by Eve Black
And getting her to go to dinner with him had been like pulling teeth. She refused him at every turn, until he’d finally worn her down. Even then, though, she hadn’t asked for anything. She’d simply admitted she was pregnant, he was the father, and that was that. Why hadn’t she asked him for money?
That thought had echoed through his mind, peeling away his resolve.
No. She was like Rinna, wasn’t she? All women were. They only wanted what they could get out of him—they didn’t care about him as a man.
So why had being with Diana felt so good?
Dragging his mind back to the office with Dr. Branchard, David met the man’s inquisitive gaze.
“What brings you here, David?”
Swallowing, David sat back in the comfortable chair across from the doctor.
How did one go about asking what he wanted to ask?
“David?” Branchard arched a bushy white brow. “Is something the matter?”
David let out a heavy breath. “Yes, there is.”
“Oh?”
“I want to know… After my accident, you said that my chances of ever having children were low, that I should consider myself sterile.”
Branchard nodded, his expression lightening with understanding.
“I did say that. Accidents like yours, where the testicles experience that level of torsion, typically result in sterility.”
It was David’s turn to nod. “So…it isn’t possible that I’ve sired a child.” Why did saying that out loud make his chest ache? Was that disappointment bittering his tongue? His body tight, he sat forward in the seat, preparing to leave the office and the strange anger behind.
Dr. Branchard clicked his tongue, tsking. “Now, I wouldn’t say that.”
Those words were not what David expected to hear. His heart thudding, he asked, “What do you mean?”
“I said typically. Typically, it presents in sterility, but that isn’t always the case. As with all things, nothing is certain when it comes to the human body’s ability to overcome its own disabilities. While your reproductive organs were damaged, they did heal. In some cases, healing doesn’t always mean regaining the ability to reproduce, but in rare cases… If you believe that perhaps you’ve fathered a child, I wouldn’t discount it.”
David couldn’t form words around the lump of disbelief in his throat. Was it possible? Could he have fathered Diana’s baby?
“Tell you what…why don’t I run some tests. We can check your sperm levels to determine if you really are sterile.”
Without hesitating, David agreed. He’d head to the laboratory as soon as he left Branchard’s office.
“If you go today, we can have the results by the end of the week.”
Hours after the appointment, Branchard’s words pounded through David’s brain.
It could be possible. He could be a father. Despite his using condoms with her, there was a possibility that his swimmers actually swum. That she hadn’t lied when she’d claimed he was the father. But how did that really make him feel, and why did he even need to ask that question?
He should feel panicked, anxious, angry. Surely Diana would use her pregnancy as a tool for getting her hands on his money. Surely. Right?
Back in his flat, after jacking off into a cup at the lab, he let his thoughts whirl, the tension overriding the excitement he’d felt earlier when he’d sent Diana flowers. He’d been so eager to see her again, to touch her again, that he’d put aside reason. Self-preservation.
But now that he’d spoken with the doctor, there was so much more to consider.
One thing was for certain…he wouldn’t be able to think with Diana around. And above all, he needed time to think.
Without giving himself time to reconsider, he sent Diana a text, cancelling their dinner. No reason given. No reason needed. If she was who he thought she was, she didn’t deserve it.
But…the doubts remained, as did the notification saying that Diana had left a voicemail.
Chapter 17
The text cancelling their dinner came through and Diana stared down at it for a moment, blinking. For some reason, she wasn’t surprised, but that didn’t stop the mix of relief and—dare she even think it—disappointment.
She couldn’t be disappointed in David. He’d made no promises.
Once she cleaned out her desk and trudged home, her brain and body numb, she tucked in and did what needed to be done.
Despite the radio silence from David, she spent the next two weeks job hunting, going over the budget to cut all but the necessary expenditures, and moving her obstetrics file to a doctor in Edison where the co-pay wouldn’t break the bank.
Head hanging over the dinette table, she didn’t see her mom come into the kitchen. During the years of Diana’s adolescence, her mother had learned to walk around the house like a ninja, ready to catch Diana in whatever shenanigans she was preparing to unleash on Deirdre. Diana rarely got away with anything.
“Bad night?” her mother asked, moving to the coffee pot to pour herself a mug of the four-hour old brew. Deirdre had made it before she’d gone to class, and the scent of if teased Diana until she sobbed over her mug of decaf.
She wasn’t crying now, though, the tears having dried out.
Not surprisingly, she had been crying a lot lately, and why not? Her life was shit.
Her job was in the toilet, she hadn’t heard from David, and it seemed that she had been black-balled from every other law firm in New York and New Jersey.
Whatever those partners had done to her was spreading. She had no doubt that they’d promised Ayers an investigation but what they really wanted was to make an example of her. Now, even if they did “investigate,” she knew what their findings would be. She had slept with David Brenner, there was no denying that, so they’d filet her, nail her bloody flesh to their wall, and leave her there as a banner of what would happen if you fucked with the elite assholes of Kilgore, Ayers, Beecham.
Finally realizing her mom was waiting for her to speak, Diana muttered, “Bad month.” Then she groaned, rubbing the back of her neck where her shoulders met.
Her mother sat down across from her, cold coffee in hand.
“There isn’t a word I can speak that would alleviate the weight on your shoulders, Diana. You made a mistake, and now you’re paying for it.”
Diana sneered. “Gee, thanks, Ma.”
Her mother glared at her. “Don’t use that tone with me, Diana Marie Bluth. You know what you did, and now you have to deal with the shit that comes with it. You know your sister and I will do all we can to pick up the slack, and I know you will find a job that will grant you maternity leave, and we will get back on our feet before the baby comes. I have faith that what has happened was meant to happen, because babies are never accidents. Never. And it isn’t that baby’s fault that her father is an arrogant asshole with super sperm.”
Diana couldn’t help it, she laughed at that.
“Super sperm,” she wailed teasingly. “Really, Mom?”
She shrugged. “How else do you explain your pregnancy?”
Diana sat back, knowing her mother was right. As she usually was.
That baby might not have been expected, but it was wanted, and no matter what, Diana would find a way to get through all that life had handed her. There was no other choice.
She did have one more choice to make; reach out to David once more or let him go, let him forget about her and his child. No. It wasn’t a choice. Now that he knew, it would be wrong to not give him a chance to do what was right. She would reach out, she could do her duty as the mother, and if he didn’t take the opportunity, it was his loss.
Sucking in a breath, she checked her calendar and sent a quick text to David, though she didn’t expect a response.
OB APPOINTMENT. May 15th. 2PM. DR. MONROE. WORTHINGTON RD. EDISON. COME IF YOU CAN.
She didn’t bother signing it. He’d know who it was from, and he could choose to ignore it or not. That didn’t stop the s
urge of fear that choked her when she considered that this was the make or break of her “relationship” with David. They’d had sex but they hadn’t spoken a word about anything beyond the bedroom. He knew about the baby, it was up to him to do what he felt was right. She refused to be that woman, the one who used a baby to get money. It was bad enough that Rinna had been making headlines again, this time she was seeking damages from some PI that had been digging into her doings.
Poor Rinna. She was desperate.
And you’re not?
Grunting, Diana rolled her eyes. No. She was not like Rinna, and she was proving that every day she didn’t call David, asking for money.
Single parents raised their kids every day without the benefit of billionaire baby daddies.
As Diana’s first official OB appointment approached, she spent too much time wondering if David would be there. He was the father. But that didn’t necessarily mean he wanted to take part in all the stuff before the baby was born.
If he came, he came. She wouldn’t worry about it. But…she would worry about it. She hadn’t seen him in weeks, and she knew her body well enough to know that she’d react to him. She wanted to be happy that she might not ever have to see him again, but she just couldn’t. It wasn’t just the baby that David had planted in her, it was also a desire, a need for him she couldn’t shake. A woman would have to be dead not to react to David; he was sex and power on two legs. Besides—she forced her mind back to practical matters—he hadn’t seemed upset about her pregnancy, more clinical than anything, but then he’d ghosted her. If he actually took the effort to attend the appointment, maybe sitting in on the appointment with the obstetrician would alleviate some of his doubts; he’d have the opportunity to ask the doctor whatever he wanted, including the documented conception date.
Refusing to dwell on what ifs, Diana threw herself back into job hunting, and as the days ticked by without anything progressing past an interview, she was more defeated than ever. There was one bright spot though…she knew she’d get to see her baby for the first time at the OB appointment that afternoon.
Arriving at the small OB office situated in the strip mall two miles from her house, Diana was wholly unprepared to see a familiar Escalade parked right in front of the building.
She let out a squeak of surprise when David climbed out of the car and made his way toward her. He opened the door to her car and she stood, her legs wobbly, and met his gaze—or she would have if he weren’t wearing large, reflective aviator sunglasses.
“David,” she breathed. “I hadn’t expected you to come.”
A perfectly black eyebrow arched up over the top of the sunglasses.
“I was invited, was I not supposed to come?” His accent, his deep voice…they did something to her. She hadn’t heard from him in so long, it was as though parts of her were coming back to life after being dead.
What the hell is wrong with me?
She shook herself inwardly. Get it together!
“Yes, yes. I just didn’t know if you’d want to,” she replied, ducking her head and moving to step away from her car so she could shut the door.
David stepped away, but barely, and she closed the door, clutching her purse to her chest like a shield against the battering she was taking from David’s nearness.
“Lead the way,” David drawled, turning toward the building.
Diana nodded and walked, her legs still wobbly. David—ever the gentleman (snort)—opened the door for her, holding it for her as she walked into the small waiting room that boasted five chairs, a coffee table covered in Parent magazines, and a reception desk in the corner. The single flat screen TV was turned to The View, but it was muted. Thankfully.
There were two other people in the waiting room, both pregnant, and both were staring at David with open appreciation on their faces. Diana wanted to roll her eyes—obviously he was there with her. She refused to glare at them, to give David the pleasure of her jealousy because why would he care if she were jealous? They weren’t a couple.
Hurrying to the desk, Diana checked in, filling out the paperwork and signing the release forms.
Once she was done at the desk, she turned around to face the room. She found David sitting in one of the chairs facing away from the large window emblazoned with the doctor’s name and specialty. David was texting someone.
Probably his flavor of the week.
Again, the jealousy made bitter work of her tongue. She swallowed it down and moved to sit beside him. Well…two seats over. She couldn’t trust herself to sit right beside him and not want to lean into him, absorbing his warmth, drawing his masculine scent into her body, staring at the beautiful ridges and angles of his face.
“How have you been?” A deep voice asked, snapping her from her own personal mind-fuck.
She blinked, realizing that David was talking to her.
“F-fine,” she blurted, heat rising into her cheeks. Shit. The last thing she needed was to look like an idiot—especially since it was the first time he’d seen her since cancelling their date weeks ago.
She glanced down at her attire—worn jeans, loose t-shirt, scuffed sneakers, and a purse that was more like a leather gym bag. Once the baby was born, it would double as a diaper bag. Forcing her attention back to David, she asked, “And you? How have you been?”
“Busy,” was his one word answer. His tone sounded bored, but there was something in his expression that told her there was more he wanted to say.
Before she could do something stupid like ask him what the hell he was thinking, a nurse appeared.
“Diana?” the petite woman called, smiling as Diana shot to her feet, nervous.
Beside her, David rose as well.
The nurse’s gaze took him in; gray suit, lavender tie, fashionably disheveled black hair, and a face forged from flesh and iron by gods.
“Father?” the nurse asked, and every nerve in Diana’s body paused, refusing to send signals for her to breathe or move or think. She waited for David’s response.
His gaze flicked to her, his lips pinched, but he replied, “Yes.”
Diana didn’t know if the world tilted or if her body fell through a wormhole because everything seemed to start spinning at once.
He said “yes.” That meant he was accepting the fact that she hadn’t been lying, that she was carrying his baby. The relief and excitement she expected to feel at his admission didn’t come, though. Something was holding it back.
Yeah, that look of disappointment on his face. Catching his expression, she noticed a dullness to his eyes that she hadn’t seen before. Sucking in a breath, she willed herself to follow the nurse back into a small exam room off a short corridor.
The nurse, Cindy, went over the medical information Diana had supplied at the check-in counter, then told them the doctor would be in shortly.
Once she left, closing the door behind her, Diana sat on the exam table, the paper crinkling beneath her, and then she turned to David.
“You believe me?” she asked, her voice a raw whisper.
He stood there, his arms crossed over his impressive chest, and stared at her.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think there was a chance that I am the father.”
A chance? “So, you still aren’t certain. You still don’t believe me?” Yeah, there went that tiny bead of happiness she’d carried with her from the waiting room.
Heaving a sigh, David rubbed the back of his neck, as though this was all a bother to him.
“Look. I visited with my urologist. He says that it is possible for me to sire a child.”
“So what’s with the doubts?” she snapped.
He sneered at her, the dullness gone from his eyes. “How am I supposed to know if that baby is mine or if it belongs to another of the lovers you picked up in that bar?”
It was as if an invisible hand plunged into her chest and ripped out her heart and lungs. Tears stung her eyes.
No! Don’t let him see you cry!
Biting back a shriek of anger, Diana hissed, “I was a virgin, you fucking asshole!”
He reeled back, his eyes going wide.
“What?” he barked.
She leaned forward, sticking a finger into his chest. “I. Was. A. Virgin. You were my first. I hadn’t had a man before you and I haven’t had a man since you. You are it, dude. So whatever the fuck you seem to think of me needs to die right the fuck now.” By the time she was done, her whole body was shaking.
Once again, David rubbed the back of his neck, harder this time, his face pale, his steely eyes wide. Disbelief etched lines into the sides of his face.
“Before you tell me that’s impossible, let me stop you right there. I had never had sex because I’d never wanted to have sex; none of the men I dated ever made me…” She dropped her gaze from his face. “None of them ever made me feel the way you did. I wanted you, and I was willing to risk my job for just a moment of knowing what it felt like for you to touch me.”
She heard him swallow but she didn’t look up.
“I gave myself to you that night, and the other times since, not because I had some angle, but because I just couldn’t help myself.”
Chapter 18
God, where was all of that coming from? Why was she telling him all of that? He didn’t deserve to know any of it. He’d hit her, quit her, then accused her of ugly, hideous things.
But you can’t stop wanting him. No. She couldn’t. It was a disease. One that would more than likely lead to the slow, terminal death of her heart and soul.
Dragging a steel pipe into her spine, she finally glanced up into David’s face.
There was a fire there, a boiling cauldron of wariness, uncertainty, and apprehension.
Well, she was sure as shit wary, uncertain, and apprehensive, too!
Before she could snap at him, a soft knock sounded against the door right before it opened, allowing in a tall, thin man with a full head of white hair, laughing brown eyes, and a large tablet clutched in his arm.
