If I'd Only Known (Milan Women Series Book 1)

Perri Milan is a single mother determined to protect her daughter at all costs, especially from R&B artist, Barrington Knight, her daughter€s father. Her way of ensuring this was to keep him in the dark about the fact that she was carrying his child in the first place. She figured he hurt her, so now she was going to make sure her daughter didn€t become a victim of his selfish so-called love the way she had foolishly allowed herself to be.
Taking time off a major world tour one year later, Barrington comes home for a couple days only to discover Perri€s betrayal and demands his parental rights. After a heated confrontation, Perri decides to allow Barrington to have his place in their daughter€s life, but warns that she is not part of the equation. However, Barrington has made it his personal mission to change her mind.
Eventually, Perri reluctantly agrees to marry Barrington for the sake of their daughter. But now, another woman that Barrington trusted with his life, is determined to disrupt their happily ever after, and once again, he has to prove to Perri that she was not wrong to trust him with her heart. But will his efforts prove to be too little too late?
For Adults 18+
€œI€ll take her now,€ Perri announced with a tone that left no room for protest. She reached for her daughter. €œPlease give her to me.€
She wanted to look away as he stared down at her long and hard. The secret she fought so hard to keep had finally been discovered. It was ironic. Her heart ached but not because she€d been exposed. She was so ashamed of the part she played in making sure her secret never saw the light of day. She knew Barrington well; knew this kind of betrayal he could never forgive. It should have made her feel better knowing he€d want no part of her now. But she felt sick to her stomach, knowing she€d just broken his heart. For the moment it didn€t matter that he€d broken hers first. She could only watch as she saw joy, confusion, anger, hurt, and surprise knitting his eyebrows together. He had an expression of someone who walked up on a conversation, hearing just enough to catch his undivided attention, like he was trying to figure out if he heard what it sounded like he heard. Perri couldn€t blame him. It hurt to see it.
Barrington found it hard to breathe through the acute tightness in his chest, not wanting to believe the woman he loved was capable of such cold and calculated deception. He carefully brought the baby in his arms down, and for the first time, got a full view of her face.
Why the hell would she do that to me?
He couldn€t believe he was looking into a pair of yellow eyes with green flecks in them that resembled his own. From there, he scanned every inch of her face, which was the spitting image of his own; for that matter so was every detail about her face. She had her mother€s brown hair, but where Perri€s was almost a golden brown, Imani€s was a light brown, straight and slightly curled at the ends, though he suspected hers would eventually turn to golden curls. The only visible difference about his baby was her skin, which looked almost an ivory shade where his own had a natural golden tan for a white man. He swallowed hard as tears stung the back of his eyes, and he struggled against the emotions warring within him, battling for control as he glared at the woman who had suddenly turned out to be a cold hearted and dangerous stranger.
Barrington suddenly understood the thin line between love and hate, and how easily it would be to fall prey to committing a cowardly act of domestic violence. And if he had been less of a man, right now, his hands would be wrapped around Perri€s beautiful, flawless neck. Lucky for her his mama didn€t raise no damn fool because, God help him that was her only saving grace right now. Jesus just saved your life, girl! How the hell could she be so damn cruel?
Bringing his daughter back to rest at his chest, Barrington hugged her as every gamut of emotion filled him.