, he needs to know that you’re pregnant. Every man has the right to know he’s going to be a father. Don’t wait for the right time, because there isn’t one.”
It had been many years since her mother had scolded her, Dakota thought. No matter how old she got or how mature she felt, those chiding words still had the power to make her feel small. She wanted to protest that she had her reasons, but she knew her mother was right. She was hiding from the situation, avoiding what had to be done. Whatever the outcome, she had to tell him.
“I’ll tell him today.”
And by tomorrow he would be gone.
“SASHA CALLED from L.A. He’s found an apartment, and sharing it with two other guys. I guess they take turns sleeping. I’m not sure what happened with Lani, but whatever. He sounds happy.”
Dakota found it difficult to concentrate on Finn’s conversation. While she was usually happy to listen, this was different. The need to tell him the truth pressed in on her. She still hadn’t figured out the best words to use, but she was done procrastinating.
“I have to tell you something,” she said, interrupting him. “It’s important.” They were sitting on her living-room floor, Hannah on the carpet between them. The little girl held a set of baby keys in her hand and was delighted by the noise when she shook them.
Finn drew his eyebrows together. “Is everything okay? Is it Hannah?”
Dakota drew in her breath. She just had to say it, she told herself. Just blurt it out. Then hope for the best. “It’s not Hannah. It’s me.” She shook her head. “No, I don’t mean it that way. I’m…”
She swore silently. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard.
“You’ve been really great to me,” she said, forcing herself to stare into his dark blue eyes. “I know you didn’t want to come here. But I’m glad you did. I’m glad I got to meet you and spend time with you. You’re really special to me.”
She swallowed. There she was—about to say the word she’d never said to a man before. She’d never even come close. She loved her family, but this was different. This was romantic love. And this was the rest of her life.
“I’m in love with you. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did. And I know you probably don’t want to stay here, but you’re not gone yet and I’m hoping Hannah and I are part of the reason. There are a lot of complications, your life in South Salmon, my life here, but I thought maybe we could figure it out together.”
She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He kept looking at her, but his expression was unreadable. She didn’t know if that was good or bad.
Now came the hard part. “There’s just one more thing.”
FINN WASN’T SURE what the one more thing could be. Having Dakota spell out her feelings was a surprise. No one had ever been that honest with him. One more point in her favor, he thought, turning her words over in his mind and finding he liked them.
She was right. He’d never planned on staying in Fool’s Gold. He’d never wanted to come here in the first place. But he was glad he had. Being here had taught him to trust his brothers. Being here had allowed him to see they were adults and he could let go. Being here had even given him the opportunity to fall in love with Dakota.
His gaze drifted to Hannah. Sure, he didn’t want to take on any more responsibility, but this was different. She was a great kid, and he already knew her. Plus the idea of a little girl was fun. There would probably be a whole lot fewer broken windows. He hadn’t thought he would get seriously involved for a while, if ever, but life wasn’t always tidy.
“I’m pregnant.” She bit her lower lip. “I know this is a shock. I know I told you I couldn’t get pregnant and it was true. Well, obviously not completely true, but the doctor said it was unlikely and it was a one in one million chance and it’s probably because you have really good swimmers and…” She stared at him. “I’m pregnant.”
Pregnant.
He knew what the word meant intellectually. He knew where babies came from. He’d known that since he was ten. But pregnant?
He wanted to stand and raise his fist to the heavens. This was not supposed to happen. She’d told him she couldn’t get pregnant, and he’d believed her.
She was still talking, but he wasn’t listening. The occasional word slipped through. Something about a small chance. Something about them getting lucky.
He stared at her. “Lucky? You think this is lucky?” Now he did rise to his feet. “This isn’t lucky. This is a scam. Was there ever anything wrong with you? Or were you just trying to trick me?”
Even as he asked the question, he already knew the answer. Dakota wouldn’t trick him. That wasn’t her style. She’d been honest from day one. But damn. Why the hell had this happened?
She scrambled to her feet and pulled Hannah into her arms. The baby gurgled and held out her hands to him.