I'm sorry you had to learn about your mother the way you did. And I'm sorry about Virgil, too.

Kat nodded, crossing her ankles and folding her arms in a blatant display of full-body self-defense. Yeah. Thanks. You know, I always thought a person had to have a heart before they could have a heart attack.

The force of Kat's bitterness caused Riley to tilt his head away. He stared into her familiar face, the delicate jaw now rigid and the honey-colored eyes hard. She might smell the same, but pretty Kat Cavanaugh had become as tough as rawhide.

He waited several moments for Kat to ask more questions about her mother. Kat didn't. She just scowled at him.

Riley blew out air through his mouth. We need to talk.

Kat stiffened, but she opened the door and motioned for him to come in.

It felt strange to be with Kat in a room where Carrie had stayed so many times. He closed his eyes momentarily in disgust, aware that Carrie had been stun-paging him for the last half hour. He double-checked that his phone and pager were on silent, only to see her numbers flash on the screen for what had to be the fifth time in as many minutes.

Busy night? Kat gestured for him to take a seat in one of the chairs.

No. I got someone to cover for me so I could spend time with you.

One of Kat's beautifully arched brows rose in a question. He could see her pulse pound under the translucent skin of her throat. Something to drink? she asked.

Sure.

Kat took a couple steps toward the tiny kitchen, grabbing a cotton hoodie sweatshirt from the counter as she went. Riley nearly groaned with disappointment when she put it on and zipped it up all the way to her chin. Not very subtle. Now he couldn't look at her throat and her breasts and the flesh of her bare arms.

Nola and I opened a bottle of red wine earlier. Will that work for you?

The phenomenon started as a faint rumbling, somewhere deep in his chest.

Then it rose to a roar, circling through his trunk and limbs shooting up to his brain. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt, and it was scary, yet exhilarating. Riley wondered if Matt would be able to hear the /snap!/ from his place across town.

Riley jumped to his feet, hands flying as the words came rushing out. It will not work for me! Nothing's fucking worked for me for twenty years!

You took my child from mehe was my child as much as yours, Kat. How could you do that? How could you leave with my baby and never even let me know?

Kat turned back to face him, her mouth open in disbelief. She laughed sharply. You told me to get lost. Perhaps that had something to do with it.

Riley could not believe this. Really? And maybe you never bothering to tell me I had a child was the lowest, most despicable thing a person could do to someone else, let alone someone they claimed they loved.

Kat's face flushed red and she stomped toward him. Right. Fine. I made a serious error in judgment and I apologize. And how about you, Riley? You said you loved me, that we would be together forever; then you threw me away like I was a piece of garbage.

Rage, lust, and loss pummeled Riley's body. He raced from one emotion to the next so fast his brain couldn't keep up. He'd dreamed about this moment for a yearhow he'd eventually find Kat and make her accountable for her selfishness. But now that the moment was here, nothing was clear. He had no idea what to say, let alone what he wanted. Because all he wanted was to hold her again, feel her soft weight against him from head to toe, disappear into the sweet, hot scent of her skin, and that would be a huge mistake. It wasn't even an option. He had to gain control of the situation, and himself.

He stepped closer. I was a stupid kid and I was so in love with you that it scared the shit out of everybodyme, Big Daddy, my coaches, everyone who wanted to see me make something of myself.

A sickeningly sweet smile spread across Kat's face. How nice for you all, then.

You don't understand. He stepped closer, but Kat held up a hand to stop him.

This isn't going to work, she said. Virgil was absolutely right. I never should have come here. You need to leave now.

Damn you, Kat! Riley lunged at her and grabbed her by the shoulders, locking his eyes on hers. She squirmed to get away from his grip, and though he'd never held a woman against her will before in his life, he felt he had no choice. Stop it. Just stop it, he said, his heart nearly shattering as he saw the real fear in her eyes. How could she be afraid of him? He loosened his grip and spoke gently. If you listen to nothing else I say tonight, you have to hear what I'm about to tell you.

He took her silence as his green light.

That afternoon at the quarry when I broke up with you, I was just trying to get Big Daddy off my back for a little while. That's all it was! It was a stupid thing to do, and I was at your house that night, ready to beg you to take me back, and BettyAnn told me you'd run away for no reason!

Kat's face went blank. Without warning, she shoved so hard against his chest that he had to step back to keep his balance. His hands fell away from her shoulders.

She threw me out, Riley. Plenty of things happened that day, but me running away for no reason sure as hell wasn't one of them.

What she did was wrong. He inched his way closer to Kat as he talked, his hands outstretched, palms up. But you should have come to me. You should have told me. You could have lived with us and I would have taken care of you and the baby!

Kat snorted, resting her hands on her lovely cotton-covered hips. I did come to you, Riley! I tried to tell you I was pregnant! That's the reason I asked you to meet me out on the quarry road.

Riley's chin dropped toward his chest with the weight of that information. God, Kat.

And forgive me, but I'm having a real hard time picturing me and my love child living happily ever after with Mayor Bohland and his boys.

She turned her back to Riley and walked into the kitchenette. He couldn't stop himself. He hated her for what she'd done, but she was so beautiful and he'd once loved her so muchand she was right in front of him in a pair of pajama pantsso he watched her ass move as she walked.

She was still such a tight little package of How the hell did you find out about Aidan? Kat spun around in time to catch his eyes scanning her backside. Still an ass man, Riley?

He was still a Kat man; that's what he was. Holy God, this situation was going downhill as fast as his dick was rising.

Let's sit down, he managed to croak out.

I don't want to sit down. She frowned at him. I'm going to pour us both a glass of wine and I'm going to stay on this side of the counter and you're going to stay on that side.

You're still stubborn.

Kat nodded curtly as she poured the wine into two large goblets, obviously planning what she was about to say. She handed him his wineglass, then clinked hers against it. Let's toast to my stubbornness, then. And my amazing luck. Because those were the only two things that kept your kid alive all this time, so I wouldn't knock it if I were you.

Cheers.

Riley put down his glass without taking a sip. He hated that she was so glib, like she was the only one hurting here. But she was the only person on earth who could tell him what he needed to know, so he swallowed his own anger. Tell me everything.

She shrugged, sipping her wine. We're both going to do exactly that. And you're going to start by telling me how you found out about Aidan.

Riley leaned his elbows on the counter, looking up into Kat's golden eyes. He remembered how, in the sunshine, he used to try to count the tiny flecks of brown and green. He used to get lost in her eyes. He was afraid that he still could. Your mother died of lung cancer last September, Kat. She'd been one of my patients for a whilein fact, she was one of the first to sign up when I got out of residency and began to practice here.