He hated the irony. “In part . . . but she never would have managed. Having a contractual wife certainly removed that from her plans.”
“How is it she can pin this child on you if it’s not yours anyway?”
“DNA. Noah and I are identical in every way genetically. I received word last week that the paternity test proved me to be the father.”
“It proved one of the two of you to be the father,” Gabi corrected. “Surely someone with your wealth and influence can find a way to dispute this woman’s claim.”
His eyes collided with Gabi’s.
The forced smile she held slowly melted. “Unless you don’t want that.” Her jaw dropped.
“My hell will be Noah’s purgatory. How dare he use a child as leverage for money.” The early memories of his brother’s deception to claim something of his that wasn’t, flooded him. Yeah, they’d used the identical twin thing in unison in primary school . . . by the time they were halfway through high school, their mother had completely disappeared, their father was easily persuaded to follow whatever financial path Noah thought he should. What Blackwell Senior didn’t realize, or if he did, didn’t care about, was Noah’s self-serving nature. Avoiding responsibility and pretending to be someone he wasn’t was Noah’s gift. Another gift . . . he pleased everyone he met. There wasn’t a soul who would say he was a bad guy. He reserved his nasty side for Hunter.
There’d been many times in the past Noah had come along asking for a little money to hold him over . . . finance a “brilliant idea.” It was easy to hand over money when you had it. Eventually, however, Hunter knew he wasn’t doing the right thing.
He stopped being his brother’s bank and subsequent doormat and shut him out. Less than three months later Noah had opened a line of credit using Hunter’s name . . . drained over a hundred grand before Hunter learned of his brother’s deception. After, Hunter stopped all communication, and his bookkeepers kept a close eye on all credit inquiries.
Hunter’s reward for tough love . . . a child he didn’t father. Payback is a bitch.
Gabi lifted a hand to her lips and spoke through it. “You’re going to keep the child.”
“A move neither of them are expecting.”
Gabi dropped her hand in her lap, her jaw tightened. “This isn’t a game of chess. We’re talking about a child, Hunter.”
The hair on his neck stood on end. “A child being used as a pawn by his own parents. What kind of life will he have? My mother forced my father into marriage with her pregnancy. She left the first time in third grade, only to return and play the back-and-forth game until high school. My brother knows I won’t support him, so he’s devised a plan to support his child. Only Noah thinks I’m going to do it by handing him money to avoid being the child’s father.” He couldn’t sit any longer and crossed to the windows and the lights of the city below. He never spoke of his mother. Most people thought she was dead. To him, she was. After Noah’s game, his brother would be dead to him, too.
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want your sympathy.”
“Well that’s too bad. Abandonment from a parent isn’t easy at any age. My father died and I still felt cheated. If he had chosen to leave and never returned, it’d be an unfathomable betrayal. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell me all of this before now.”
“Before our marriage?”
“Yes.”
“Would you have believed me?” He glanced at her over his shoulder.
With a small shake of the head, she said, “No. Probably not.”
“Then you have your answer.” The lack of friends and loyalty kept him from opening up and expecting people to do the right thing. He returned his stare to the skyline.
“You’re a very impatient man . . . do you know that?”
“I don’t like to waste time.”
“Which makes you impulsive, makes you force marriage on unsuspecting women.”
How could he respond to that? Luckily, she continued talking and kept him from having to.
“Do you have any idea how you’re going to bring this child into your life? What it takes to be a father?”
Up until Gabriella had landed in his life, he’d thought of nothing but that. “No more than any man who’s been told they have a child.”
“You’re really going to do this. Take on your brother’s child as your own.”
“Hayden doesn’t deserve a life with parents that only had him to make money off his DNA. I’m not delusional, I know it won’t be easy.”
“And you’re willing . . .”
The image, the one he had of the boy, swam in his head. Hunter turned to look at Gabi. She was sitting forward in her chair, her feet planted on the floor as if she were ready to bolt from the room. “He isn’t yet ten months old. The babysitter, day care . . . whatever you wanna call it, doesn’t differ much from an orphanage. Sheila retrieves him on occasion, but she’s been spending most of her time with Noah, and Noah isn’t father material. He can’t care for himself, let alone another human being.”