Chapter 22
Her mother saying her name got Greer’s attention from where she was talking with Ayla. Greer turned—to look into intense brown eyes in a far-too-handsome face.
No. Not today. She had actually been having fun today. She’d been flirting with a hot blond doctor she’d known for ten years. She was happy.
Kurt stood there, that precious baby girl strapped to his chest, and the older girl by the hand. He knelt down and said something to her, and she took off across the yard, toward the other collection of preschoolers and toddlers, and the inflatable lawn toys they had.
Bailey Addy, the sheriff’s wife headed to Kurt’s side. They were friends, she’d thought he’d said before. As was the sheriff. The sheriff held his baby in one arm and shook Kurt’s hand with his other hand.
Bailey nodded, and took off—after Kurt’s little girl, her own toddler in her arms.
Then…Kurt was coming right toward Greer. A sleeping baby girl attached to his chest.
Greer wanted to do one thing—but she knew better than to even try it. Her mother would probably clobber her if she made a scene in front of her family’s guests.
“In my experience,” Aubrey said, next to her. “It’s best to meet trouble like him head on. Get it over with. I can stay with you, if you want?”
No. Greer had to face him by herself. Time to stop being a wimp. “I’m going to deal with him myself.”
Greer started across the yard toward the man who had changed her world completely.
The ass actually reached for her. He wrapped his fingers around her elbows and just held her right where she was.
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you. I really need to talk to you.”
“Why? So you can tell me more lies?” He still wore the ridiculous baby carrier over that ridiculously fit chest of his. He jiggled the baby until her eyes drifted closed completely. And looked…perfect…while he did it. The toad. “I don’t trust you one bit.”
“Can we go inside and talk? It’s a bit loud for her out here. She’s been a bit fussy, from an ear infection this week.”
She shot a look around. All of her visible brothers were watching. Genny and Chantal and Ayla and Aubrey, too.
Grady and Hala were arguing by the corner of the back patio. Hala was practically blocking Grady with her own body. No doubt he wanted to shred Kurt right now. He had always despised Kurt. And had been insanely protective of her…since that day.
She should have listened to Grady when he’d gone on and on about Kurt, going back as far as high school. But were Grady’s hands really on Hala’s rear end right now? That would cause a sensation—especially if Hudson saw.
Hala’s brother was even worse than Grady at the overprotective big brother thing. And was Hala with Grady now, too? How had Greer missed that? It was almost enough to distract her from…the toad.
“Inside. We’re going to talk, then you can collect your little girl, and get out of Hiller country forever.”
But…to be honest, Greer really wanted to hold that baby right now. She just looked so sweet right there now.
Kurt was going to be a good boy and not do anything to make her…make him go away. She had her dark hair pulled up in a sleek ponytail. She wore a t-shirt, and loose flowing pants. She looked young and fresh and sexy and his mouth went dry just wishing he could kiss her the way he wanted.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked as he slipped the baby out of the carrier and adjusted her blanket. She was out, at least. That made things easier. “Sick in the mornings, or anything?”
She just nodded. “I’m nauseated, yes. But it’s not too bad. Not nearly as bad as Ronnie’s has been each time she was pregnant. Why are you here?” She opened the back door and stepped inside.
He followed her—probably like he always would.
She stopped abruptly, just inside the kitchen. He almost ran into her. He wrapped one arm around her to steady her, and held Bronte with the other. “Whoa, darlin’. What’s wrong—"
“Shhh.” She turned to him for just half a second.
Then back to the sight before them. A woman—he suspected it was her oldest sister—was deep in a passionate kiss with that behemoth attorney Hudson Hanan, right there against the kitchen island.
Lucky bastard—Hanan had his Hiller woman apparently right where he wanted her.
Maybe Kurt should ask Hanan for some pointers.
“This way. Don’t interrupt them—that has been building for a long time. ”
She turned and headed up a small four-step flight of stairs into a hallway. Then they were in a suite that had to be hers. It smelled just like her. She just came to him and took the baby out of his arms and started rocking her.
The woman looked beyond perfect right now.
“What are you really after? Making me pay for what happened to your brother?”
What did his brother have to do with any of this? Hell, Greer would have just been a kid when Kevin had died—and Kurt had only been eighteen.
“Kevin has nothing to do with you and me. I didn’t get you pregnant on purpose; you need to understand that I never would have risked you.
I honestly thought we were safe. The damned condom broke, baby girl.
I wanted to tell you, but…we weren’t exactly talking after.
And you blocked me. Then I got the girls and they have completely havocked my entire life. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“So you tried to take my nephew out of the goodness of your heart? Seriously?”
She was looking up at him with those big hazel eyes of hers and he melted. Like he had from the moment he’d found her alongside the road, needing him. “I hope the baby gets your eyes.”
Her face tightened, she held Bronte closer. He wished she didn’t hate him. He’d love to touch her there. To feel the changes for himself. “What about Calvin, Kurt? You were just trying to hurt Gene, using a little boy, and I know it.”
“No. It wasn’t that. I never would have used a kid against your brother. I wasn’t going to take him. I just wanted to know the truth. Carly told me he was mine, Greer. She said he was only three…and the math added up. I did something stupid with her.”
“Seems to be your modus operandi, doesn’t it? Just how many women have you made those kinds of mistakes with?”
He ignored that—she had him on that one. He’d always regretted Carly Fueller. Now, he most definitely always would.
“She said that Gene was just leaving him for your sister to raise now. I just wanted a DNA test to know…If he was mine, I wanted to make sure he was being taken care of. I was trying to do the right thing.”
“You wanted him for yourself. But kids aren’t just things, Kurtland. Something you need to learn, I think.”
“Hell, I know that. Kids are little demon humans who eat you out of house and home and pee, poop, and even puke everywhere every time you turn around. Then they want snuggles and you are completely helpless and unable to resist, after that. After the last few weeks, I’m sure of it.
And I should probably get back outside soon, as it is.
Bristol can be a bit of a handful for the unsuspecting. ”
She carried his baby to the bed and pulled the blankets back before carefully placing her in the center. Then she turned to Kurt.
“And what about your brother? I know you hate me because of what he did to me that day.”
To her?
Kurt froze. “Baby girl, I don’t even know what happened to him that day. No one will even tell me. I wasn’t even eighteen when he died. I’ve tried to find out and I can’t find squat. Tell me.”
She flinched as if he’d struck her. Kurt said to hell with it, she could have her brothers kick his ass in a minute. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled his woman closer. “Tell me what happened. Please.”
He kissed her temple, and just held her close. Wishing she loved him enough to let him keep holding her forever. What did he have to do to convince her he would love her until the day he died?
“Hell, baby girl, don’t tell me, if you don’t want to. Just don’t hate me forever. I can’t take it. I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. Never you. You are my heart and soul. I wish you could see that.”