She still had the door blocked and he looked around the hall at the lady who came out of her apartment. “Can I please come in? This is really stupid to have a conversation out where everyone can hear us.”
“No.”
He looked ready to explode and she wanted to smile. But she was afraid if she did, he really would have a fit. When he pulled out his wallet, she stiffened. If he pulled out even one dollar, she was going to shove it up his nose.
“I have some phone numbers for you. Just in case. I put all my brothers’ there and my mom’s too. You have the office number, I guess. Anyway, call me when you need something.”
She took the card and put it in her pocket without looking at it. “And what is it you think I’ll need from you, Royce? I think I’ve made it perfectly clear what I want, and in case I didn’t, I’ll tell you. Nothing. Not one thin red penny. I have a lot of decisions to make and—”
“I have a right to know what you’re planning. It’s my kid too, you know. I have the right—”
“You gave up those rights the moment you told me that you thought what we’d done was an act of stupidity. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I was just as guilty of that act as you. The only difference is I’m willing to own up to what I did. You want to wallow in self pity.”
He braced his arms over his chest. “So now you think we should get married, right? You’ve thought it over and now you want to have a ring on your finger and a daddy for your kid.”
She threw back her head and laughed. “You arrogant asshole. I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on earth. Don’t come here again. Ever. Do you understand me? If you do then I’ll get a restraining order against you so fast you won’t even have time to call in a favor. Now get out.” She slammed the door. She watched him jump back as the door shut, disappointed that it didn’t pop him in the nose. She went to her desk, sat down, and looked at the numbers he gave her. She picked up the phone before she had time to think and dialed the fourth number.
“Daniel Hunter? This is Kasey York. Would you like to get some pizza with me?”
Chapter 12
Royce was standing outside Curtis’ office the next morning when he got in. Royce had actually thought about going to see Daniel, but he was still slightly pissed off at him. And his mom was in a meeting.
“I need to speak to you,” he said to his brother as soon as he stepped off the elevator. “Kasey isn’t giving me any choice so I need to do something so I have information about the baby.”
Curtis unlocked his door and went inside. He hung up his jacket and checked his messages, completely ignoring him. Finally, Royce snapped. “Damn it, I’m talking to you. Fucking quit screwing around and answer me.”
“Okay,” Curtis started. “You didn’t ask me a single question but barked information to me. Second, that’s a personal issue, not business. And while I did suggest you make a contract with Kasey to ensure your rights, I’ve since changed my mind. Third, I—”
“Did Daniel talk to you? Is that what this is about? I see he’s gathering you all together to make some sort of Anti-Royce Club. Well, I’m not going to marry her. I—”
“Good. I hope to God you don’t.”
That shut him up. He knew he would regret asking, but found he really wanted to know. Before he could ask, Curtis continued.
“We had dinner with Kasey last night. And before you ask, no, we didn’t go behind your back. She asked us. Well, she asked Daniel. Jesse and I went along because we were in his office when she called him.”
“Why? Why did she want to ask Daniel? To get you guys to be more pissed at me?” Royce felt stupid as soon as the words left his mouth.
“Will you just listen to yourself? Christ, Royce, you sound like you’re ten years old and nobody will let you into their club. We had pizza with her. She wouldn’t let us even mention your name or we had to leave.”
That bothered Royce too, but not in the same way. It seemed Kasey was going out of her way to have nothing to do with him. Small wonder, he thought. He was being…well, he realized last night he was being just plain mean to her. “So what did you talk about? Is she…Curtis, do you think she needs… I was going to ask if she needed me, but I think she made it pretty clear she doesn’t. At least not me, she doesn’t.”
Curtis laughed. “That’s the first thing you’ve said in a month that’s true. At least partly true anyway. I think she’ll do well as a single mom. Her mom raised her pretty much on her own while helping care for Kasey’s aunt. And I think Kasey will make a terrific mom.”