Page 63 of Harmless Secrets

“And you were one.”

Alicia looked up at him and saw the genuine interest in his gaze. She nodded. “It was scary. I had gone to South Africa to have her.”

He frowned. “Why there?”

“My mother’s family had some land there and it wasn’t really tied to us. I have a fake identity I could use. I’m pretty damned good with the accent.”

“And no one knew about it?”

She shook her head. “Although about three months after having Bridget, I had to move. I had a few inquiries from someone about who I was. I didn’t stick around to find out who it was.”

“Smart.”

She tried not to get so happy about his approval. “I am my father’s daughter.”

“So, you looked for me?” he asked. “When you felt you had to run from South Africa?”

“Not then. I’d become paranoid. But when I found out I was pregnant, I did look for you. It’s a good thing I didn’t find you or I would have never moved back to the states.”

“Why?”

“I thought you had something to do with my father’s death. I wasn’t about to let you within ten feet of Bridget.”

“And you didn’t think I should know about her?”

She sighed as the emotions from those days washed over her. The panic, the fear…the horror that she was alone in the world.

“I didn’t know. I wasn’t in my right mind. Pregnancy…it zaps your brain cells. Losing my father shattered me, then knowing I had this little being to protect…I started to understand why my father was so fanatical about my safety. And I had a few close calls while I was pregnant. I tried to hang around Paris, but I barely made it out of there alive.”

“And still you didn’t come find me.”

“If I had known this is who you were, I would have tracked your fertile ass down and demanded you help.”

His lips twitched. “Fertile ass?”

“Yes. Bloody hell, I was on the pill and we used a condom. Ending up pregnant was kind of beyond anything statistics could predict. But, not knowing what the hell was going on, I couldn’t chance it. Having the attack at my own house…that was over the top. It was the one place I knew we were always safe.”

His frown darkened. “And the bastard knew it. Which means he knew you.”

She nodded. “I know I can’t do anything to make up for the time you lost with Bridget, but I just want you to understand that I had no choice. I didn’t know where to turn and I couldn’t trust anyone’s information.”

“What about Kaheaku?”

“Sean?”

He nodded.

“I didn’t think of him. No, that’s not true. I did think of him, but I had no way of contacting him. When he started working in private contracting, he wasn’t the easiest to find. Add to that the threat…I just couldn’t involve him. I had a very real fear that anyone connected to me would end up in danger. Sean would be pissed to know that I was trying to protect him, but I had to.”

He said nothing for a moment, then he reached out with his hand and cupped her face.

“You’re tough, you know that?”

She tried to shake his hand away by moving her face, but he refused.

“No. I want you to know that in any fight, I’d want you at my back. I trust you, but know that you don’t have to do this alone anymore. I’m here and there are people who want to help.”

Tears stung the backs of her eyes. She blinked trying to keep them from falling, but she failed. He wiped them away with the backs of his fingers, then leaned over to kiss her. It was more sweet than carnal, but it affected her more than any kiss he’d offered her before. In this, she felt his dedication and trust. He pulled back and rested his forehead on hers.