The Billionaire's Baby Bargain(26)
The color drained from her face; her stare, loaded with self-doubt, finally skittered away.
“Did I? I was still in shock. I only meant…surely you know what I meant.” She closed her palm over her stomach. “This isn’t easy for me.”
“No. How could it be? You are facing becoming a single mother,” he mocked. “Raising a child on a waitress’s salary. So—”
“I had another job. Until you—”
“You decided that you had no option other than to terminate the pregnancy,” he continued, ignoring her protests.
Her mouth fell open and her gaze returned to his, flashing fire. “That’s absolutely not true. I never planned to end this pregnancy, and how dare you accuse me of it.”
Strong words, but then, that’s all they were. Words. And after her deception in Spain, he knew they carried no weight. He intended to see that she had no way to prove him otherwise. He intended to see his child born and under his care.
His jaw hardened; the muscles in his body coiled with tension. “You can barely afford your apartment, Chloe. Or do you forget how you were almost evicted? How will you possibly afford to raise a child?”
“I…how on earth did you know that?” Her eyes went round with realization. With shock. “You paid my rent? But why? You made it clear in Valencia how much you despised me.”
He didn’t reply. Instead, he turned to glance out the window of the limo, staring blindly at the nighttime Seattle skyline and the lighted Space Needle in the distance.
Understanding his motivation for not being able to let Chloe go wasn’t something even he could comprehend. He should’ve been able to wash his hands from her the moment she’d walked out of his resort that day. But he hadn’t been able to forget her. To stop the memories and dreams of her. And he hadn’t been able to erase the guilt that he’d almost singlehandedly crushed her financially.
The fact that he had been her benefactor of rent money had never been something he’d intended for Chloe to become aware of. Nor that he’d had Pablo follow up on her wellbeing when she’d return to the States. It was how he’d discovered her near eviction. And, had she not called him, would’ve been how he’d discovered she carried his child.
When Chloe had told him about the baby and then hung up on him, his entire world had gone into a tailspin. Children were never supposed to be a part of his life. Never.
The memories assailed him then, the stinging slap of the leather belts against his back. Celebrating Dio de los Reyes—Three Kings Day—where he’d watched his cousin unwrap present after present, while he’d been lucky to get a hand-me-down toy.
Andrés blinked and looked away, ridding himself of the poisonous reminders. He’d always vowed not to bring a child into such a harsh world, and up until Valencia, until Chloe, he’d been especially careful with his lovers. And now here he was.
“In Valencia,” he ground out, anger burning in his gut, “you told me you would have difficulty conceiving. Was that another of your lies?”
“No.” She gave a high-pitched laugh and shook her head. “That’s what I was told by my physician—what I myself believed.”
Staring at her, Andrés had difficulty believing she hadn’t considered the possibility of getting pregnant that night. If she’d intended seduction all along, wouldn’t she have been more prepared?
“This isn’t fair,” she said suddenly, her eyes suspiciously bright. She seemed to be holding back tears. “You have no right to judge me. Perhaps it wasn’t a planned pregnancy and no, I’m not certain how I’ll raise this baby alone, but let me make one thing clear. I want my child, Andrés.”
He arched a brow and then announced softly, “Well, cariño, that makes two of us.”
Chloe had the sudden realization that she might get sick. Dizziness assailed her and she closed her eyes, clutching the leather of the seat beneath her.
Andrés wanted her baby. He’d stated it casually, as if he’d mentioned he wanted to purchase a new car. But this wasn’t a car, this was her child. What could Andrés, a ruthless businessman who seemed intent on never settling down, possibly want with a baby?
She opened her eyes again and met his gaze full on, deciding to call his bluff. “Do you want partial custody? Visitation rights? A damned handmade Christmas card from preschool?”
“No, Chloe. If you are indeed carrying my child—”
“If?” She sputtered, fury rising within her. “You think I would lie about being pregnant?”