property to be divided, as was happening with her nephew. Nor would she sink to fighting over her child, making them an emotional wreck.
“Why’d you do it? Why’d you make me into a cheater? ” He leaned in closer. “Did you have a little spat with your husband? Was he cheating on you? You didn’t even tell me to give me a choice.”
“Hu-husband?”
“Did you know you were pregnant when we slept together?” He was pacing around her. “You must have known because you said you had the birth control covered. I don’t sleep around with married women, lady, especially a pregnant one. You’ve made me something I so did not want to be. Man, this sucks.”
Never much good at lying, Becca’s mouth was still hanging open when Aiden halted his tirade.
“Well?” he prompted.
“You thought I was married?”
He scowled. “Not then. But when I saw you here—pregnant as a house—what was I supposed to think?”
“Uh…” It finally registered in Becca’s tired, stressed-out brain. He thought she’d been cheating on her husband. He didn’t know she didn’t have a husband. He didn’t suspect the baby was his.
A nervous, relieved laugh escaped before she could stop herself.
“Wait a minute.” He peered at her in the gathering darkness. Then he snatched up her left hand. “You’re not wearing a ring.”
Becca pulled her fingers back. “I’m not married.” It wastoo late for that. While she’d been focusing on her career, her friends and siblings had been getting married, and having babies. She’d just played a little catch-up and skipped a step or two—dating, engagement, marriage. At thirty-eight, she couldn’t wait for Mr. Right.
“But if you’re not married, whose baby is that?” He pointed at the baby nestled in her belly as if it were repugnant to him.
“It’s mine.” Not Aiden’s. She wrapped her arms around her belly as if she could prevent him taking the baby from her.
Under the orange, fire-lit sky, Becca watched the wheels turn in Aiden’s mind.
“Tell me that baby isn’t mine,” he demanded slowly in a voice shaking with anger.
“This baby is mine, ” Becca repeated, staunchly walking the line between lying to him and admitting the truth.
“That’s not an answer.” Despite his youth, he was annoyingly smart.
Becca stepped sideways, toward the makeshift parking area. “It shouldn’t matter to you who the biological father was. I’m raising this baby alone.”
He shifted his stance, but kept his dark gaze on her. “Every baby needs a father.”
“Not this baby.” Becca lifted her chin. From what she knew of Aiden—his sleeping around, his wild behavior—she suspected he didn’t really want to know if his sperm had helped create the little one inside her. If she told him, it would only weigh on his conscience, if not now, then later, when he got older. And she didn’t want to open her door one day ten years from now to find Aiden demanding things like visitation and partial custody.
Instead of being relieved as she’d thought he’d be, Aiden grabbed her by the shoulders, tugging her forward until her face was near his. “Who fathered your baby?”
“None of your business. And even if it was, I wouldn’t want anything from you.” Becca’s knees crumpled and she would have fallen if Aiden hadn’t turned his grip from cruel to supportive.
“Too late.” His voice crackled with anger. “You took something from me in Vegas—a choice. And now I have a different choice to make, don’t I?”
S PIDER SANK AGAINST a sturdy spruce as he watched Becca walk back to camp. She moved slowly across the uneven ground as if she were afraid to fall.
Damn her.
Oh, she hadn’t come out and admitted the baby was his. In fact, she’d gone out of her way to give him an out, to let him think what he wanted, as if he were the kind of guy who wouldn’t step up when something like this happened.
He’d decided long ago that he’d never have kids. His father, a
“Why’d you do it? Why’d you make me into a cheater? ” He leaned in closer. “Did you have a little spat with your husband? Was he cheating on you? You didn’t even tell me to give me a choice.”
“Hu-husband?”
“Did you know you were pregnant when we slept together?” He was pacing around her. “You must have known because you said you had the birth control covered. I don’t sleep around with married women, lady, especially a pregnant one. You’ve made me something I so did not want to be. Man, this sucks.”
Never much good at lying, Becca’s mouth was still hanging open when Aiden halted his tirade.
“Well?” he prompted.
“You thought I was married?”
He scowled. “Not then. But when I saw you here—pregnant as a house—what was I supposed to think?”
“Uh…” It finally registered in Becca’s tired, stressed-out brain. He thought she’d been cheating on her husband. He didn’t know she didn’t have a husband. He didn’t suspect the baby was his.
A nervous, relieved laugh escaped before she could stop herself.
“Wait a minute.” He peered at her in the gathering darkness. Then he snatched up her left hand. “You’re not wearing a ring.”
Becca pulled her fingers back. “I’m not married.” It wastoo late for that. While she’d been focusing on her career, her friends and siblings had been getting married, and having babies. She’d just played a little catch-up and skipped a step or two—dating, engagement, marriage. At thirty-eight, she couldn’t wait for Mr. Right.
“But if you’re not married, whose baby is that?” He pointed at the baby nestled in her belly as if it were repugnant to him.
“It’s mine.” Not Aiden’s. She wrapped her arms around her belly as if she could prevent him taking the baby from her.
Under the orange, fire-lit sky, Becca watched the wheels turn in Aiden’s mind.
“Tell me that baby isn’t mine,” he demanded slowly in a voice shaking with anger.
“This baby is mine, ” Becca repeated, staunchly walking the line between lying to him and admitting the truth.
“That’s not an answer.” Despite his youth, he was annoyingly smart.
Becca stepped sideways, toward the makeshift parking area. “It shouldn’t matter to you who the biological father was. I’m raising this baby alone.”
He shifted his stance, but kept his dark gaze on her. “Every baby needs a father.”
“Not this baby.” Becca lifted her chin. From what she knew of Aiden—his sleeping around, his wild behavior—she suspected he didn’t really want to know if his sperm had helped create the little one inside her. If she told him, it would only weigh on his conscience, if not now, then later, when he got older. And she didn’t want to open her door one day ten years from now to find Aiden demanding things like visitation and partial custody.
Instead of being relieved as she’d thought he’d be, Aiden grabbed her by the shoulders, tugging her forward until her face was near his. “Who fathered your baby?”
“None of your business. And even if it was, I wouldn’t want anything from you.” Becca’s knees crumpled and she would have fallen if Aiden hadn’t turned his grip from cruel to supportive.
“Too late.” His voice crackled with anger. “You took something from me in Vegas—a choice. And now I have a different choice to make, don’t I?”
S PIDER SANK AGAINST a sturdy spruce as he watched Becca walk back to camp. She moved slowly across the uneven ground as if she were afraid to fall.
Damn her.
Oh, she hadn’t come out and admitted the baby was his. In fact, she’d gone out of her way to give him an out, to let him think what he wanted, as if he were the kind of guy who wouldn’t step up when something like this happened.
He’d decided long ago that he’d never have kids. His father, a
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