Only Mine (Fool's Gold #4)(87)

Montana covered her ears again and started humming. Nevada looked like she was ready to bolt.

“It’s probably best you didn’t have sex on the first date,” Dakota said, hoping she sounded calm and reasonable. She was completely with her sisters. Anywhere but here. Parental sex discussions should be illegal. “It’s been a long time for you. You were married to Dad for all those years and now you’ve been a widow for a decade. Starting the dating game slowly makes the most sense.”

“That’s what I thought,” her mother said primly. “The kissing was really just an experiment. I wondered what it would be like with another man. It wasn’t that great.”

Montana dropped her hands again. “Maybe it wasn’t the kissing, maybe it was the guy. Chemistry matters. There has to be that spark.”

“Maybe he was a nice enough man,” their mother said. “But there was no spark. I’m not going out with him again. I want to say I’m never going out again but it would be silly to make that decision based on a single date. I’ll think about it.”

She turned to Dakota. “And while we’re on the subject about thinking about things—have you told Finn about being pregnant?”

“Is Finn pregnant, too?” Montana asked, grinning.

“I’m ignoring you,” her mother said. “Eat your breakfast.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Montana reached for her fork.

The other two looked at Dakota. She shifted on her feet. “I haven’t told him, exactly.”

Her mother’s expression turned disapproving. “This is not information you keep to yourself. Finn has the right to know he’s going to be a father.”

“I know, and I’m going to tell him. Soon.” She drew in a breath. “Every time I think about telling him, I get a knot in my stomach. He’s still here. He doesn’t have to be here, but he is. Everything is settled with his brothers and he hasn’t said when he’s leaving. Which makes me think I might be the reason he’s staying.”

“You’re afraid if you tell him about the baby, he’ll run,” Nevada said gently.

“Yes,” Dakota whispered, knowing it was cowardly and still the truth. “I love him. I want him to stay. Having him go would break my heart.”

“Then tell him that,” Montana suggested. “Knowing how you feel could change his mind. And you don’t know that he won’t be happy about the baby. He might surprise you.”

Dakota would like to believe that, but she wasn’t holding her breath. As for telling Finn that she loved him…

“I don’t want him to see my feelings as a trap,” she admitted. “I don’t want him to think I’m telling him I love him to get him to stay. I’m not sure I can tell him those two things together. But if I tell him I love him and then tell him about the baby, it’s still a trap. If I tell him about the baby, I probably won’t get a chance to tell him that I love him. I don’t know how to fix this.”

“That’s because it can’t be fixed,” her mother told her. “There is nothing to be resolved. There is information to be shared and plans to be made.” She paused. “As for which you tell him first, I understand your dilemma. However you choose to handle this, he needs to know that you’re pregnant. Every man has the right to know he’s going to be a father. Don’t wait for the right time, because there isn’t one.”

It had been many years since her mother had scolded her, Dakota thought. No matter how old she got or how mature she felt, those chiding words still had the power to make her feel small. She wanted to protest that she had her reasons, but she knew her mother was right. She was hiding from the situation, avoiding what had to be done. Whatever the outcome, she had to tell him.

“I’ll tell him today.”

And by tomorrow he would be gone.

“SASHA CALLED from L.A. He’s found an apartment, and sharing it with two other guys. I guess they take turns sleeping. I’m not sure what happened with Lani, but whatever. He sounds happy.”

Dakota found it difficult to concentrate on Finn’s conversation. While she was usually happy to listen, this was different. The need to tell him the truth pressed in on her. She still hadn’t figured out the best words to use, but she was done procrastinating.

“I have to tell you something,” she said, interrupting him. “It’s important.” They were sitting on her living-room floor, Hannah on the carpet between them. The little girl held a set of baby keys in her hand and was delighted by the noise when she shook them.

Finn drew his eyebrows together. “Is everything okay? Is it Hannah?”

Dakota drew in her breath. She just had to say it, she told herself. Just blurt it out. Then hope for the best. “It’s not Hannah. It’s me.” She shook her head. “No, I don’t mean it that way. I’m…”

She swore silently. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard.

“You’ve been really great to me,” she said, forcing herself to stare into his dark blue eyes. “I know you didn’t want to come here. But I’m glad you did. I’m glad I got to meet you and spend time with you. You’re really special to me.”

She swallowed. There she was—about to say the word she’d never said to a man before. She’d never even come close. She loved her family, but this was different. This was romantic love. And this was the rest of her life.