He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 27

It took several agonizing seconds for Yardley to snap back to reality. His gentle tone suddenly pitched into frantic urgency. "Absolutely not. She's my daughter. Why would she take your last name?"

Scarlett scoffed, the chaotic rage in her chest suddenly smoothing into a dead calm. "Oh, so you do remember you have a daughter?"

"You've held Sylvia's son at least a hundred times by now. But what about her? Since the day she was born, she's only seen her father once. Is she some dirty little secret? Does she not deserve a father?"

A heavy lump formed in Scarlett's throat. She desperately didn't want to cry, but tears betrayed her and spilled over her lashes. She never cried over her own struggles; her instinct was always to fix the problem. But when it came to her daughter, even the slightest mistreatment felt like a knife to the chest. She couldn't bear it.

This was her precious baby, the child she had fought so hard to bring into the world at thirty, nearly dying in the process. The thought of her baby being treated with such blatant apathy by her own father felt like her heart was being roasted over an open flame.

"No, I..." Yardley stammered. His usually stoic, unreadable face fractured into genuine panic. For the first time, it dawned on him that he might have actually neglected Scarlett and their daughter just a bit too much.

A name... No, he had thought about a name. He had spent days flipping through baby name books. He just hadn't made a decision yet because he wanted it to be perfect, something unique and extraordinary.

"Let me explain, Scarlett." Forcing his rising panic down, he took a step forward and gripped her hand. "I did think about a name. I just haven't made my final decision. It's not that I don't care about our daughter."

"Let's not name her Aurora. It feels too ethereal. She's our first child, so naturally, she should take my last name, don't you think?" Yardley's voice dropped into a coaxing, velvety murmur.

Seeing that Scarlett wasn't resisting, he pulled her back into his arms. "I promise, I'll handle her birth certificate today. It doesn't matter that we missed her christening party. When she hits one hundred days, we'll throw the biggest bash this city has ever seen. I'll invite every A-lister in Bay City. I'll make sure our daughter gets the grandest celebration imaginable, okay?"

Wrapped in his embrace once more, the familiar scent of cedar wood filled her senses. She wanted to push him away, but it was as if all the strength had been drained from her bones. She couldn't muster the energy to fight back.

Her phone rang. It was Zara. "Ma'am, are you feeling any better? Dawn won't stop crying. I think she misses you. Could you..."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify