Megan braced herself for the usual line of questions men asked in these situations. She had no personal experience, but she’d seen enough TV shows and movies to know what to expect. She could handle the angry denials and accusations. She had a third-degree black belt in verbal sparring.
Daniel wiped the spilled coffee off the table with care, then stared intently down at his hands. His quiet contemplation stretched on until she wanted to squirm in her seat. She felt like she’d showed up for battle—loins girded—only to find her enemy pouring tea for them on a linen-covered table. When he looked up at last, her stomach lurched with nerves. What was he thinking?
“Marry me,” he said in a low, even voice.
She almost fell out of her chair.
“What?” she shouted before clapping her hand over her mouth. He couldn’t have said what she thought he’d said. She glanced around the café to make sure no one noticed and said in a much softer voice, “What?”
“I want you to marry me.” He nodded as though his bonkers proposal sounded even better to him the second time around.
“Aren’t you... Aren’t you going to ask me if I’m sure the baby is yours?” she said weakly.
“Based on your freak-out, you’re not someone who engages in casual sex,” he observed. “And you don’t seem like a person who would cheat on someone you’re in a relationship with.”
“But we used a condom,” she argued on his behalf.
“Two condoms. I recall having you twice,” he murmured.
Her heart fluttered in response to his barely there smile, and the memory of their night together made heat gather low in her stomach.
“Why are you so calm?” She glared at him, suddenly finding his composure infuriating when she was all aflutter and horny to boot.
“I’m asking a woman I’m meeting for the second time to marry me. I’m far from calm,” he said, sounding as calm as could be. “But this is how I respond to novel situations. By analyzing the facts and choosing the most logical course of action, which, in this case, is taking responsibility for my actions.”
“Our actions,” she corrected. “But that’s not the point. You don’t have to take responsibility for anything. This is my body, my baby, my responsibility.”
“That makes no sense.” His eyebrows furrowed over the bridge of his nose. “If it’s our actions then it’s our baby, our responsibility—”
“I’m only telling you because you have the right to know.” She cut him off and held up a finger when he opened his mouth. “If you want...you can be a part of the child’s life. But a loveless marriage is out of the question.”
Icy disdain hardened his features. “Marriage doesn’t have to be about love.”
“Well, marriage shouldn’t be about responsibility and duty,” she countered, her voice rising in indignation. A happy marriage was all about love. She’d seen it with her parents and now with Angie and Joshua.
“Responsibility and duty are far more reliable than love,” he bit out.
The finality of his statement chilled her. What happened to him to make him balk at the idea of love? Had someone hurt him in the past? It was none of her business. Everyone had their emotional baggage. Besides, it wasn’t like she was going to marry him. It didn’t matter what he thought about love.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that one,” she said quietly.
He held her gaze for a moment, then nodded once. The hard edge left his expression when he asked, “Does your father know you’re pregnant?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I haven’t told anyone yet.”
“He championed me to become Jigu Corporation’s CFO, and I repay him by getting his daughter pregnant,” Daniel scoffed and swiped a weary hand down his face. “How could I have betrayed his trust like this?”
“It’s not like we had unprotected sex.” She wanted to ease his remorse. Neither of them had intended to step into this complicated mess. “Besides, you didn’t even know who I was.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re pregnant with my child,” he said with a hint of possessiveness that made her stomach dip.
“What do you want me to do?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“I already told you.” He swooped in like a hawk diving for its prey. “I want you to marry me.”
She blinked rapidly. Marrying him would make life so much easier. She wouldn’t have to worry about disappointing her dad, being a single mom or the potential censure of the classical music community. But...she couldn’t compromise on love. She wouldn’t. And she could stand on her own—not only to perform rock violin but in life. She knew that now.
“Please stop saying that. We’re not getting married.” She smiled to soften her words even though he was only proposing out of a misplaced sense of duty. “Other than that...what do you want from me?”
“Nothing I can have again.” There was no denying the heat in his eyes.
Her breath caught in her throat and warmth gathered between her legs. He still wanted her, and if her body’s reaction was any indication, she very much wanted him back. But he was right. They couldn’t give in to their attraction. Things were complicated enough without them picking up where they’d left off.
“This is a lot for us to process all at once,” she said, suddenly exhausted. “Let’s take some time to think things through before we decide how we want to handle this. I’ll hold off on telling my father anything for the time being.”
“Are you finally going to give me your number?” he asked wryly.
She rolled her eyes and held out her hand. When he reached into his pocket and handed her his phone, she tapped in her number and pressed Dial. An East Coast number popped up on her screen.
“There.” She returned his phone. “Now we both have each other’s number.”
“Good,” he said, rising to his feet. “Let me take you home.”
“There’s no need. I’ll get a rideshare.”
With an impatient click of his tongue, Daniel unhooked her purse from the back of her chair and walked off.
“Hey,” she protested, even though she had no choice but to follow.
He waited by his car, holding the passenger-side door open. She caught up with him with unhurried steps. His high-handed stunt annoyed her, but she had a feeling there were many more battles ahead of them. He could have this tiny victory as long as she won the big ones.
After exchanging a ridiculously courteous good-night with Daniel—she had no idea how to behave with her one-night stand turned secret baby daddy—Megan went straight to her dad’s study and knocked. She knew he hadn’t turned in early. He was a night owl like her.
“Come in,” he said.
She pushed open the door and found him typing away on his laptop with his reading glasses perched on his nose. Even by the soft lamplight, she could see how much his hair had grayed in the last few years. He had always worked long hours, but that was all he seemed to do since her mom died.
“Do you have a minute?” she asked, settling down on an armchair.
He responded with a rush of typing, then came to join her in the sitting area. “What is it?”
“I wanted to talk to you about Daniel.” She wanted to find out more about the connection the two men shared that she’d detected earlier in the evening. And if she were being honest with herself, she was more than mildly curious about the father of her baby. “Are you guys...close?”
“Why do you ask?” Her dad took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with the end of his shirt, trying to hide the smile playing around his mouth. “Did you have a nice time with him?”
“Appa, I’m being serious.”
“And I’m not?” His grin grew wider. “He’s a good man. Smart, loyal and decent.”
“Hmm.” There it was again—the high praise. She pursed her lips. “I just got the feeling that he was more than a valued employee.”
“Well, that depends. Are you seeing him again?”
“Stop it.” She stood from her seat. Her dad was in an odd mood, and she wasn’t getting anywhere with him. “You’re a horrible matchmaker.”
“I want you to give it some thought.” His expression turned serious as he got to his feet. “I’m grooming him to take over Jigu Corporation when I retire. It would be nice to keep the business in the family.”
Too shocked to reply, Megan nodded and left his study. She replayed her conversation with her dad as she went through her nighttime routine. He was preparing Daniel to become Jigu’s next CEO. He’d dedicated all of his adult life to the company and loved it like an extension of himself. He really must trust Daniel.
She lay down in bed and stared up at the ceiling. Fate must have a twisted sense of humor. Her dad valued loyalty above all else. He would be livid if he found out Daniel had had a one-night stand with her and got her pregnant. He would see it as a betrayal and an affront to their family’s honor. But then he would quickly see the situation as his matchmaking dream come true and try to force them to get married. Well, force her to marry Daniel since the man was already prepared to embrace matrimony out of duty.
She couldn’t allow that to happen.
It was true this baby was unexpected, but that didn’t mean she had to give up on love and happily ever after. She placed a gentle hand on her stomach. No, it meant that she had to fight harder for her dreams now because her baby’s happiness depended on it, too.
Daniel yawned into his sixth cup of coffee. His week had passed in a blur of meetings. He was relieved when his dinner meeting was canceled—he desperately needed a break from schmoozing—so he could continue familiarizing himself with his actual duties as the CFO. But it was past eight o’clock in the evening and the words on the screen were beginning to blur.
He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger until the stinging subsided and leaned back in his chair. Even in the midst of his hectic week, Megan had never been far from his mind—Megan and the baby. His stomach clenched nervously. Their baby.
Marriage and children had not been a part of his plans—even before Sienna’s betrayal. He swept aside the intrusive thought. His parents’ marriage was a patented disaster, based on his memory of the wreck his father had been when his mother left them. His father hadn’t been able to look at Daniel without remembering his mother—his gaze filled with a mixture of loss and resentment. He had wondered countless times whether his father regretted having him. He rubbed his chest as a cold hollowness spread inside him. If his father hadn’t loved his mother—and been utterly devastated when their marriage ended—then maybe he would’ve been able to love Daniel more.
No, marriage and children had never factored into his goals. He wanted to become a formidable figure in his field and earn the respect of his peers. He wanted to prove to the world that he was someone valuable—someone they couldn’t toss aside. But planned or not, he refused to bring a child into this world and have them feel unwanted.
Daniel pushed himself away from his desk and paced the length of his office. He wanted to raise his child in a home with both a mother and a father—maybe because he’d never had that. A marriage based on responsibility and duty meant that no one would get their heart broken. Their love for their child would never be tainted by bitterness and resentment. Why couldn’t Megan see that?
He dragged his fingers through his hair. He couldn’t force her to marry him, but there were other ways for him to be in his child’s life. He would make sure they knew that they were wanted and loved. Always.
Daniel retrieved his phone from his desk and texted Megan.
We need to talk.
Fortunately for his sanity, ellipses started rolling immediately after he hit Send.
I agree. When and where?
His thumbs flew over his phone.
In forty-five minutes. At the café we met last week.
He didn’t wait for her response and grabbed his jacket from the coat hanger. Even if rush hour was over, it was going to take him at least thirty minutes to get to the café. He had a fifteen-minute cushion, but he didn’t want to keep Megan waiting. His phone dinged as he stepped out of his office and headed toward the elevators.
See you soon.
The traffic was heavier than he would’ve liked and he pulled into the café’s parking lot with only five minutes to spare. After he got out of his car, he saw Megan near the entrance and sprinted to catch up with her.
“Megan,” he said, grabbing the door handle before her.
“Oh.” She placed her hand over her chest. “You startled me. Where did you come from?”
“Sorry.” He wanted to smack his forehead. “I was right behind you.”
“That’s fine. No big deal,” she said, walking in through the door.
He followed her inside and headed for the counter. “What would you like?”
“Decaf Moroccan mint tea, please.” She came to stand beside him.
“Why don’t you go have a seat? I’ll bring the drinks over when they’re ready.”
She shrugged and headed for the corner table they occupied last time. When he joined her with two mugs, she smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” He caught himself staring at her and quickly took a sip of his green tea, scalding his tongue and the roof of his mouth.
“I’m glad you reached out to me,” she said. “I wanted to talk to you, but I didn’t want to bother you. My father said you had a hectic week at work.”
He bit back a curse. She’d been waiting to hear back from him. “I’m sorry for taking so long.”
“No worries.” She blew on her tea before she took a careful sip.
Megan seemed more relaxed than the last time he saw her, and being near her calmed him somehow. The thought of becoming a father still made his stomach flip over, but maybe they could make this work.
“I’m going to take a wild guess,” he said. “You still don’t want to marry me.”
“Bingo.” She winked.
His heart stuttered like a needle skipping on a vinyl record. He curled his hands into fists on his thighs to stop himself from grabbing her from across the table and kissing her senseless. She looked expectantly at him as though he was capable of speech. When he continued staring wordlessly at her, she cocked her head to the side.
“I guess I’ll go first,” she said after a moment. “We can’t tell my father that the baby is yours.”
“What? That’s unacceptable.” That did the job of snapping him out of his wink-induced stupor. “I can’t lie to your father.”
“We won’t lie to him.” She drew little circles on the table. “We’ll just omit the truth.”
“Which is the same as lying.”
“What are you? A Boy Scout?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Look, my father can be...hardheaded. If he finds out that I’m pregnant with your baby—as a result of a one-night stand—he will kill you. Then he’ll resurrect you and kill you again for good measure.”
He couldn’t hold back his cringe. “I think you’re exaggerating.”
Megan arched an eyebrow and silently held his gaze.
“Slightly,” he amended, remembering his mentor’s hot temper.
“And he’ll try to force us to get married.” She held up her hand when he opened his mouth. “Uh-uh. No marriage. At any rate, if we refuse to join hands in holy matrimony, he might even fire you.”
“Then, so be it,” he said, even as his heart sank.
“Look, I know you worked hard to be here.” She leaned closer to him and a waft of her sweet scent teased him. “It’s not something you should throw away lightly.”
His hand tightened around his mug. “I’m not doing any of this lightly, Megan.”
Being Jigu Corporation’s future CEO was his dream. He’d vowed to dedicate himself to carrying on Jigu’s legacy. It would gut him to lose this opportunity, but he couldn’t betray Mr. Han.
“I’m not saying we should keep him in the dark forever. I just need time to figure out a way to break the news to him without making him lose his senses.” She lowered her voice. “I have a feeling my father won’t do anything rash once the baby arrives and captures his heart.”
His lips quirked despite himself. “You’re going to use our baby to shield us from your father’s wrath?”
“Use sounds a bit cold... Wait.” Her eyelashes fluttered. “Our baby? So you’ve decided? You want to be a part of...our baby’s life?”
“Yes.” He swallowed against the tightness in his throat. “I want to be part of their life. Every moment of their life.”
“I... I’m glad,” she said with a tremulous smile.
“Me, too.” His eyes flickered to her lips, but he forced his attention back to the issue at hand. “But about your father—”
“We’ll tell him,” she interrupted. “Just not yet. Think about it. What will happen if you get fired from Jigu? Can you guarantee that you’ll be able to find a comparable job in LA? If you have to move away, you’re going to miss so much of the baby’s life.”
“Hell.”
She was right. Losing his position at Jigu Corporation meant he would have to find another job. Depending on the company, that might take him across the country. He didn’t like it—he actually hated it—but maybe they should wait to tell her father.
“We’ll revisit this issue soon,” he said, raking his fingers through his hair.
“Okay.” She nodded several times in quick succession. “I promise.”
“So...” He blew out a long breath, leaning back in his seat. “How should we do this?”
“Do what?” She wrinkled her nose in confusion.
He waved his hand between them as he searched for the right words. “Be there for the baby. Together.”
“Ah,” she said with a small smile. “You mean coparenting?”
“Yes, coparenting.” He held back an answering smile. “We would probably need to see each other fairly often.”
“I would assume so.”
The thought of spending time with Megan appealed to him much more than was wise. He stomped down on the thrill of anticipation and muttered to remind himself, “All behind your father’s back.”
She shrugged helplessly. “For now, yes.”
“Only until we figure out a way to tell him without getting my ass fired,” he added. “We’re not waiting for the baby to arrive.”
“Okay.” Megan pressed a hand to her stomach. “Honestly, it makes me sick to keep the truth from my father. I’m all for finding a solution as soon as possible.”
His chest constricted at her distress. This wasn’t an easy situation for either of them—especially for her. And if they weren’t careful, things could get even more difficult.
“We need to acknowledge some things before we proceed,” he said, holding her gaze. “I want you.”
Her lips parted on a sharp indrawn breath and his groin tightened. Then she nodded with wide eyes, acknowledging his desire or admitting her own—he wasn’t sure.
“But we can’t act on this attraction.” Sleeping with her, knowing who she was, would be a betrayal of Mr. Han’s trust. Keeping the truth from him was betrayal enough. “We can’t add more lies to our deception.”
“No, we can’t,” she said in a small voice, her guilt plain on her face. “We...we could be partners. Coparenting partners. Nothing more.”
“Agreed.” He ignored the bewildering disappointment inside him. “We’ll be partners.”
They sat in silence for a while, staring down at their drinks. When he glanced up, his eyes caught on her bottom lip, which she worried between her teeth. He swallowed and resolutely shifted his focus to her forehead. As lovely as it was, it seemed safer than staring into her beautiful eyes, which were dangerously close to her plump pink lips.
“Tell me what you need,” he blurted. He had no idea how to be there for Megan and the baby at this stage. “I mean...is there anything I can do for you? Do you have any doctor’s appointments coming up?”
“It’s still a couple of weeks away, but yeah, I do.” She cleared her throat. “It’s actually a pretty important appointment. The doctor’s going to do an ultrasound and...she’ll be able to tell us the sex of the baby.”
The café spun ever so slightly around him. “The sex of the baby?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty wild.” She giggled a bit nervously. “It’s going to make things feel so...real.”
“Do you mind if I go with you?” Truthfully, the thought of seeing the baby for the first time—and finding out their sex—scared the shit out of him, but he wouldn’t miss it for the world.
“No, not at all. I could use the moral support,” she said shyly.
“I could do that. Give you moral support.”
“Thank you.” She hesitated before she continued, “If you don’t want to find out the sex of the baby, we could wait...”
“Oh.” He considered it for a moment. “I think I’d like to know. What about you?”
“Me, too.”
They shared a smile. It felt good making decisions about their baby together. It felt really good.
“What else do you need?” he asked, feeling motivated. “Do you have any cravings?”
“Hmm.” She scrunched her mouth to one side. “Not really. I’m just glad to be done with morning sickness. Until a week or so ago, I couldn’t even drink water.”
He wished he could’ve been there for her. “That sounds horrible.”
“Yeah, it was.” She wrinkled her nose.
“Well, if you get any cravings, let me know.”
“Why? Do you plan on being my personal food delivery service?” she teased.
He chuckled. “If you’d like.”
“Well, you asked for it. Don’t come crying when I demand potato chips and ice cream at one in the morning.”
“Maybe I should set up business hours,” he said.
She tilted her head back and laughed. He was surprised at how much he enjoyed the sound. He tore his eyes away from her shining face and swallowed a mouthful of his lukewarm tea. He needed to get his attraction for her under control. They were coparenting partners now.
Even without their agreement, he had to remember that she’d walked out of the hotel room—and out of his life—without so much as a goodbye. If it wasn’t for the baby, she wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with him. He couldn’t forget that.
Daniel had to tread carefully. Under different circumstances, he would have avoided spending time with her at all costs. Since that wasn’t an option, he had to use every ounce of his self-control to remember that Megan Han was off-limits for him.