The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress
[Book 2] Chapter 96

Dawn POV

I reached the hospital, holding a large bouquet in hand, a smile on my face as I entered, guided down a long hallway by a friendly nurse and stopping just in the doorway. I sucked in a breath as I took in the scene of lan holding a newborn baby in his arms, a look of wonder on his face as he stroked the child's delicate little cheek, while Lorelai and Knox watched from her bedside, and Mr Grant beamed with joy. I felt awkward, like I was intruding as I stepped inside, lan's eyes darting to me as I gingerly offered Lorelai the bouquet of flowers. "Congratulations" I breathed as she smiled at me "he's beautiful."

"His name is Gabriel lan Grant" Lorelai beamed as I smiled at the baby "Isn't he gorgeous?" she whispered thickly, clearly overcome with emotion.

She was just like any other proud mother-to-be, as I stepped beside lan and touched the baby's chubby cheek, taking in his dark smoky eyes and golden complexion. He resembled a close version of Knox. Ian reluctantly passed the baby to Lorelai as Gabriel began to fuss, beginning to become hungry.

"He's beautiful," I told Knox as he smiled and embraced his wife and son.

But I was really looking at lan and how easily and tenderly he had held the small child in his arms, his powerful muscles rippling as he kept it tightly contained within his grasp. He would make an excellent father one day, I mused, watching as he kept a close eye on little Gabriel with a wistful smile on his face.

I cleared my throat, hating to interrupt the moment "lan, you wanted me to meet you here?" I asked softly, causing him to blink and focus on me "Is there something you need me to do?"

His face went pensive for a moment and I saw him glance at Knox for a moment before he motioned towards the doorway, gesturing for me to follow him. We went out into the hall and then down the corridor to a private lounge. lan bowed his head for a moment. "lan is something wrong?" I pressed, sensing that something was amiss and that he was trying to hide it from me.

His lips flattened "In a sense" he said flatly "There's something I have to ask you Dawn and I just want you to think about it for a minute instead of just flat-out refusing."

"Okay," I said slowly, wondering where he was going with this.

Whatever it was, it sounded serious.

He sighed. "Look, when I was younger and in college, I was in a car accident. There was a chase, we flipped and I walked away but my girlfriend at the time didn't" he said, glancing away as my heart gave a pang at how dismissive he sounded. "I'm sorry lan" I whispered "that must have been difficult for you. I'm sure you loved her very much."

He looked me right in the eyes "at the time I thought she might be the one. I had never felt that way towards anyone before and all I could think about was marrying her and introducing her to the family. I was enamored with her" he said unapologetically as I listened closely "and I was naive enough to think that I could protect her."

"It's not naive to love somebody or think like that" I protested "just because you're young."

He gave a short laugh "The thing is that there was another repercussion of the accident that was not divulged to the media and was kept hidden. The ability to reproduce was also taken away from me because of the accident."

Silence.?His tone was flat. He was in effect, telling me that he was infertile. My heart seized in my chest. The poor man had been through so much, including the shooting and now he was telling me that he would never be able to have children of his own. I blinked back tears of emotion, wondering why he was suddenly telling me this, why now?

"I'm so sorry lan" I murmured, unable to think of anything more to say.

"I want to be upfront and clear with you Dawn because that's what you deserve," he told me fiercely, a light in his eyes "I want you to know that there is a possibility that I won't be able to give you children. Enjoy this chapter for free and stay updated with the latest version on Jo b n I b.c o m. Don't miss out, visit it now. I want you to have the ability to walk away before it becomes too much or because you can't have what you ultimately want in the relationship. I'm not looking to fool you. I'm looking to be honest."

I appreciated it, but the pain in his words, the raw emotion behind it, caused a devastating blow to my own heart. This wasn't easy for him, no matter how hard he tried to spin it. Speaking the truth and revealing his secrets caused a vulnerability that was hidden deep inside of him. I could feel tears pricking the corners of my eyes.

"lan," I said quietly, kneeling down in front of him as he continued to look at me wide-eyed and with a ferocious expression on his face "That doesn't matter to me."

It was the truth. I had Faith already and there were always other options, other children who needed a loving home. It didn't matter about bloodlines or DNA. It never had to me. I knew in wealthy society for some reason they were hung up on children having their father's DNA but that wasn't the case with me.

"But you want more children?" it wasn't a question but a statement.

I sighed and decided to be brutally honest with him just like he was being with me. "I want more children eventually yes" I emphasized "but there is always adoption. Heaps of children need a home that don't have one and would be grateful to be given one. I don't see the problem to be honest. I would love them just the same" I was careful to point out as he narrowed his eyes at me, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He slowly exhales. "There is a possibility that I can father children but I would rather not give you false hope" he admits lowly.

"Why are we even talking about this now? Is it because you've just had your nephew in your arms? Did it bring something up?" I pressed.

He glances at the ground "Yes and no. It made me realize that I don't have a whole lot of time left to create the whole family dynamic I was looking for. As Knox's twin, it's shown me just what I might be missing out on if I don't move quickly now." "lan, you're hardly old" I laughed uneasily "you have plenty of time. It's not as though you're in your grandpa years" I teased, brushing back his hair as he chuckled at me.

"No, but I do want to bring everything up in my timeline," he said gruffly.

He was acting so strange. It was weird. Maybe it was just the effect of having a baby in his arms. Women tended to get clucky, but what happened to men? Maybe it made them rethink their priorities. I felt him grab my hand and squeeze it firmly. "Look, lan, let's just go back to the room and spend some more time with Gabriel" I began to murmur as he looked up at me sharply, only for my voice to fade out as I took in the strange glint in his eyes.

"No" he growled "I want you to listen Dawn. Until you came along, I had no interest in any women in my life and I sure as hell didn't anticipate spending my life with them but with you it's different. I want the wife, the kids, the damn white picket fence" he said with a roll of his eyes as I tried to fight back my laughter of incredulity "The dog running around out back and the big backyard" he added meaningfully "I want all of that."

So did I. More than he could know.

"I want that too and you will" I began but he was breathing hard now and gripping onto the armrests of his wheelchair so tight that his knuckles had turned white.

I saw him take a deep breath and then narrowed my eyes. Was that my imagination or had he just moved his foot slightly? That was impossible though, wasn't it? I had to have been imagining things, I thought blankly. and then glanced at him again as he moved his foot once more and then tried desperately to heave himself up, as I rushed forward to prevent him from falling forward onto the ground.

"Whoa, lan, what are you trying to do?" I cried as he slumped "You could hurt yourself" I admonished.

It was impressive that he'd managed to even move, I thought, perplexed. lan was not to be consoled. He slammed his hand down on the armrest in frustration. "Damnit" he shouted as I stared at him incredulously.

"Calm down," I said, worried about the amount of sweat on his brow and the strange gleam in his eyes "Relax lan. Concentrate on your breathing. Focus lan. What were you trying to accomplish?" I almost yelled at him in my panic.

Was he trying to get himself hurt? I was desperately trying to maintain my composure and was replaceing it slipping through my fingers.

"|

I was trying to walk" he snarled, glaring down at his legs as though they had betrayed him "stupid, stupid, stupid" he muttered, sounding exasperated.

"I thought you couldn't walk?" I said dumbly, feeling like an i***t.

"It's I don't know" he breathed, "some of the feeling is coming back, so I thought."

I closed my eyes "So you thought you could just up and walk?" I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or scream at him some more.

He reluctantly cast his eyes down. "You need to speak to your doctor lan and we need to come up with a plan to get you walking" I scolded, keeping my voice even "it's not a matter of just getting your legs to cooperate again."

He sighed and rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Okay," he said, his voice steady "but there's something I want to ask you first. Something I came out here to ask you" here said his voice shaky.

I could feel a sense of trepidation as I looked at him. Something monumental was about to happen, I could sense it in the air. Ian hadn't brought me out here to ask any old question, no, he'd brought me out here to ask something important. I could feel my breathing becoming shallow and my hands becoming clammy as my nerves got the better of me. The expression on his face was hard to decipher and it was impossible to read him.

He cleared his throat and then looked directly into my eyes "Dawn, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked solemnly and just like that, all I could do was stare at him and force my heart to remain beating in my chest while I thought about what to do, my initial thought to protest, before my heart began to make a protest all of its own.