Her Secret, His Baby. Tanya Michaels
a quelling look. “Of course I’ll tell you—when the other part of the family gets here.”
Justin went straight for the coffee supplies in the corner and began filling the pot with water. “You had a ‘dizzy spell’ yesterday and a friend drove you home,” he commented. “Which friend? If it was Layla, you would’ve said so. I know there’s something you’re leaving out. You were a lousy liar as a kid, and you haven’t improved with age.”
She stood next to the coatrack, shrugging out of her jacket. “I got dizzy enough that I went to the hospital, okay? But I don’t want Colin to know, so you’d better not mention it. He does not need any extra reason to worry that something will happen to me or the baby.”
Justin was quick to agree. “My lips are sealed. Look, I’m as concerned about him going round the bend as you are. But you can tell me this stuff, okay? I’m too shallow to stay up nights obsessing over other people’s safety.”
The big faker. “No, you’re not.” The women he jilted might think of him as a heartless beast, but Arden knew there was more to him than that. Why was he so reluctant to let people see his caring side? “You’ve been a fantastic brother these past few months, and I don’t know how I would have coped without you.”
“Ah, is that what the family meeting’s about?” he asked, spinning around a low-backed chair and straddling it. “Am I getting a medal for outstanding brothership? Is there a cash award involved? Because there’s this new girl who works at the deli across from the ambulance station, and I would love to take her out for a night on the town.”
Ignoring him, she booted up her computer for the day. Given Justin’s flippant personality, he might be kidding about the girl at the deli. But if he was serious, she’d rather not know. His hit-and-run dating habits were too exasperating. She’d never seen him happier than he’d been with Elisabeth Donnelly. She understood that Elisabeth’s life had changed drastically after being named guardian of a little girl, but she believed Justin had made a grave mistake walking away from the woman he loved. A gust of wind swept through the studio when the front door opened again, and her heart jumped to her throat. Colin. While she’d decided that this conversation with her brothers was necessary, she dreaded having to go through with it. Silly, really. Wasn’t the hardest part telling them she was pregnant in the first place? Relatively speaking, explaining who the father was should be a piece of cake.
She watched her brothers exchange greetings. Colin’s hello was terse, his voice a low rasp. He had his motorcycle helmet tucked under one arm, and his rich brown hair had grown shaggy, falling across his forehead. It almost covered his turquoise eyes, which resembled hard stone in more than just color. All in all, not someone you’d want to encounter in a dark alley.
It tugged at her heart that he tried, for her benefit, to smile. Even if it was a dismal failure. “Morning, Colin.”
“You...look good. Glowing and all that.”
“Thank you.” She hugged him, trying not to be offended by how he stiffened at her embrace. The man who’d once cuddled her after nightmares and skinned knees could no longer bear to be touched.
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