Accidentally Expecting. Michelle Celmer

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      “Hi.”

      She shifted nervously. “So, I’ll bet you’re surprised to see me.”

      That was an understatement. Did she think she could bounce in and out of his life like a ping-pong ball?

      She fidgeted with the bottom edge of her jacket. “I hope it’s not a problem. My stopping by unannounced, I mean.”

      He folded his arms over his chest. “I guess that depends on what you want.”

      “What I want?” She looked confused, then the meaning of his words seemed to sink in. “Oh, I’m only here to talk.”

      He couldn’t imagine what they had left to talk about. But at the very least, he should listen to what she had to say.

      He backed up and gestured her inside.

      She stepped past him, taking in the foyer and the living room with curiosity. “The penthouse, huh? Very nice.”

      “Thanks.” They stood there for a moment in awkward silence, so he asked, “Can I take your jacket?”

      “No, thanks.” She rubbed her arms absently, as if fighting off a chill. “I’m not used to this cool weather. It’s a lot hotter in May in Texas.”

      “Would you care for something warm to drink? Tea? Coffee?”

      “Water?”

      “Kitchen is this way,” he said, and she followed him. “Did you just get into town?”

      “I came right from the airport. I apologize for dropping in out of the blue. I would have called first, but the truth is, until I walked into the building, I wasn’t sure if I could really do this.”

      “But here you are.”

      “Yeah. Here I am.”

      He filled a glass with filtered water and handed it to her. She barely took a sip before setting it down on the counter.

      She glanced nervously around the room, everywhere but at him. “This is awkward, huh?”

      “Yeah. I seem to recall that we agreed not to see each other again.”

      “I know,” she said. “And I’m sorry, but the situation has changed.”

      He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the refrigerator. “Which situation is that?”

      She took a deep breath and blew it out, then looked him in the eye and said, “The situation that arose when I found out I was pregnant.”

      Chapter Three

      It took a full thirty seconds for the meaning of her words to sink in, and another minute to regain the use of his vocal chords. “Say again?”

      “I was surprised, too.” She walked across the room to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the shore of Lake Michigan. “Before you ask, I’m sure it’s yours. There hasn’t been anyone else in a while.”

      “I wasn’t going to ask.” The thought had never even occurred to him. She didn’t strike him as the type of woman who would try to pin someone else’s mistake on him. Though, it wasn’t as if he knew her all that well. Geographically he’d memorized her down to the last detail. The way her breasts felt cupped in his hands, the soft swell of her hips. How their bodies had locked together to make a perfect fit.

      Personally and intellectually, they were barely more than strangers.

      “Well,” she asked, finally turning to him. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

      “The truth is, I’m a little speechless right now.”

      “You must have questions.”

      There were so many questions bouncing around in his head he could barely make sense of them. “You’ve been to see a doctor? You’re sure?”

      “Do you think I would fly all the way here from Texas if I wasn’t sure?”

      Which led to his next question. “How? We used protection.”

      “I can’t explain it, either. But if you’re interested in placing blame, go ahead and pin it on me.”

      If he recalled correctly, they had both been in that room, he just as willingly as she’d been. “Why would I do that? It isn’t anyone’s fault.”

      “Actually, it is.” She lowered her eyes, toying with the hem of her shirt. “While I had no plan to get pregnant, I walked into that bar with every intention of seducing you.”

      The corner of his mouth quirked up. Is that what she thought happened? She seduced him? “Is that so?”

      She wouldn’t meet his eye. “It’s dumb really, but I was so mad at you after that interview, I wanted revenge. I wanted a way to prove you wrong. There was obvious chemistry, so I used it to my advantage. I guess the joke was on me.”

      Maybe he should have been offended; instead, he felt sorry for her. She was beating herself up over something that wasn’t her fault. “Miranda, you can’t seduce someone who doesn’t want to be seduced. You could have danced naked on the table, but unless I was interested, it wouldn’t have gotten me into bed with you. And maybe you’re forgetting, but I made the first move.” He crossed the kitchen to her, cupping her chin in his hand and lifting her face to him. “Let’s forget about whose fault this is and figure out what we’re going to do.”

      She nodded, gratitude in her eyes.

      Touching her face brought back the memory of that night in the hotel, right before he kissed her. And since he was this close to doing it again, he let his hand drop and backed away.

      “How long have you known?”

      “A while. I wanted to give myself a couple of weeks to let it sink in before I told you.”

      “And you’re happy?”

      “I’ve always wanted children. It was just unexpected.”

      He could sympathize.

      “How about you?” she asked.

      He wasn’t sure what he felt yet. He was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around the concept. He’d always planned on a family, too, just not like this. Looks like now he didn’t have a choice.

      “When?” he asked.

      “Right around Christmas.”

      A Christmas baby.

      He was going to be a father.

      “Then I guess there’s only one thing we can do,” he said.

      “What’s that?”

      “We have to get married.”

      Miranda СКАЧАТЬ