"How did you find me?"
"I drove to every OBGYN in town, then when I got here, I saw your car."
Damn car. She should have had Suzette drive her like she wanted to. But she’d wanted to have a little time to herself to process it all.
She stared down at the little picture of the baby in her hand and shook her head. She should have learned by now that it was no use playing games of "what if" with herself. Luke was here now. Waiting for her to say something, do something.
"Fine. So, if you didn't come here to argue with me--" She squared her shoulders, then lifted her head to face him at last. He looked sexy and gorgeous and angry…like an avenging angel. “What is it you're here to do?"
"To get you to listen."
"Consider me listening."
He nodded. "Tawny, I...I haven't had as much time to think about this as you have. I know that. But I also know that I am a good man and a good man lives up to his responsibilities. I won't be shut out."
He stared at her, as if challenging her to be the one to argue, to fight, but whatever urge she'd had to yell and scream had been sapped of her a long time ago. Instead, she stood there, waiting for him to go on, clutching the picture of her baby like a talisman against whatever he said next.
"I don't know what the future holds and I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know that I want to be there for you and for the baby. I want to help you through your pregnancy. If you're sick, I want to be the person you call to go get you soup or, you know, or waffles. Whatever."
She waited for him to go on, and then he said, "Please, look at me."
And she did. Really looked this time instead of looking through him. She took in the serious set of his square jaw, the bright, pleading gleam in his eyes. His slightly-too-long dark hair.
"I'm not doubting that you can do this on your own. I'm asking you, please, let me be there to help. I want to help with the finances after the baby is born and, if it's too much for you to handle talking about right now, we can talk about my involvement with the baby's life after he or she is born."
He took a deep breath and his Adam's apple bobbed in his throat. "I can't make you any promises, but I can't just walk away. Please, I need you to understand that."
Another long silence permeated the air as he stared at her and the full weight of the world pressed down on her shoulders.
She knew that he was expecting her to fight, to say something back, but, in truth, she couldn't bring herself to form a coherent thought. It was like her brain kept trying to put the pieces together, only to have everything fall back apart again and scatter in a thousand different directions.
“He.”
“What?” Luke asked, brows caving into a confused frown.
“He,” she whispered. “It’s a boy.”
She tried to smile but then the world spun and she was sinking to the ground, crumpling into a little ball as an overpowering wave of emotion crashed over her and she burst into wracking sobs.
Chapter 10
A boy.
Luke stood there, his hands at his sides, his mind warring with itself.
On one hand, he wanted to walk toward her, to lift her up to standing and hold her against him until her tears dried. On the other, he felt like he was witnessing something private, something he had no right to acknowledge or even witness.
There was nothing he could do for her, he knew that, but this crushing helplessness was almost too much to bear, and before he could convince himself not to, he was crossing the room, lifting Tawny from the floor and into his arms.
If he'd thought she'd resist, he couldn't have been more wrong. She curled against him, her hot tears making his t-shirt damp as she buried her face against his chest.
With one nervous hand, he patted the top of her head, then stroked her silky brown hair, trying to think of something to say.
It was strange. Not just that this girl, this virtual stranger, was sobbing into his arms until she was gasping for breath, but also that it felt somehow right. Like she belonged there. Like it was comfortable.
He hushed her, then stroked her back until the sobs slowed and she was simply lying against him, sniffling, her full breasts and little belly nestled against the plane of his chest.
He cleared his throat, willing the sudden desire away and hating the sudden dirty thought. God only knew thoughts like those should be the farthest thing from his mind right now.
"Tawny, do you want to tell me what's wrong?" he asked, and then his heart sank as she shifted and pulled away from him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
She shook her head, tears still clinging to her long eyelashes. "No, look, I'm fine. Let me just." She held up a finger, then crossed the room. She pushed the chair away to open the door, and then said, "Excuse me, nurse, I'm so sorry for the disturbance. We'll be out of here soon, I promise."