Claiming His Unexpected Baby (Assassins Guild #2) - Michelle Howard Page 0,25

a rising grain of fear. Sulen hit too close to the truth with the last comment. Roan had been very much aware she was pregnant. The difference was he’d hoped he’d intimidated and abused Amelie enough that she would have followed his directive and gotten rid of the child. Or lost her all together.

“Fine. It seems like you’re unwilling to listen as well.” She pointed to Amelie. “You will not get away with your lies. Roan and I will find a way to prove you don’t deserve to keep his child. You’ll regret your refusal to work this out amicably.”

With one last sniff and a chin lift, she stalked from the store and slammed the door behind her. For a moment, Amelie wilted in place. The threat took the last of her steam and she pounded her fist on the counter. Stupid, Roan.

“Are you alright?” Sulen placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

At least Amelie wanted to think it was meant to be comforting. The grip was more firm than it needed to be. “I’m fine. Just didn’t expect to have someone offer to pay me for my daughter at the end of my workday.”

He turned her around and tipped her chin up with a scarred knuckle. “Have you prepared for the eventuality that the truth will come out?”

“There is no truth to their story. I...” Amelie took several deep breaths. She couldn’t reveal the truth. Not all of it. “I’m sorry you got dragged into all of this.”

The corner of his mouth curled up and he tilted his head to the side. “Are you? I mean, I’m listed on an official registry as father and bond mate to you and your daughter. Sounds like I was deliberately included.”

Embarrassment caused her face to flame. Flustered, Amelie checked the time and shuffled around the counter to grab her keys and things. “I have to go. It’s time to pick up Fleur and I don’t want to be late. Who knows what Roan will try to do next.”

“I’ll go with you,” he said, right on her heels as Amelie shut everything down and locked up the garden center.

“You don’t have to,” she protested, eager to be out of his presence before he questioned her further.

“Listen.” He gripped her arm, stopping Amelie from rushing down the street. “The school you have her in doesn’t have the greatest security and despite my feelings on your ex and his wife, I don’t trust either of them.”

“You’ve been to Fleur’s school?” she asked, bypassing everything else he said.

She tugged her arm free and her steps quickened. Getting to the school became a priority. Amelie needed to make sure her daughter was safe.

Sulen kept pace with her, his ground eating strides not causing him any problem. By the time they reached the learning academy, children already streamed from the front door to their waiting parents. As Scarlett had warned, there were plenty of dads here today.

Amelie stopped on the walkway, scanning the small bobbing heads. Sulen saw Fleur first and stretched his arm over her shoulder to point. “There she is.”

Fleur came streaking through the front door, hands in the air and wearing a big grin. “Daddyyyyy!”

Her cry drew the attention of the others. Amelie wanted to curl into a ball and hide. Instead, she went to one knee to catch Fleur, who showed no signs of slowing her rapid approach.

Going right past her, Fleur hit the bottom of Sulen’s legs and wrapped both arms around his knees. “You came back.”

Amelie was stunned. She stood up, shock more than likely visible on her face. Sulen scooped her daughter up as if it was no big deal and propped her on his forearm to hold her aloft. Fleur curved one arm about his neck and pressed her face against the hollow of his throat.

Fleur never went to anyone like that at the end of the school day except Amelie. It was their special ritual from the first day Amelie had dropped her daughter off. Fleur called it her missed you so much hug. Now someone else was on the receiving end of that embrace.

“Are you okay with going out to eat?” Sulen asked.

Staring at their two dark heads together with matching green eyes, it hit her all at once. They didn’t just have the same coloring. They favored strongly from the shape of Fleur’s nose to the way her eyebrows had a funny way of arching up. Like Sulen’s. The resemblance was unnerving.

“Amelie?” Sulen sent a frown in