by Brenda Novak
Since becoming famous, he’d heard from a lot of his foster caregivers. They seemed to have very different memories of how they’d treated him than he did. But she’d been sweet—and she was the only one he now occasionally kept in contact with.
He had no trouble finding a parking space. Although Silver Springs received its fair share of visitors, most came in spring, summer and fall. Today, other than a handful of cars, the lot sat empty.
It had been sunny when he left his house this morning, so he hadn’t put on a coat over his long-sleeved golf shirt and the comfortable pair of faded jeans he’d worn, but the weather was turning chilly. They were in for another thunderstorm tonight. The past few days had been wet.
Room 103 was located right off the parking lot, not a far walk. He passed a rental car—economy—in front of her room and guessed it was what Ellie had driven, since there weren’t any vehicles on either side for several slots.
Out of curiosity, he peered into the car but saw nothing other than the remains of a Starbucks tea drink in the cup holder and a leather jacket on the passenger seat.
A rush of expectation shot through him at the prospect of seeing the sexy, sweet, fun woman he’d met in Miami. When he knocked, he was already planning where he’d take her to dinner. He wasn’t positive they’d hit it off the way they had back at Envy. That had been positively electric. But he felt certain they could get through a meal. And if that spark was still there? Who could say what might happen? He didn’t think she should be too mad at him. After all, she was the one who’d left without so much as a goodbye.
The door opened almost immediately, as if she’d been standing behind it, waiting for him to arrive—and there she was, peering out at him through the opening.
“Wow. I thought I’d never see you again.” He’d been worried he might not recognize her. For the most part, he’d seen her only in the dark. But she looked exactly as he remembered, maybe prettier.
“I thought the same.”
He expected her to let go of the door and possibly greet him with a hug. He didn’t feel that would be inappropriate, considering what had taken place between them. But she didn’t even smile. She seemed flustered, worried, as Aiyana had said.
“Please, come in,” she said, moving back to allow him room.
Hudson felt his own smile fade as he stepped across the threshold. Already this meeting wasn’t going the way he’d imagined. “Look, if you’re mad, I can explain.”
“Explain?” she echoed.
“Why I didn’t tell you who I am.”
“Oh.” She spoke in a throwaway manner, giving him the impression that couldn’t have been further from her mind. “I admit I found it slightly...curious. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want that to influence what you were thinking or feeling. I preferred to be a regular guy for a change.” Remembering the soft mound of her breast beneath his hand, he grinned. That first touch had been so intoxicating. It was one of his favorite memories.
But even then she didn’t smile back. She shifted her gaze away as if she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted. “Makes sense, I guess,” she said.
That was easy, so easy it caused Hudson a moment of alarm. “You’re not mad?”
“No.”
If she wasn’t upset that he’d hidden his identity, and she wasn’t happy to see him, what was this about? “Aiyana said you have something to tell me.”
Her hand went to her stomach, which drew his gaze lower. She looked as thin as ever, but the roundness he saw once she pressed the fabric against her body made his heart jump into his throat. “You’re not—you’re not here to tell me you’re pregnant or anything, are you?”
She nodded, seemingly relieved that she hadn’t had to be the one to say those words. “Yes, I’m afraid—” when her voice squeaked, she cleared her throat “—I’m afraid I am.”
A red-hot rage poured through him. No. After what he’d been through when he was young, rejected by his own mother right from the start, he’d promised himself he would not bring an unwanted child into the world. He’d been so careful, denied himself so many times. This could not be happening. “There has to be some mistake,” he said. “We used protection. I always use protection.”
She blew out an audible sigh. “I thought the same thing at first. Believe me, it came as a complete surprise when...when I didn’t get my period the next month. I didn’t even notice I was late—that’s how unexpected it was. I was so caught up in my work and life in general that the dates got away from me. But then...well, I did notice. So I used one of those at-home pregnancy tests.”
Hudson’s chest had constricted to the point that he could scarcely breathe. “Those can be wrong,” he croaked.
Her gaze skittered away. “That’s true. Except this one wasn’t. I’ve been to an ob-gyn since then. A blood test confirmed it, and I’m starting to show. There’s no question.”
Feeling as if someone had just kicked him in the stomach, he steadied himself by putting a hand to the wall. “Look, I’m really sorry that you...that you’re in a difficult spot. I can give you some money, if that’ll help. But...you’re not carrying my baby.”
She seemed taken aback. “Yes, I am,” she insisted. “There’s no confusion about that.”
The fact that anyone would try to hold him responsible for something he’d gone to such pains to avoid made his muscles tense. “There has to be!”
She winced when he exploded, lifting her hands, palms out, as if beseeching him to remain calm. “I know this comes as a shock. I’m sorry about that. But can we... Can we talk through this without the emotion?”
“Without the emotion?” he repeated. “How am I not supposed to be upset? You’re saying I’ve done the very thing I promised myself I’d never do.”
She frowned. “I’m just letting you know what happened. I felt it was only right to make you aware that we...inadvertently created another human being.”
“Of course. No doubt your motives in bringing me this welcome news are completely altruistic.”
He knew she’d heard the sarcasm in his voice when she stiffened. “Please, if you’ll hear me out—”
“What about that fiancé you told me about?” he broke in. “The one you said you caught cheating with another man?”
“What about him?”
“Was that just a clever story? A way to make me feel sorry for you?”
She looked bewildered. “No! Don is real.”
“I hope so. Because if there really was a fiancé, I’m guessing you slept with him, too.” Surely this line of reasoning would provide a rope he could use to climb out of the pit into which he’d fallen.
“Yes.”
“Then this baby could also be his.”
“Except we weren’t intimate after my last period.”
“Maybe the sperm lasted—that can happen. They can live inside a woman for several days.”
“It was longer than several days.”
“Then there has to be some other guy who did this,” he insisted. “Who else have you slept with?”
She wrapped her arms around herself as if fighting a strong headwind. “No one! I haven’t been with anyone else in seven years.”
“Bullshit! That’s not even normal.”
Tears began to roll down her cheeks, but he refused to let that soften his heart. She’d played him so well, so perfectly. No way was he going to make this easy on her, not after what she’d done to him. She had no idea how strongly he felt about making sure two adults were ready for a child before creating one.
He saw her throat work as she struggled to swallow. “As weird as it may seem to you, I’ve only been with three men in my whole life. Two of them were long-term, steady boyfriends.”
“You expect me to believe, after going to my hotel
a couple of hours after we met, that I’m the only stranger you’ve ever slept with?”
She rocked back as if he’d slapped her. “Yes.”
“And the one person you chose to do that with just happened to be a famous quarterback.”
“Yes, I mean...no. It’s not like you’re making it sound. I didn’t know you were a famous quarterback. I wasn’t targeting you.”
He moved forward the same distance as she’d moved back a moment earlier. “How do I know that?”
She seemed at a loss for words. “I—I guess you don’t.”
“Exactly. All I have is your word.”
“You’re the only person who could be the father.” She stared up at him, imploring him to believe her, but he refused to be persuaded by that earnest, innocent-looking face. She’d suckered him once; he wouldn’t let her do it a second time.
“You can be that specific?” he said. “Really?”
“You’re not convinced.”
“Is it any wonder? You set me up! Admit it!”
She’d been pale when he first came in; now she was white as a sheet. “No!”
“Stop lying!” He took another menacing step toward her, and she backed up even farther. “You recognized me all along, didn’t you? You knew who I was. You were only pretending you didn’t so you could get me in the sack, and I fell neatly into your trap.”
“I wasn’t trying to t-trap you!” she stammered, coming up against the wall.
“Then how do you explain that you were the one who provided the condoms that didn’t work?”
She tried to slide away from him, but he propped a hand on either side of her face, confining her between his arms. “Tell me the truth,” he said through gritted teeth. “You did this to me on purpose!”
The tears were coming faster now. “Of course I didn’t! If you’ll listen, I—I can explain the condoms. You see, my f-friend shoved those condoms in my purse that night as a—a joke.”
“You told me that before we used them.”
“Exactly. See? I never d-dreamed I’d really need them. But then I met you, and one thing led to another, and you didn’t have any condoms yourself, and I had those and...” Her words dwindled as if she could tell by the murderous look on his face that she was only making him angrier. “Wait.” She sniffed and dashed a hand across her wet cheeks in an attempt to compose herself. “This is getting out of control. I understand why you’d be tempted to—to think the worst. Some of the facts do seem odd. But let’s wait until the baby’s born. You can order a paternity test at that time, which would...which would prove I’m not lying.”
“About the paternity.”
“Isn’t that all that matters at this point?”
“Hell, no!” he cried. “I won’t let you make me accountable for an unwanted child entering this world. We’re ending this pregnancy. Now.” He knew it wasn’t his decision. He wasn’t even sure he was fully committed to what he’d just said. He’d never seriously considered what he’d do in a situation like this. But he couldn’t stop himself from pretending he could take charge and do something about it.
“What?”
Slightly gratified by her panic, he pushed the bluff a little farther. “Get your jacket. We’ll go to LA right now, find a clinic and take care of this. Then we can each go our separate ways.”
More tears streaked down her cheeks. “You want me to get an abortion.”
“You’re smarter than you look.”
Her hands covered her stomach in a protective motion. “It’s too late. I’m in my second trimester.”
He gaped at her. “What’d you say?”
“I’m twenty-two weeks. A pregnancy only lasts forty. That’s over halfway.”
“Of course!” Shoving a hand through his hair, he whirled away from her and began to pace. “That’s why you waited so long to tell me. So I’d have no way out.”
“That isn’t true!”
“How else would you explain it?” he yelled, turning to face her again.
“I c-can’t explain anything. You won’t let me. You’re too convinced I’m trying to—to screw you somehow. But I swear, I just figured out who you were two weeks ago. I was invited to a Super Bowl party and...and there you were. On TV.”
“I’ve been in the Super Bowl before. How is it that you’re the only person in America who missed it?”
“I don’t give a damn about sports. I think it’s stupid to pay millions of dollars to grown men who throw their bodies at each other! Why not do something that could really make a difference in life?”
Her retort infuriated him. He had to hit something, had to find an outlet for the frustration and disillusionment welling up inside him. After all the years he’d felt rejected and unwanted because someone had gotten his mother pregnant when she wasn’t ready for a child, here he was, repeating the same damn cycle. “You didn’t seem to mind what I did for a living when you seduced me!” he said as he slugged the wall.
She flinched and covered her head, as if he might strike her next. When he didn’t advance, merely shook the pain from his hand, she blinked at the hole he’d put in the Sheetrock. “You need to leave,” she said. “Now. Before I call the police.”
“I haven’t done anything that would warrant getting arrested! You’re the one who scammed me! You set me up, got pregnant on purpose, and now you’re here to...what? Collect a fat check? Is that what’s coming next?” It was easier to focus on the support she’d require than all the rest of it. But he had plenty of money. He just didn’t want to be responsible for creating a child under these circumstances. He’d told himself he’d never be that guy—and yet, because he’d met Ellie five months ago, here he was! There wasn’t a worse way he could’ve let himself down.
She was beginning to tremble. “You’re wrong. I’m not after your money. Listen, you—you’re not the man I thought you were.”
He agreed. That was what was killing him!
“I shouldn’t have come here,” she went on. “This whole thing, it was a mistake.”
“Damn right it was a mistake. You went after the wrong guy.” He closed the distance between them and bent his head to get in her face, even though he could tell she was terrified of him. “What did you think I’d do? Take it lying down? Let you ruin my life without so much as a whimper?”
“Ruin your life? I don’t think a—a child has to ruin your life!”
She didn’t understand, would never understand. If he ever had a kid, he didn’t want to be a part-time dad; he wanted to be the father he’d never had. “Tell the truth!” he shouted. “You’ve been lying the whole time.”
She was now crying so hard she had to gulp for breath. “Yes. That’s it. I—I was lying. I’m still lying. You’re fine. Nothing’s going to get in the way of you living your life. You can leave. There’s no baby.”
Her sudden reversal shocked him. He felt as if she’d knocked the wind from him. As long as she’d been trying to plead her case, trying to convince him, he could fight her, vent his disappointment in the situation and himself. But what was he supposed to do now that she was no longer resisting? She’d taken back everything she’d said, given him the opportunity to leave as if this encounter had never taken place—and he was tempted. He wanted to forget the whole thing, pretend he didn’t know. But he could never do that, which meant he had no way out.
“Hey!”
They both turned to see that a man acting in some official capacity—Hudson guessed he was the motel manager—had opened the door and was poking his head in. “I’ve been getting complaints about the noise. Everything okay?”
Hudson nearly sent the guy away, but Ellie spoke before he could.
“No.” She sidled toward the manager as if he was her salvation. “Everything isn’t okay. I need you to call the police.”
“Hudson King?” The man’s face registered shock when he realized who’d been causing the commotion.
“This isn’t what it appears to be,” Hudson said. “We’re not fighting, exactly. Not physically, anyway. And I’ll pay for the Sheetrock.” He pulled several bills from his pocket, way more than the repairs could ever cost, and tossed them on the bed.
“I’m more worried about her than the wall,” the guy said.
Hudson raised his hands. “I haven’t hurt her. Tell him I haven’t hurt you.”
“He h-hasn’t hurt me,” she admitted, sniffing and wiping her wet cheeks. “But he could. I want him gone. This is my room, and he’s no longer welcome in it.”
“What?” Hudson said. How dare she act like the injured party? So he’d raised his voice a little. Look what she’d done to him!
“If you leave this minute, we’ll just forget this ever happened,” she said. “Otherwise—”
“Wait.” Hudson scrubbed his face with one hand. She was still going with the “drop everything” approach. But he couldn’t do that, not now. “We still need to talk. Nothing’s been resolved.”
“Yes, it has,” she said. “I’m done. I did what I felt was right, and you didn’t want to hear it, so...we’ll leave it there.”
A new surge of frustration made him feel he was all tied up in knots. So now she was cutting him out? She came here, devastated him, and then...it was goodbye? “But—”
