by Gail Hart
“Legally it’s your decision, but if you think I won’t do everything I can to talk you out of it, you’re crazy. It would be wrong, Katie.” Releasing her arms, he raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m sure Mom wasn’t thrilled to find out she was pregnant with me. My brother and sister were ten and twelve. What if she’d taken the easy way out?”
Kathryn’s eyes welled up, and she touched his cheek. “Steve, your mom loves you like crazy.”
He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I know. That’s my point. You’ll love our baby too.”
She rested her hands on his waist. “I’m not saying I want an abortion. I haven’t decided anything yet. I’ll admit, the idea doesn’t feel right.”
“That’s because you’re not the kind of person who flakes out on her obligations.” He lifted his hands and cupped her face. “Katie, we haven’t done anything wrong. We took precautions. They didn’t work. Now we need to be responsible and give this child we’ve made the best life we can. That means living with both parents.”
Kathryn wiggled away from him and rested her head against the back of the sofa. “I can’t believe this is happening to me.”
He frowned. “Enough with the drama, Katie. Stop acting like having my baby is a fate worse than death. It’s insulting.”
She shrank back, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes. “Don’t be like that.”
He let out a sigh, then laid a hand on her stomach. “I know we didn’t plan this, but hasn’t it occurred to you what an amazing kid we must have made? Think about it. My looks and your brains.”
“As George Bernard Shaw supposedly said in a similar situation, what if it’s the other way around?”
His body grew rigid. “That would be okay too. You’re a beautiful woman, and I’m not stupid.”
She sat up straighter and looked him in the eye. “I never said you were stupid. I don’t think that.”
“Maybe not, but you think I’m not serious, not good enough to be the father of your baby.”
“You’ve got it wrong. I’m not upset about having a baby with you; I’m upset about having a baby at all. A baby wasn’t in my plans.”
“Well, tough. We made one anyway. You can’t change that.”
She felt her forehead wrinkling as she looked at him in curiosity. “This can’t have been in your plans either. Aren’t you even a little upset?”
“That you wanted to hide my baby from me? Yes. That I’m going to be a father? Honestly, no. Sure, it’s a surprise, but I’m ready. I’ll deal.”
“You’re taking this better than I am. I’m not sure I’m ready to trade in my Corvette for a minivan.”
A look of annoyance settled on his face. “No need. I’m sure we can find a baby seat to fit your Corvette.”
“And one to fit your... good grief, I don’t even know what you drive. We’re talking about having a baby together, and I have no clue what kind of car you drive.” Suddenly Kathryn felt more tired than she’d ever felt in her life. She let her body go slack against the sofa cushions. “Can we finish this conversation tomorrow? I’m dead on my feet.”
He leaned down and looked into her face. “Yes, your eyelids are drooping. You need plenty of sleep in your condition.” He pulled her to her feet. “Time for bed.”
“And time for you to go home. I told you, I’m not in the mood for sex.” That was an understatement. After the news she’d gotten today, the very idea of sex made her nauseous. Unless that was morning sickness. But then again, the two things were related.
He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’ll sleep on the couch. But I’m not going anywhere. Not until we settle things.”
One look at his face was enough to convince her he meant business. She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“I will.” He continued to glare at her as he dropped onto the couch.
“I’ll get you a blanket,” she said in resignation.
* * *
Steve woke up the next morning feeling stiff from his night on the sofa. He sat up and stretched. In hindsight it would have made more sense to go home, but at the time it had seemed important not to give Katie the satisfaction of tossing him out.
Katie. Beautiful, aggravating Katie. His woman. The mother of his child.
A baby—they were having a baby! A tie that would bind Katie to him forever. After over a decade of playing Uncle Steve to his nieces and nephews, he was graduating to Daddy.
Was the child growing inside her a boy or a girl? Not that it mattered, but his gut said girl. He could picture her already. A little princess with his blond hair and Katie’s big brown eyes. He imagined himself pushing her around in a stroller and holding her in his arms when she was baptized. Even changing her diapers and wiping up strained carrots when she threw food everywhere. Everything that came with being a dad. Sure, the idea was scary, but mostly it was exciting. Things couldn’t have worked out better if he’d planned it.
Only first he had to straighten things out with Katie. He still couldn’t believe she’d meant to keep this news from him, even temporarily. But he needed to get over himself. Now was no time for them to fight. They had to work together as a team.
Rising from the couch, he strode to the bedroom door and peeked inside. Katie was curled up in a ball, obviously still in a deep sleep. Better not to wake her before she was ready. She was sleeping for two now.
In the meantime, he might as well do a little recon of her condo. The only other time he’d been there, he hadn’t checked out much more than the couch—well, the couch and Katie. The place wasn’t much larger than his crummy bachelor apartment, though with its view of the Potomac River, it was certainly more impressive. In addition to the bedroom and the living room-dining room combo, there was a home office. The furniture was high quality, but there wasn’t much of it, and there was no clutter anywhere. Even the office didn’t look lived in. Good, that would make it easier to convert the room into a nursery. But Katie would have more than a little adjusting to do when they added a baby to the mix. Babies weren’t neat.
He doubled back to the kitchen. Again, no signs of life. The stove looked like it had never been used. He opened the refrigerator. A typical single woman’s fridge—practically empty. No milk, no fruits or veggies, none of the wholesome foods she’d need to grow a healthy baby.
Okay, that was something he could fix. He left Katie a note and slipped out the front door, making sure it didn’t lock behind him. Taking the elevator to the lobby, he noticed Tina on duty at the front desk. Good. He’d be able to get back into the building without buzzing Katie. He walked the block to where his car was parked on the street. A Mustang—he’d have to tell Katie. Though he might trade it in for an SUV. He’d want something bigger once the baby came.
Half an hour later he was back with two bags of groceries under his arms. A helpful clerk had shown him the prenatal vitamins and also sold him a liter of ginger ale, in case his pregnant fiancée got morning sickness. Entering the lobby, he made a beeline for the desk, where Tina was absorbed in a textbook. “What are you studying?” he asked.
She looked up, saw him smiling a dazzling smile, and blushed a deep scarlet. Oh yeah, she’d help him out. This would be a piece of cake.
“Accounting.”
“How did your psych test go?”
More blushing. “You remembered?”
“Of course.” Showing an interest in people’s lives was never a waste of time.
“I aced it.”
“Awesome. Listen, can you buzz me in? Kathryn’s asleep, and I forgot my key.”
“I didn’t realize you had a key.”
He made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat and bent his head closer to hers. “Can I tell you a secret? I’m moving in soon. Kathryn and I are getting married.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth opened. “Really?”
“Really.”
“How long have you and Ms. St. John known each oth
er?”
“Forever. She was the girl next door.”
The expression on her face turned all sappy. “That’s so romantic.”
“Yeah. But keep our news to yourself for now, okay? We’re not ready to go public.”
“Of course.”
Of course not. The quickest way to spread a story was to ask someone to keep it a secret. He walked off whistling.
Back in Katie’s unit, he put away the groceries, scrounged around in her cabinets until he found the coffee filters, and started her coffeemaker brewing a pot of the coffee. Gourmet decaf. Then he poured two glasses of orange juice, put one in the refrigerator, and took the other to the dining room table along with the morning paper.
He’d nearly finished the sports section when a noise from the bathroom told him Katie was awake. A minute later, she padded into the kitchen in her bare feet, wrapped in a navy terrycloth robe. She looked pale, and more subdued than usual, but still undeniably beautiful. He was sorry to see she’d already combed her hair. She’d looked so cute with her thick mass of curls slightly rumpled the first time she woke up in his bed. Katie was a natural beauty. The less she fussed, the better she looked.
He rose and followed her into the kitchen, smiling as warmly as he knew how. Katie always responded to his smile. “Morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?”
“Like I got run over by a truck.” Her facial expression said, “don’t touch me, you beast.” He bent to brush her lips with his, but she stopped him by bringing her hand to her mouth. “I don’t think you want to kiss me.”
“Why not?”
“Morning sickness. One of the joys of pregnancy.”
He kissed her on the top of the head instead, crossed behind her to the refrigerator, and got out the second glass of juice. “That’s rough. Here, drink this. It’ll get the bad taste out of your mouth.
“What I really want is the coffee. It smells great. Thanks for making it.”
He shrugged. “It’s a peace offering. But drink the OJ first. It’s good for the baby.” He moved to the coffeemaker and filled a mug for her.
She gulped down the juice, then squinted at him. “I didn’t have any OJ.”
“I know. I went out and picked up a few things from the grocery store. Your fridge looked lonely.” He handed her the mug.
She took a swallow and frowned. “Decaf. God, this stuff tastes like crap.”
“I know, babe, but it’s good for—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s good for the baby. So, how did you get back in after your little shopping excursion? You don’t have a key.” Then a storm cloud of anger darkened her expression. “Don’t tell me. Tina again.”
He smiled, pulling out all the stops. “You’re cute when you’re jealous. Don’t worry about Tina. She’s not the type to go after another woman’s man, and she knows I’m taken. I told her we’re getting married.”
“You told her what? How dare you!”
“Just be glad I didn’t tell her you’re pregnant—yet.”
She pinned him with a laser-like glare, focused and lethal. “Would you really do that to me?”
He wiped the smile off his face and took her hand, lacing their fingers together. “I don’t want to. I’d hate to hurt or embarrass you. But I won’t make it easy for you to do something stupid.”
Katie gave him a pained smile. “If you’d told her I was pregnant, at least that would have been the truth. Whereas I don’t recall agreeing to marry you.”
“Just a technicality. You will.”
Her shoulders stiffened. “Sometimes your ego is damned annoying, flyboy.”
“It’s not ego. I know you. You’ll do the right thing. You always do. You’re a good girl.”
“Good girls don’t get knocked up.”
“Except by their husbands. Marry me and you can keep your good girl status.”
“That’s a sorry reason for making a commitment that’s supposed to last a lifetime, and feeling obligated isn’t much better. I appreciate you being willing to step up to the plate instead of bailing on me, but do you really think getting married is the right thing to do?”
“Of course. Not just for the baby, for all three of us. You need more in your life than profit margins and balance sheets.”
She slumped away from him and rested one hip against the sink. “I still can’t believe this is real.”
He lowered his free hand to her stomach, still flat under the robe—but not for long. “It’s amazing, all right. I’ll bet it happened the first time we made love.”
She stiffened. “Why, flyboy? Because you’re such a crack shot, you always hit the target the first time?”
He shook his head. “No. As far as I know, this is the only child I’ve ever fathered. I’m careful about birth control.”
“Just my luck.” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “There’s no way I should have gotten pregnant. We used condoms.”
“Things happen for a reason. We shouldn’t have been given this gift, but we were. I have to think it’s a sign. Everything about being with you feels right.” He squeezed her hand. “Give us a chance, Kathryn. Marry me. I’ll make you happy.”
Her smile held a tinge of sadness as she reached up and touched his cheek. “Sweet man, whether or not I marry you, I won’t feel it’s your job to make me happy. That would be too much of a burden to put on anyone. I’m not foolish enough to depend on a man to make me happy, because men come and go. In the end, I’m responsible for my own happiness.”
He took her face in his hands. “Baby, not all men are like Jeff. Don’t judge me based on that asshole. I won’t leave you and run off with a younger woman.”
Her eyes widened and an expression of fear settled on her face. “But will you die on me?”
Damn, where had that come from? It took a moment for Steve to remember. “Like your father.”
Kathryn shook her head. “I didn’t mean to say that. I sound like I think he died on purpose to hurt me. God, how selfish.”
Steve slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. “You’re the least selfish person I know, Kathryn. Your problem is you don’t think of yourself enough.” He stroked her hair. “I never thought about how your dad’s death must have affected you. I don’t remember him.”
Her voice rose from where her head was buried against his chest. “You wouldn’t. You were only four when he had a massive heart attack and died at his desk.”
So she was fourteen, on the verge of becoming a woman, when the main man in her life disappeared. No wonder she was gun shy about getting involved with a “flyboy.” It wasn’t all about the cocky attitude—it was partly about the danger of the job.
“Don’t worry, Katie,” he whispered. “I won’t let anything happen to me. I have too much to live for.” Lowering his head, he nuzzled her neck. Her pulse raced beneath his lips.
Okay, if lust was the strongest thing she felt for him, he’d use that fact to his advantage. He slid one hand under the flap of her robe and into her cleavage, brushing his fingers against a nipple until it stood at attention. “If you marry me, I’ll give you an orgasm every day before breakfast.”
She pushed his hand away and stepped back. “You need to dial it down a notch, Steve. I’m serious. I hate being pressured. I need time to think.”
He dropped his hands to his sides. “Okay, Kathryn, I’ll back off a little. But not too far, and not for too long.” He’d meant to give her as much time as she needed to realize they belonged together, but that was before he found out about the baby. Now he didn’t have that luxury.
She touched his cheek. “I won’t make any decisions without talking to you. I just need a few days to sort things out in my own mind, without any talk about babies or weddings.”
He didn’t like it, but he didn’t want to blow his chance by pushing too hard. The bottom line was, he trusted Katie to make the right choice on her own. He thrust his jaw forward. “All right. Call me when you’re ready to say yes.”
>
He’d give her two days, three tops. After that he’d have to take stronger measures.
CHAPTER TEN
For the third day in a row, Kathryn was woken up by an insistent roiling in her stomach. She launched herself out of bed, raced to the bathroom, and dropped to her knees on the cold tiles in front of the toilet, barely making it in time.
This was a fine mess she’d gotten herself into, like some teenaged bimbo too dumb to figure out birth control. If she didn’t die of dehydration, she might just die of embarrassment.
No, that was stupid. A lot of single women had babies these days, and no one thought anything of it. She had no reason to be embarrassed. In fact, on one level she was a little proud of herself. She knew of much younger women who couldn’t conceive without going through a lot of gory procedures and paying the docs megabucks. She’d pulled it off without even trying.
On the other hand, there’d be hell to pay when her mother found out she was carrying an illegitimate child. Then there were Brubaker and her clients to think about. The conservative Defense community still believed in traditional moral values. She’d lose credibility if word got around that she’d been knocked up by some boy toy who wouldn’t marry her.
So, what about getting married? Considering how short a time she and Steve had been together, the idea sounded crazy, but maybe it could work. She had to admit Steve’s promise of an orgasm before breakfast every morning sounded very appealing.
The reality of her head in the toilet bowl every morning, however, was getting old fast.
Kathryn shook her head as she rose and moved to the sink. She splashed cold water on her face before glancing in the mirror. What she saw didn’t improve her mood. She looked like death warmed over. If Steve could see her with those bags under her eyes and that washed-out complexion, he’d run as fast as possible in the opposite direction, or wish he could. He’d curse the duty chaining him to her.
She squared her shoulders. “Suck it up, Kathryn,” she told her mirror image. Her master plan for her vacation had gone all to hell, leaving her in the biggest mess of her life, but falling apart wouldn’t help anything. It was time to stop feeling sorry for herself and deal with the situation. After all, she was still Wonder Woman.
