What a tempting offer. Eli hated public events. He hated being in the public eye, under pressure to do and say all the right things. Hated the endless stream of prospective wives Frances threw in his direction. The worst of these was Victoria Burns, who’d tired of her stint on the wild side, left the biker she’d cheated on him with, and befriended his mother to work her way back into his life. Victoria was a flawless blonde with a mercenary personality. Although he approved of mercenary tendencies in business partners, and even casual sex partners, Eli preferred his girlfriends to be softer. More like Aria.

The prospect of his mother thrusting another wife candidate under his nose made him shudder. He needed a shield, something to distract Frances. “Is there room at the table to bring a date?” he asked.

“Of course,” Frances exclaimed. “I can arrange someone, if you’d like.”

Eli cringed. “No need. I have someone in mind.”

If Aria was going to have his child, she should formally meet the family. It would have to happen at some point, though he dreaded it. The thought of subjecting her to his judgmental parents horrified him. Their reaction to his change of circumstances would be extreme. And not in a good way.

“Oh?” Frances expressed her disbelief. “Are you dating someone?”

“Yes.” God forgive him for the lie. It was necessary to preserve his sanity. “I’ll bring her up with Therese. Does it suit for us to arrive at your place at five on Friday?”

“Yes, but—”

“I’m assuming it’s a black-tie occasion?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“I’ll see you then.” Eli hung up, feeling quite pleased with himself.

CHAPTER 19

Aria added a sentence to her article about a new camping bylaw and glanced up as a messenger delivered a bouquet of red roses and darted off. He was gone before she could ask any questions. A card was tied around the stem of the bouquet, and she took it between her fingers to read the note. I miss you. She shut the roses in the kitchenette and pretended they didn’t exist. Eli hadn’t made any effort to see her since she’d broken the news, and she’d assumed his silence meant he had nothing more to say.

In the afternoon, a box of expensive chocolates arrived. She couldn’t resist the urge to eat a few before hiding them away. Being sensitive to smell, it was increasingly difficult for her to enjoy food, so the sweets were a perfect pick-me-up.