Ready, Set, I Do!. Cindy Kirk

shrugged. “I told her we’d made a baby and had to do what was best for him. I was in the delivery room when Cameron was born. We worked out an informal custody arrangement and child support. For six years we made a potentially difficult situation work with very little drama.”

      “Did you start dating each other again?” Hailey ventured.

      “No.” He expelled a heavy breath. “She was right. Whatever we had was over. Still, because of the baby, I was willing to try to see if we could get those feelings back. Vanessa wasn’t interested. I even suggested we marry, but she nixed that, although my name was on the birth certificate and she put me in her will as guardian for Cam.”

      “Was that necessary? I mean, why did you need to be in the will? You were his dad.” Something wasn’t adding up.

      “At the time I didn’t think it was necessary, but since we weren’t married, she insisted.”

      The water was still murky, but Hailey began to get a slightly clearer picture. She wasn’t surprised when Winn rose and began to pace.

      While he strode across the room, Hailey attempted to put the pieces he’d given her together. “You said things worked well for six years. Then what happened?”

      A muscle in his jaw jumped. He spat the name. “Brandon.”

      “The man who died in the accident with her?”

      “He was also the same guy she’d dated before me.” Winn’s lip curled. “Turns out he wasn’t as much of an ex as I thought.”

      Placing his hands on the counter, Winn leaned forward, his gaze focused out the window.

      A sick feeling took up residence in the pit of Hailey’s stomach.

      “Apparently, around the time we were going through that rough patch, Vanessa had slept with him.”

      Though Winn did a stellar job of hiding it, there was pain underlying the words. Hailey’s heart wrenched. But from the set look on his face, she knew Winn wouldn’t appreciate her sympathy. She forced a nonchalant tone.

      “Why did it take six years for him to show up?”

      “He was engaged when he slept with Vanessa.” His lips lifted in a sardonic smile. “His marriage lasted about seven years. He was still married when he ran into Vanessa having lunch with a friend in Buckhead. They began dating even before he’d separated from his wife.”

      Winn’s voice was heavy with condemnation. Obviously he didn’t condone extramarital affairs. For a second, Hailey wondered why she was so surprised. Then realized it was because Winn Ferris was a man who seemed to go after what he wanted, damn the consequences. This was a new side to him.

      “S-so that bothered you?” To her horror, Hailey found herself stammering.

      Winn didn’t appear to notice.

      “She dated a lot of men during those six years and so did I. Did I think it was wise for her to date a married guy? No. But it wasn’t my business.” Winn dropped into the chair. “I guess Brandon saw the birthmark on the back of Cam’s neck and insisted they do a paternity test. I didn’t know anything about it until they had the results.”

      The look on his face said it all.

      “It showed Brandon was Cam’s father,” Hailey whispered.

      “Biological father.” Winn’s voice snapped sharp as a whip. “I was his dad, the only one he’d ever known. That didn’t seem to matter. Not to Brandon. And not enough to Vanessa for her to stand up for what was best for her son. Brandon wanted me out of Cam’s life. Vanessa went along with his wishes.”