THE MARRIAGE TRAP

Congratulations! It's a girl!

Private Investigator Stefan Maynard blinked and read the email from his sister again. "Hey, I'm an uncle. I have a niece!" he said aloud.

Stefan's colleague and friend, Reese Logan, smiled. "Great! Tell Emily and Corey I said Congrats."

A girl. Stefan frowned. That was all she'd said. Odd for shutterbug Emily not to send pictures. Odder still that his sister hadn't even told him she was pregnant. Not that she could have reached him. He'd been gone fifteen months on special operations, and had had barely any contact with the world beyond his team. It was one of the tough parts of his job. Cutting ties, or letting them blur badly enough that people often forgot about you.

Alana Jackson obviously had.

He went through more emails, not finding what he'd hoped. A text. A message that the woman he'd spent a mind-blowing night with after his sister's wedding hadn't really dismissed him from her life. Nothing.

Well, he had thirty days and he knew exactly where he'd spend it. He'd take the time to see his sister, his new niece-and maybe find Alana and ask why the hell she'd cut him out of her life with the precision of a surgeon.

The reality hit him that maybe she'd forgotten about him. Bad news, when all he could remember about his sister's wedding was Alana. She'd been the maid of honor, Emily's best friend. And the kind of woman who made men damned glad they were men.

Stefan pulled out his phone and called Emily's number, realizing he should be more excited about his new niece than getting the chance to grill his sister about Alana Jackson. That was a signal, Stefan thought, he should be glad the woman didn't expect anything from him. But he wasn't.

When he'd called Alana's number a few months ago, it didn't go through. She'd clearly changed her number. Her social media account was now private so he couldn't snoop either. He'd called his sister and asked, but Emily had said that Alana was fine. She saw her almost everyday, especially as Alana worked at the family company. The one he was supposed to take over as CEO but had chosen his own path instead, much to the disappointment of his father.

He was worried and irritated at the same time. Why wouldn't she speak to him? They were good together, in and out of bed, and Stefan, sifting through junk emails, replayed that night in his mind for the millionth time. The memory of making love with Alana was enough to drive him crazy, just as she had that night.

"No email from her?" Stefan shook his head, watching the other team members.

"Give up, pal. I got the message, even if you didn't."

Stefan's gaze shifted to Reese. "We don't give up."

"We fight the battles we can win, and the woman has made her feelings damn clear."

Stefan shook his head again, "Alana Jackson is worth going after for a straight answer."

Reese smirked. "Grab a life vest then, because your ship's already sinking."

Stefan scowled, more at himself than at his friend's words. He'd never really thought of himself as that far gone. Sure, he'd thought about Alana a lot and wanted to hook up with her again. Yet there was more to it. They'd connected in more ways than in bed, and he wanted to see her again to find out if that connection was reality or just the memory laced in fantasy.

_________

The front door swung open and Stefan's sister glared at him. "Well, that's not the fine welcome I expected from my only sibling," he said.

"I'm wondering if I should claim you as my brother." Emily made a sour face and spun about, striding into the living room.

Stefan stepped inside and reached for her. "Hey, what's up? Bad day with the baby? Who I'm dying to meet."

"Really?"

"Hell, yes. Uncle Stefan wants to pamper the little lady. My right, you know." He produced a stuffed koala bear.

Emily softened a little, but not for long. She gestured to her house. "See any baby things around here?"

He looked. The house she and her husband, Corey, owned was immaculate, homey and adult. He frowned. "I don't get it."

"I didn't have a baby, Stefan."

He stepped back, scowling. "Then why did you send me that email?"

Emily glanced to the side, avoiding his gaze, something she never did.

"Hey, darlin', what's going on here?" he said in the voice that always got her to share with him.

She looked at him. "I sent the email to get you to come home and face your responsibilities."

His brows shot up. "What responsibility?''

"The one to your daughter, Stefan."

He paled. "I don't have a child. I'm not a father."

"Oh, yeah? Well, she's six months old and her name is Juliana. She has your hair and your eyes."

Stefan choked on his own breath. A baby? There was a baby in this world that was his? His gaze snapped to his sister's. Reality slammed into his gut. "Alana. Where is she? I tried to call her."

"You called?"

He gave her a look that said, "Thanks for the vote of confidence," and he wasn't pleased about it.

"Yes, I did. I sent her messages too, but she couldn't text me back."

His look said his job wasn't up for discussion. It was no news that his family hated his job, and he couldn't blame them. It got dangerous most of the time. Working cases. Protecting clients, but this was what he'd chosen to do. They had to get used to that fact somehow.

Emily met his gaze. "You really called her, huh? When she said she didn't want you to know, I thought it was just a... well, that she was hiding her feelings."

"Don't you think I had the right to know?"

"Of course! That's why I sent the email. Good grief, Stefan, I thought you hadn't contacted her. That's the impression she gave me."

"How did you find out?"

"She's my best friend. We see each other basically everyday. She couldn't keep it from me for long. She's got a new apartment too to accommodate herself and the baby, but she really doesn't want you in her life."

"Well, she's getting me, dammit," he muttered, heading to the door.