Head still spinning, Ethan said, “I understand that.”

“I appreciate you coming. I know this isn’t what you signed on for when you said you’d stay to oversee the stadium project.”

Ethan lowered himself into a chair and Ian followed, sitting beside him. “The Knights are very family oriented. I understand,” he assured the man. “The doctor said the preliminary bloodwork was good?” Ethan needed to be certain he’d heard correctly.

“Yes.” Ian let out a relieved breath. “We have no reason to believe it will come back. It’s been fifteen years. But we still tend to panic. And baby her.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I … I was the worst behaved when I found out that my father had other children. Another family. And I didn’t come around until just recently. Ever since Riley opened my eyes, I’ve been trying to more than make up for my behavior.”

“Did I hear my name?” A curvy brunette with wavy hair and a bright smile strode up to Ian and put her hand in his.

“Ethan Knight, this is my wife, Riley Dare. I was just explaining our complicated family dynamic to a man who is supposed to be a business associate. But he caught Sienna when she fainted, so he’s here and learning more about the Dares than he probably cares to know.” Ian shook his head, a wry smile twisting his mouth.

Little did Ian know, Ethan savored every word of explanation he received on Sienna and her background. He catalogued it in his mind. He set it aside to consider and think about later.

All he could do now was breathe a sigh of relief … and wish he could go back and see for himself that she was okay.

Chapter Six

“I’m pregnant,” Sienna told her mother, who stood at her bedside, hand in hers. She still couldn’t say the words and process them in her mind.

Her mother clasped her hand tighter. “We’ll figure it out, baby. Whatever you want to do, I’ll support you.”

Sienna leaned back against the pillow and groaned in relief. The one thing about Savannah Sheppard Dare was that her kids could talk to her about anything. And when the doctor told Sienna the fainting had been caused by a drop in blood pressure due to her pregnancy, once she’d gotten over the shock, she’d wanted to tell her mother.

From the time she was old enough to understand, she’d been told the chances of her having a child were slim to none. That the chemotherapy and the stem cell transplant had probably ended those chances, and she thought she’d come to terms with that. To be told she was pregnant?

Nothing short of mind-blowing. She’d never let herself want kids because she’d been told it hadn’t been in the cards. But now? She put her hand over her stomach, feeling a fierce protectiveness she hadn’t known she was capable of… along with a sense of excitement that had her wanting to share the news with the world.