Only Mine (Fool's Gold #4)(88)
“I’m in love with you. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did. And I know you probably don’t want to stay here, but you’re not gone yet and I’m hoping Hannah and I are part of the reason. There are a lot of complications, your life in South Salmon, my life here, but I thought maybe we could figure it out together.”
She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He kept looking at her, but his expression was unreadable. She didn’t know if that was good or bad.
Now came the hard part. “There’s just one more thing.”
FINN WASN’T SURE what the one more thing could be. Having Dakota spell out her feelings was a surprise. No one had ever been that honest with him. One more point in her favor, he thought, turning her words over in his mind and finding he liked them.
She was right. He’d never planned on staying in Fool’s Gold. He’d never wanted to come here in the first place. But he was glad he had. Being here had taught him to trust his brothers. Being here had allowed him to see they were adults and he could let go. Being here had even given him the opportunity to fall in love with Dakota.
His gaze drifted to Hannah. Sure, he didn’t want to take on any more responsibility, but this was different. She was a great kid, and he already knew her. Plus the idea of a little girl was fun. There would probably be a whole lot fewer broken windows. He hadn’t thought he would get seriously involved for a while, if ever, but life wasn’t always tidy.
“I’m pregnant.” She bit her lower lip. “I know this is a shock. I know I told you I couldn’t get pregnant and it was true. Well, obviously not completely true, but the doctor said it was unlikely and it was a one in one million chance and it’s probably because you have really good swimmers and…” She stared at him. “I’m pregnant.”
Pregnant.
He knew what the word meant intellectually. He knew where babies came from. He’d known that since he was ten. But pregnant?
He wanted to stand and raise his fist to the heavens. This was not supposed to happen. She’d told him she couldn’t get pregnant, and he’d believed her.
She was still talking, but he wasn’t listening. The occasional word slipped through. Something about a small chance. Something about them getting lucky.
He stared at her. “Lucky? You think this is lucky?” Now he did rise to his feet. “This isn’t lucky. This is a scam. Was there ever anything wrong with you? Or were you just trying to trick me?”
Even as he asked the question, he already knew the answer. Dakota wouldn’t trick him. That wasn’t her style. She’d been honest from day one. But damn. Why the hell had this happened?
She scrambled to her feet and pulled Hannah into her arms. The baby gurgled and held out her hands to him.
“I didn’t do this on purpose.” Dakota’s voice was quiet with determination.
He shoved his fists into his jeans pockets and stalked across the room. “I know that,” he said, nearly yelling. “But this isn’t what I wanted. Not now. Not again. I just got free and now I’m trapped again.”
“You’re not trapped. You’re not anything. Feel free to walk away.” She raised her chin. “We don’t need you here, Finn. I’m telling you because it’s the right thing to do. Not because I want anything from you.”
Which sounded good but wasn’t the least bit believable. After all, she’d started this conversation by telling him she loved him. Was that even true? Maybe it was all a way to lull him into a false sense of security. Or to make him feel obligated, so when she sprung the pregnancy on him, he would instantly want to be a part of things.
“How do I know this wasn’t just a big game to you?” he asked her.
“There are no winners here.” She shrugged. “I thought you’d want to know that you’re going to be a father. But don’t concern yourself. I can see it in your eyes. You want to run. Fine. Go ahead. There’s the door and I’m not stopping you.”
IN THAT SECOND when he just stood there, Dakota held her breath. She desperately hoped she was wrong, that Finn would want to stay. That somehow he’d realize he loved her back and that they belonged together.
As she watched, she saw the emotional door swing shut and knew that she’d lost. Before he bothered walking out, she knew he was already gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY
TREE-COVERED MOUNTAINS stretched for as far as Finn could see. The sky was blue, the sun bright, even though it was after nine in the evening. This time of year, the northern parts of Alaska got close to twenty hours of daylight.
He’d already completed two flights in the past twenty-four hours. When he flew back to South Salmon, he would rest for a while, then do it all over again. Orders were backed up, and he owed Bill. His partner had been damned understanding about his extended absence.
The controls of the plane were familiar. He didn’t have to think to fly—being in the sky, defying gravity, was as natural to him as breathing. This was all he’d ever needed.
In the distance he saw storm heads. The thick, dark clouds could have been a problem, but he knew the weather as well as he knew the sky. The clouds would pass west of him. By the time he was leaving again, the weather would have moved on.
Despite the steady drone of the engine, there was a relative silence. A sense of peace. No one sat next to him. No one waited for him when he landed. He could do what he wanted, when he wanted. He finally had the freedom he’d spent the past eight years longing for.