“I am better. You enjoy Paris?” I asked, pulling the strap of my bag up my shoulder.
“I always enjoy Paris,” she said as she took a step toward me and ran her hand up my chest. “I miss you. I miss the things you can do with that mouth of yours.” She ran her finger over my lips.
I shook my head and started to step back, but I wasn’t fast enough. Nan slipped her hand into my hair and grabbed a handful, then pressed her mouth against mine. I was in shock at first but only for a second, before I shoved her back, breaking the kiss.
“What the f**k?” I asked, furious. “You don’t get to do that shit. I’m not available, and if I was, I sure as hell wouldn’t be available for you.”
Nan glared at me. “Not available? Don’t tell me Harlow came back,” she said hatefully. As if “Harlow” was a bad word that she hated saying.
“Harlow is back, and she’s pregnant. With my baby,” I said with emphasis.
Nan frowned at me. “Pregnant?” she repeated.
I nodded, a little confused at the pride that came with that word. I hated that she was pregnant. I hated that she was in danger. But there was pride in saying a part of me was inside Harlow.
“She can’t get pregnant,” Nan said slowly. “She has a heart condition. What the hell were you thinking?” Of all the people in the world, I expected to blame myself and scold myself for this; I never expected it from Nan. “She can’t have a baby,” Nan repeated, as if she wasn’t sure it had sunk in for me yet.
“She’s having the baby. I’ve tried talking her out of it, but she refuses to listen to me. She won’t . . . she already loves the baby,” I explained, not missing that it was slightly odd to be explaining myself to Nan.
Nan put her hand on her hip and studied me a moment before saying anything else. “So you’re just gonna let her have a baby that will kill her? Does Kiro know?”
“He was here two days ago. You just missed him.”
Nan rolled her eyes. She wasn’t a fan of her father’s. He had neglected her for most of her life and hardly claimed her as a daughter, all while he had loved and cherished Harlow. Nan held a lot of bitterness toward both of them. “Hate that I missed that,” she said sarcastically.
“I gotta go. Rush and Woods are waiting for me,” I said, turning to leave her there. I didn’t want to chat with Nan any longer. It was weird, and I felt like I was cheating on Harlow by just carrying on a conversation with Nan.
“Can I join?” Nan asked.
“No, you can’t.” Blaire’s voice surprised me, and I turned around to see her walking toward us as Harlow and Della stood at the main entrance of the club. Harlow looked like she was on the verge of tears, and the pain in her eyes had me dropping my bag and heading for her.
“I don’t recall asking you, Blaire,” Nan snapped.
“You didn’t ask me. But I’m answering,” Blaire retorted. I didn’t stay there to referee. They might be related by marriage now, but those two hadn’t made any sort of bond. I doubted they ever would.
Della was glaring at me as I ran up the stairs to where she and Harlow were standing.
“Your car’s here, Miss Sloane,” the valet said as I approached.
“Not ready for it just yet. Give us a minute, please,” Della replied, and she swung her angry gaze back to me.
I studied Harlow’s face and saw her drop her eyes to stare at the ground. Something was wrong. Della was ready to hit me, and Harlow looked ready to sob.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” I asked, touching her face in an attempt to get her to look at me.
Harlow lifted her face, but she kept her eyes diverted from me.
“Maybe you should ask Nan’s lips?” Della snapped at me.
Oh. Shit! “You saw that?” I asked Harlow in a panic, and realized it wasn’t the smartest reaction.
“Yes, the entire club saw it from the dining room,” Della answered for her. “We were just leaving.”
Not good. Upsetting Harlow was the last thing I wanted to do. “I shoved her off. I wasn’t expecting her to do that. I was telling her I was going to play golf, and she just attacked me. I didn’t know—”
“You kept talking to her. You didn’t look angry,” Harlow’s soft voice finally said, interrupting my excuses.
Shit. “I told her about the baby, and she was surprised. She knows about your heart. We were discussing Kiro’s visit. And your health. I swear, we were. I know that sounds crazy, but she was actually curious. And seemed concerned, which I’m having a hard time believing, too.”