they hadn’t been on the friendliest of terms. Waiting for the test results made them both tense.
Perhaps she should have told him about Gabe sooner.
In her defense, parenting didn’t come easily. Whoever said it did, lied. It certainly hadn’t the first time when she’d gained custody of Sarah. So far, this time was no different. Except she was older, thirty-one instead of nineteen.
And this time she hoped not to do it alone.
Pressing a hand against her stomach to tamp down the havoc caused by anticipation and nervousness, she tapped on Alex’s door.
“Come in,” he called in his deep velvet voice, the voice that made her hormones sit up and take notice.
She stepped inside and closed the door, bracing herself, because every time their eyes met a zing of awareness curled all the way down to her toes.
He sat behind a large desk, his dark head bent over a stack of papers. George Washington stared down from the wall. The American flag stood in the corner. Alex’s sleeves were rolled up and his tie loosened. The breadth of his shoulders filled the executive chair he sat in and his hair-dusted forearms bracketed the document he studied.
Even disheveled he took her breath.
Which made his inattention aggravating. He had asked for this meeting, the least he could do was attend it.
“Alex,” she prompted as she took a seat in one of the hardwood chairs facing him. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, I just want to finish this.” He signed his name at the bottom of the paper then set it aside and looked up.
And zing, her toes curled in her white, rubber-soled shoes. She knew he felt the attraction, too. Desire blazed in his blue, blue eyes. A flash of hunger quickly banked.
Unfortunately, knowing changed nothing. Because acting on the attraction would be downright insane.
Darn it.
Scowling, he blinked away all signs of passion, then ran a hand over the back of his neck. The weariness in his gesture distracted Samantha. He usually seemed so vital, so in control.
Seeing him at less than his normal hundred-and-ten percent made her want to tend to him. Fighting the urge, she linked her fingers together. Best she keep her hands and nurturing instincts to herself.
Without meaning to, she heard herself ask, “Tough day?”
He shrugged, a frown drawing his eyebrows together. “No worse than usual.” He tossed his pen on the desk and leaned back in his chair. “Speculation about Gabe is starting to get around. I got a call from a member of the school board.”
“Oh.” Guilt assailed Samantha. What could she say? “Do you feel Gabe’s illegitimacy will reflect badly on you?”
She really hoped Alex would say no. But even with San Diego only thirty miles down the highway, Paradise Pines was a small town, with small-town values and small-town ethics. As principal, and the highest adult influence on their children, the citizens could be disturbed to learn Alex had an illegitimate child.
For the first time since she entered his office, he smiled. “Paradise Pines isn’t that provincial.” His expression turned rueful. “At least I don’t think it is.” He stood and came around the desk. “We’ll know soon enough. That’s why I called you in here, to tell you I received the results of the DNA tests.”
She caught her breath. “Really? My lab said four to six weeks for the results.” Mixed feelings made her heart pound. She believed her sister believed Alex was the father of her child. Heck, Samantha had based major decisions on that belief, but the test results were official. “So?”
“Gabe is my son.”
Her breath escaped in a rush of relief. Finally. Now they could move forward. Samantha tried to gauge Alex’s reaction, but his matter-of-fact manner gave her no clue to his true feelings.
Keeping his serious gaze on hers, he clasped his hands in front of him and leaned back against his desk. “You need to know, Samantha, that I’ve hired an attorney. I’m petitioning for custody.”
Shock rocked Samantha. She stared, trying to wrap her mind around what she’d heard. Alex couldn’t have said he meant to take Gabe away from her.
“No,” she protested, denying her worst fears. “You can’t have him.” Needing to hold on to something solid, she clutched the wooden arms of her chair. “Gabe belongs with me.”
“You’re upset.” He reached for her hand, but she pulled away from him.
She laughed harshly. “Of course I’m upset. Did you expect me to be happy to have you steal him from me?”
He arched a dark eyebrow in a silent reminder that his claim to Gabe was stronger than hers. “I expect you to want what’s best for him.”
“I do.” She congratulated herself on the restraint that kept her from slapping the arrogant look from his face. “I don’t believe taking him from the only family he’s ever known constitutes what’s best.”
“I’m not taking him from you,” he denied in exasperation.
“No?” she mocked him. “You’re seeking custody. What would you call it?”
He shifted his position against the desk, crossed his ankles and leaned back. “Gabe is my son, my responsibility.”
“I commend you on your sense of duty.” With her heart being torn in two, she couldn’t prevent the sarcasm. She crossed her arms over her breasts, more to contain the fresh wave of pain than out of defiance. “But you need more than duty to raise a baby. You need love and patience and understanding.”
He glanced around his office then back at her. “I’m aware of what it takes to raise a child.”
“There’s more to raising a child than education.” Feeling cornered, she stood and hugged herself as she paced. “Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”
“I didn’t have the test results. My attorney only filed the petition today.”
“But you knew what you were planning,” she accused, remembering with a sense of betrayal how pleased she’d been at his willingness to have the DNA tests done. Little had she known he’d use the results to undermine her position as Gabe’s guardian.
Her heart rose to her throat as she realized she had no legal claim to Gabe. His care had passed from her sister to Samantha by right of family taking care of family. Nobody had questioned her custody. Until now, when it might be too late to protect Gabe’s interests.
“You’re right.” Alex looked her straight in the eye, challenging her. “I should have told you of my intentions sooner. Just as you should have told me Gabe was my son earlier.”
Oh no, he wasn’t going to make her feel guilty.
She’d turned her life upside down to bring his son to him. Maybe Alex was right. Maybe the decision to wait hadn’t been fair. But she’d needed to know in her heart that introducing Gabe to Alex was not only right, but safe.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. She’d never dreamed he’d try to take Gabe from her. In her experience, men didn’t stay around to raise their own children. And she’d learned the hard way—when her fiancé left her rather than help with Sarah—that they didn’t care to take on the raising of other men’s kids, either.
Heaven knew she’d hoped Alex would take an interest in Gabe, but deep down she hadn’t really believed he would.
“You didn’t believe me when I did tell you.” She voiced her outrage. “You have no right to blame me for trying to protect Gabe. I gave up a job I’d had for five years and moved him to a new state so he could meet his father. Don’t tell me I haven’t done my part. It takes time to—”
Alex