He started his car, found some good ole Hank Jr. on the XM Radio, and put the car in reverse.

A moment later he was damn glad that it was a newer car and had one of those backup systems to it, because the thing began to beep and scream at him, forcing him to slam on his brakes before he hit his Aunt’s car, which had just shown up behind him.

Christian slammed the car in park and jumped out to make sure he hadn’t actually hit her.

“Are you okay? Is everything okay?” He began his bombardment the moment Arianna stepped out of the car. “God, why did you pull up on me like that?”

“I need to talk to you.” She was out of breath and it was scaring him.

“Mom and Dad are okay right?”

She nodded. “I need to know if you’ve talked to Tori.”

His heart began racing uncomfortably and his stomach did some kind of dead-man’s flop. “No. Tell me she’s okay. There wasn’t some accident or anything was there? The kids? The kids are okay?” He couldn’t catch his breath fast enough to ask more questions.

Arianna put her hands on his shoulders to calm him. “She’s fine. Kiddo, she’s fine.”

He nodded and began sucking in as much air as he could.

“Listen, John went over to fix her sink. I just wondered if you’ve talked to her recently.”

He thought about the day he’d interrupted her lunch, but that’d been it. Besides that he’d just been a stalker-like creep and driven by her house to see Scott’s car parked there all night long.

“No.” He backed away from his aunt’s grasp and motioned to the car. “If she’s okay then I’m glad. I have a date with a red-head who seems to have been asking about me since the wedding. So if you don’t mind…”

“She broke up with that guy—I think.”

“You came over here to tell me that?” He shook his head. “She has made it very clear that she doesn’t want anything to do with me. I made a mistake once in the darkest time of my life and she’s made a point to remind me of that.”

“I think she could use your friendship right now.”

“I don’t want to show up there and say sorry you got dumped. I want to move on.”

He turned around and climbed back in his car, but his aunt stood there with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m telling you she needs someone right now.”

“How do you know this? Did she cry to John? Did she cry to you or Clara?”

She shook her head. “No. Just—will you go to her?”

“No.” He looked up at his aunt one more time. “I’m late. Will you please move your…”

“She’s pregnant.”

He was sure he could still hear the cars warning sound going off, but in fact it was the blood rushing through his head and his ears. He swallowed hard.

“She told you that?”

Arianna shook her head. “No, but John wouldn’t just gossip.”

“She told him that?”

Again Arianna shook her head and then walked closer to his car. “He found the positive test in the trash in her bathroom. And she’s been sick.”

He thought of how she looked when he’d seen her at the restaurant.

“Uncle John isn’t the kind of guy to get involved in things like this.”

“Not unless he cares about someone. You may not be with her, but she was part of our family for a long time. I think it would be a nice gesture if you just went and checked up on her.”

“Because the big lawyer who swooped in, to make me look so bad, now looks just as bad. Get her pregnant and then run?”

“Christian…”

“I’m sure she’ll be okay. She has Sonia to cry to if she needs to. I have a date.” His phone buzzed. “And there she is, wondering where I am.”

Arianna stepped back from his car and he shut the door between them. He watched her get back into her car and back out of the driveway. A moment later he watched her drive away down the street.

When she was out of sight he backed out of the driveway too. His date lived east of Nashville.

He turned and went north—toward Tori’s house.

The steering wheel was slick under his hands which were moist with perspiration. The buttons on his shirt had become constricting and the car was slower than it should have been.

That Scott guy was a piece of work. How could he do something like that to her? How could he…

Quickly Christian rolled down his window. The air was too thick to breathe.

He realized he’d done nearly the same thing to her when her sister had died. Only there wasn’t nine months to get used to the idea of someone coming into your life. No, it was sudden and it was painful. She’d been physically a wreck after the accident, in and out of surgery. The kids had emotional issues that needed to be tended to, as well as her emotional issues. She’d lost what was left of her family that night—and she’d lost him.

He’d been so big on all the bad things happening in his life he pushed her away when she needed him the most—and now this.

As he sped down side streets and through major intersections, he thought about her. What had she been thinking? Why did she get pregnant? As if that was going to solidify Scott staying.

He grew angrier. He wanted to go to the man’s office or his house or his country club and punch him right in the jaw. How could he do something like this to Tori?

And then back again—the guilt balled in his stomach.

Who was he to rush in to the rescue? He was a hypocrite.

As he turned down her street he made himself a promise. It would be Tori for the rest of his life or no one at all. He loved those kids and had since the minute each of them was born. There was a commitment to them which he’d promised to Dave. He’d turned his back on them when he turned his back on Tori.

No more. It was fine that she didn’t want him in her life as a lover or a husband. She might not even like him enough to be her friend, but it wasn’t going to stop him.

If he had to use the kids as leverage, then that’s what he would do. He’d made that promise to Dave and Ashley and he was going to see it through.

He swallowed hard. And when Tori’s baby was born he’d love the baby too, because it was part of Tori—even if he felt like that just might kill him.

The air was thick, but Victoria wasn’t sure if it was because of the heat outside or because she’d sucked in a breath and had forgotten to expel it. The door handle was still clenched in her hand and she stood there staring at Christian all dressed up as if he’d come to take her out.