“Not until she calls me king,” Logan said.

“Logan,” Phil warned as he reached for Katie. “You could drop her or knock her into something.” He effortlessly lifted Katie off Logan’s shoulder and set her on her feet.

“I could have gotten away,” Katie insisted, looking up at her dad.

“Yeah, I could see that,” Phil said dryly.

Chapter 15

15

As soon as Lina emerged from her car after attending an evening yoga class, she heard the low timbre of Phil’s voice coming from somewhere in the back yard. She frowned as she left the garage and made her way around the side of the yard. He was on the back patio near the pool, and as she approached, she knew Kim was on the other end of the call. There was no other reason he would have traveled all the way to the back patio.

“Calm down,” he was saying when she came close enough to hear. “Calm down…I’m sorry. I really am, but there is an easy solution to this…Kim—Kim, listen to me…I understand, but the reality is I already have a family. I have a wife and three kids. They are my priority…No—no. Did I ever tell you I was going to leave my wife? That’s not true…No, it doesn’t. It doesn’t change anything.”

Lina leaned back against the house, out of sight of Phil, continuing to listen to one side of the conversation. “You’re on your own if you go forward with this. That’s what I’m trying to tell you…Think about the child, Kim. Do you really want to bring a child into this world that isn’t going to have a father?” There was a long pause before he spoke again. “I will meet my legal responsibilities and nothing more. Nothing more! Jesus Christ, why are you being so obstinate? It’s not too late to undo this. If you love me, why are you trying to destroy my life? What? Jesus Christ! I thought you got pregnant in May…Unbelievable…How could you not have known? This isn’t about Lina…If she left me tomorrow—which she isn’t going to do, by the way—I wouldn’t marry you. I will never marry you. Never!”

Lina walked slowly back to the house, pondering the fact her husband was on their patio talking to a woman who was pregnant with his child.

“How often do you talk to her?” Lina asked when Phil entered the bedroom an hour later.

If he was surprised Lina knew about the phone call, his facial expression didn’t reveal it. “More than I’d like, but not often.”

“What did she want? I mean besides you?” Lina roughly tugged back the comforter. “And why is she calling you in the evening when she knows you’re with your family? One of the kids could have overheard you.”