The Gate to Everything (Once Upon a Dare Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

flag. “Jordan, the reasons we broke up haven’t gone away—despite how much…we might wish otherwise. And now you’ve won the Super Bowl.”  
    The fact that she looked at his major life achievement as an impediment crushed him. He took a moment to shove back the pain while she drank her tea.
    “It’s hard for me to believe you’re saying this. We both grew up in a community where people still got married if they got pregnant out of wedlock.” Again, like his parents.
    She glared at him. “Seriously? Are you forgetting that Deadwood was founded on gambling, prostitution, and gold?”
    He fought a curse word. “Fine, so Deadwood has a seedy past, but you’ve always played by the rules. So do I.”
    She shook her head, and he could see her stubborn streak emerge a mile wide. “Not this time.”
    “You’re really saying no?” He could admit it wasn’t the most romantic proposal in the world.
    “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Jordan, you know I’m right.”
    She put a small hand on his arm, and his muscles tightened at the contact. He wanted to cover her hand with his own and make everything between them right again. But he didn’t know how.
      “Do you think I came to this decision easily? I have no desire to be a single mom. And my parents…” Her eyes blurred, and that pretty much devastated him.
    “Gracie, have you told them?”  
    He could only imagine how they must have reacted. Pat and Grace’s brothers would want to beat the shit out of him for putting Grace in this position, even if she was a consenting adult. Hell, Meg would want to kick his butt. The Kincaid family protected their own.
      “Yes.” She sniffed and shook her head like she was shaking off tears. “I told them that marrying you was…not a good idea. They agree with me.”
    That news tied Jordan’s stomach in knots. “I see.”  
    Grace looked up. “Jordan, you’ve always said I was the wiser one. You have to trust me on this.”  
    He met her eyes. “This is new territory, Grace.”  
    “I knew you’d think you were doing the right thing by offering to marry me,” she said, her voice hoarse. “You’d never want to be the kind of father that yours was, leaving his family.”  
    His walls rose up, made of hard, impenetrable steel. His father had been a cheater and a shark, and his abandonment had left deep scars.
    “You’ll be a great father,” she whispered, her mouth tipping up at the corners. “But not a very good husband for me. I’m sorry to say that, but it’s true. The fame has changed you, and I don’t want to be a part of it.”
    Tears popped into his eyes. Those words were like the final nail in the coffin of their relationship.
    “Please don’t be hurt,” she whispered. “You’re wonderful in so many ways. You know that. But your career demands so much of you. It was hard enough before—and we weren’t even living together.”
    He bit his tongue to keep from saying that her career as a chef was equally demanding in terms of passion and hours. But that wasn’t what she was talking about.
    Silence reigned between them. The icemaker emptied in the freezer, the sound like the crashing taking place inside him.  
    He couldn’t meet her eyes. “You’re right, dammit.”

Chapter 2

    Grace felt her heart crumble yet again. Desperate to soften the words she’d uttered, she rubbed the back of his hand. “I don’t know how, but somehow, it will be all right.” Those words had become her mantra after the home pregnancy kit had affirmed that she and Jordan would be tied together forever.
    She stood to make his favorite coffee, eager to keep herself occupied as the reality of the situation settled into his bones. The simple tasks of grinding the beans, measuring the coffee, and filling the brewer with water helped her settle. She stilled when he came up behind her.
    “When did you know, Grace?” he asked softly, and she fought the urge to lean back into him for comfort.
    “I suspected