The Heir Affair. Cat Schield

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       Two

      At his question, Melody blinked several times in rapid succession and then just stared at him in shock. As the impact of what he’d asked sunk in, Kyle realized he’d just made a huge mistake. His heart clenched in misery. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but that was all he seemed capable of these days.

      “What I meant was...” he began, but she was having none of it.

      “You’re the father,” Melody said, her voice raw with disappointment and anguish. “How could you think anything else?”

      “The flowers.” He slashed his gaze toward them, unable to face the judgment in Melody’s eyes. “It’s the exact thing Hunter sent you last year when he was trying to get you to reconsider picking me over him.”

      “Hunter and I are friends.” Her stiff tone brooked no argument. “Nothing more.”

      “The same could’ve been said about us before we got together,” he reminded her.

      For several seconds she stared at him in silence as her chest rose and fell in response to the large quantity of air she was moving through her lungs. Her blue eyes were overly bright as she assessed him.

      When at last she spoke, her words thudded like hammer blows on his psyche. “I can’t believe you could think that I would cheat on you with Hunter or anyone else.”

      The urge to fold her into his arms flooded him, but so much resentment lay between them. He doubted she’d be open to any attempt on his part to touch her.

      “I don’t.”

      “Then why would you ask me something so ridiculous as whether I know who the father is?”

      “It came out wrong.” But it hadn’t. In the back of his mind was that ever-present image of Melody and Hunter hand-in-hand.

      “I don’t think it did. You’ve been looking for an excuse to break up for months.” Her voice was ragged and raw. “I’m not going to fight you any longer. We’re done.”

      “What?” Although he’d been dreading this outcome for months now, Kyle wasn’t prepared for the actual ending. His thoughts reeled. “Just like that?”

      “You just accused me of being pregnant with some random guy’s baby—”

      “Not some random guy,” he reminded her, hating the words coming out of his mouth but unable to stop the flow. He needed to get his suspicions out in the open. That was the only way they could move forward. His tone was bleak as he finished. “Hunter’s.”

      “I can’t keep doing this.” Melody stuck out her arm and pointed toward the door. “Go.”

      The numbness that had momentarily gripped him burned away in a rush. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” He gazed toward her belly where, now that he knew what to look for, he detected the tiniest roundness. “That’s my baby you’re carrying.”

      Muscles bunched in her cheek as her arm fell back to her side. Her eyes were sapphire-hard as she demanded, “So, now you’re sure?”

      If he wanted to save their relationship, he had to get over the doubts clouding his judgment. He loved Melody and they were going to be a family. He’d won her away from Hunter once. He could do it again. And again. Whatever it took.

      “Yes.”

      She crossed her arms over her chest, not giving an inch. “And I’m supposed to forget every terrible thing you thought about me and be glad you’ve finally decided to come around?”

      “I made a mistake.”

      “You made a series of them.” Abruptly, the fight drained out of her. “This isn’t how I wanted things to go.”

      “What did you expect?” He took a half step toward her, intent on making some sort of a peace offering, but let his hand fall back to his side when she shook her head.

      “I don’t know.” Her shoulders rounded with exhaustion. “I thought maybe it would magically fix things.”

      “We’ve had too much time apart.”

      “And that’s my fault?”

      Although she’d been the one who’d pulled away rather than stay and fight with him—for them—he’d meant it as an observation, not a criticism. Her distance these last few months had awakened a fear of losing her.

      “I told you to go on the tour,” he reminded her. “And if I had to do it all over again, I’d make the same decision. It was the right step for your career.” And if he was honest with himself, he hadn’t been ready for the level of commitment their relationship had reached.

      It still boggled his mind how fast he’d gone from being her friend to inviting her to move in with him. Cohabiting with Melody had been the most natural thing in the world. It hadn’t required any significant shift in his beliefs or habits. The transformation from bachelor to boyfriend had been seamless and rewarding. It wasn’t until she left on the tour that he’d noticed disquieting thoughts creeping in.

      “How far along are you?”

      “Twelve weeks.”

      He did the math. The last time they’d been together. It had been a rocky weekend. “How long have you known?”

      “Since shortly after I returned from Sydney.”

      “Six weeks.” He rubbed his eyes while disappointment flowed through him. Why had it taken her so long to share such important news? Could it be that she was afraid of how he would react? And hadn’t he just demonstrated that she’d been right?

      Her vehemence caught him by surprise. “You don’t get to do that.” She pointed an accusatory finger at him.

      “Do what?”

      “Make me feel bad for not rushing to tell you that everything in your life was going to change.”

      She was so obviously afraid of what his reaction would be. And perhaps with good reason. He hadn’t СКАЧАТЬ