The waitress with the curly hair shrugged. "He is the sexiest man I've seen all day."
Vicki coughed. No man she ever met came close to Colt. His dark hair, brown eyes, and now all those hard muscles. He had somehow added to perfection. "He's a good man, and he'll order his drink at the front."
"I'm on my way, then. Won't have you waiting for someone that sexy." The waitress departed, and Vicki ran her hand through her hair. If she intended to be reasonable, then she needed to stay calm. His deep voice wafted through the air, and her body was on high alert.
She stroked her throat and picked at her bagel. She sighed, and then straightened in her seat to stop her fidgeting. Motherhood had been stolen from her. She crossed her legs, and swallowed.
Tonight, she would call her lawyer from her brother's company, Grumpkins, and tell him to dig up more information on how their father had accomplished this. She'd use her family name to hire an army of lawyers, if she had to get Clara in her life.
Colt walked toward her now, and she met his stare.
Her skin stayed sensitive. She rubbed the back of her neck, picked up the cup, and took a sip in an effort to calm down.
Serenity filled her nostrils for that one second until her skin grew goosebumps and that woodsy smell invaded. Without a word, he sat across from her. Her heart raced faster and faster now, so she opened her mouth and told him flatly, "You're late."
"The sitter showed up a few minutes late. I came as soon as I could." Colt's voice had grown deeper and hotter. Her hands shook as she gripped her coffee mug. Then she met his gaze, so she stood to break the spell she was under.
He stood as well, and blocked her view of the rest of the cafe. "Sit, Victoria."
"Vicki is fine." The butterflies in her stomach didn't stop when she took in the sight of him. Six foot three. All muscles, and those brown eyes of his that she'd never forgotten. But the scowl on his face told her plenty, and she scanned for the exit for escape. "I am nervous."
"You're going to jump out of your skin, woman. Sit down. I don't bite." Colt slowly slid into the bench across from her, and she sat slowly. Her toes and knees bounced, but she tried to sit still. She jittered, and it wasn't from the coffee.
The waitress returned, and brought Colt his coffee in a mug. Calmness began to return to Vicki's skin, and she stared at the table until the waitress left. Then she whispered, "I've not been here in a while. I don't have a chance to come out to the country now that Alice lives in the city."
"Yeah, Alice told me she misses this place too."
The shakiness and nerves weren't mature at all. Get a hold of yourself, she yelled in her mind. Colt wasn't her enemy. He kept their daughter safe. She gripped the bottom of her chair as she tentatively glanced into his eyes. "I've been helping with the wedding plans."
He leaned across the table and pushed his coffee cup to the side. "One would think you weren't just named Miami's Prettiest Bachelorette last week."
"You saw that?"
"Yeah."
She pressed her lips together. "That kind of thing doesn't matter to me."
He sipped his coffee cup and stared at her like she was an alien creature. "It used to matter to you."
Her chest lost some of its tightness. "Not anymore. Colt, until yesterday, I thought Clara was dead."
His eyes widened and he scooted his seat back a little. She stayed still. Then he shook his head. "Bull. You didn't care and gave her away, signing my name on those papers like I consented. I fought for a year that my signature was forged to get child services off my back."
"I didn't forge anything. I wouldn't do that." She had to say the right words. She swallowed. She had to get him to believe her. She kept eye contact and leaned over the table. "You were off fighting battles in war. You weren't here, and I don't know what happened—"
He leaned closer to her on the table. "My mother found our daughter in the hospital, and you never went to the nursery."
Her jaw ticked. "And you slept with the brunette the day you met in basic training."
"That's the stupidest thing I heard. All I could think about at the time was you."
Her defense system needed serious work. She needed the story of how he'd ended up with Clara. Vicki had to be there for her daughter too. She blinked and met his gaze. "The doctors told me she died. How did your mother find Clara?"
He sipped his coffee and then massaged his chin. "She worked at the hospital. Someone tried to change her schedule. She didn't want to change, and switched with another nurse. Our daughter was brought into the nursery. She was told who the mother was, and called me at boot camp."
She crossed her arms. "That story has massive holes, Colt. I would never give up my daughter."
He sat straighter. "You did whatever your father asked of you."
"Never that.” Again, he leaned forward, and his open unblinking stare made her believe that he didn't believe a word. She swallowed. "Why did he call this meeting?"
His cheeks reddened. "Alice believes every word you fed her, and she begged me." Then he scooted away again. She lowered her gaze. He said, "You walked away from our daughter. You said you were dead, and then you return to Miami as some long-lost princess. So don't give me this act, expecting me to believe a word you say."
"It's not an act." Tears rolled down her cheek. Her own father had staged her funeral and let people believe she had died rather than explain she had run away from him. When she had found out, she had saw no reason to correct anyone. She’d been sad. She blinked. Now she didn't need to fight with Colt, but if this was all he could say, then she'd have to hire a team of lawyers. "I thought she was dead."
He massaged his chin again, and his lips curled. "Why didn't you pick up the phone and tell me you were pregnant?"
Her entire body heated. "You were sleeping with another woman."
"That's the second time you've said that nonsense." His Adam's apple bobbed. "You had years to tell me. My family isn't poor, and neither is yours. You weren't knocked up by a no one, Vicki."
Her head cleared. "I'm thankful she had you."
He gazed at her forehead. "Clara's my daughter, my responsibility. You shouldn't get to walk back into her life, throw happy smiles, and pretend you're glad to see her. Not when we both know in six months or in a day, you'll grow bored of her and leave."
"I'm not like that." She raised her head and remembered how she'd made her point with him years ago, even as he lost. She stuck her bottom lip out and stared at his lips. "Colt, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I'd rather be on your side, but I will sue you. My brother Peter will fund me. Can you let this go or not?"