Unexpectedly Yours(23)

"Can I come in? I won't take much of your time."

She capitulated silently, allowing him into the living room.

Hannah didn't look great. Dark circles under her eyes emphasized her wan  skin. Her hair hung loose and tangled down her back, and she was  dressed in a sloppy T-shirt and leggings.

"You look like hell," he blurted out and then wanted to kick himself.

"Gee, thanks for the compliment."

"I didn't mean it like that." He peered at her more closely. "I heard you were sick last night. Are you still feeling bad?"

She quickly pushed back her shoulders and crossed her arms. "Not too bad."

But she looked fragile and delicate, and that made him feel like a  lumbering idiot. He scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, did Caleb get  around to fixing those kitchen shelves of yours?"

"Not yet." Her knuckles turned white as she dug her fingernails into her arms. Why was she so tense around him?

"Maybe I could take a look at them." He waited for her to tell him not  to bother, but she didn't. Her eyes were fixed on him, wide and  troubled. His nerves tingled with apprehension as he walked to the  kitchen.

The shelves above the kitchen counter leaned drunkenly to one side, caused by a bracket that had come loose from the wall.

"I can fix that in five minutes," he said to Hannah. "All I need is a couple of wall screws and a power drill."

She shook her head. "I don't have any tools."

"I'll be right back." Fortunately, he always carried a set of basic  tools in the trunk of his car. He found what he needed and returned to  the kitchen. Hannah was slumped on a stool with her arms wrapped around  her middle. When she saw him, her back quickly straightened, the air of  tension returning to her.

He set to work on the shelf. In a few minutes he finished the job and tested the shelf. Rock solid and perfectly horizontal.

"Thank you," Hannah murmured.

He wound up the cord of his power drill and swept up the dust he'd  caused. There was nothing else he could do here to delay his departure.  Drawing in a breath, he turned to face her.   





 

"I'm driving back to L.A. today."

A deep emotion flashed across her face, something almost like dread, then she gulped and visibly steeled herself.

"Yes, I know."

He waited for her to say something more, but she didn't. He shifted on his feet. "I start filming again on Monday."

She gave an infinitesimal nod. "You're probably glad to get back to work."

Her words felt like a dismissal. He frowned at his grubby hands. "Do you mind if I use your bathroom to wash up before I go?"

Wordless, she shook her head, and he left the kitchen. The bathroom was  at the end of the hall. It had been scrubbed and painted, but no amount  of cleaning could hide the cracked tiles and dark yellow stains around  the faucets. His indignation rose. That sonofabitch ex-husband of hers  was a dirtbag. She'd put him through medical school, worked her ass off  to support his dream of becoming a plastic surgeon, and now she was  paying the price for her generosity.

Derek grabbed the soap and washed his hands vigorously. As he dried  himself on the towel, his gaze fell on the waste bin just below. It  didn't hold much, just an empty cardboard box with some pink writing on  it. He frowned as he read the label. Was that … ? No, it couldn't be. He  squinted more closely at the box. Jesus Christ. It is. Does that mean …   His heart stalled, and then it started juddering like a motor about to  catch on fire.



Hannah sank back onto the stool feeling as limp as wet lettuce. Derek's  surprise visit had shaken her, and now that he was here, she had a  decision to make.

How can I tell him? She couldn't do it, but she had to. She couldn't let him go without …

Footsteps in the hallway. Derek reappeared in the kitchen. His face was  like granite, and his eyes-oh, she'd never seen his eyes blazing with  such cold, pent-up fury. He held up something in front of her, a  familiar-looking cardboard box shaking in his fist.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" His voice was tight and barely controlled.

The pit of Hannah's stomach fell away. Oh damn. The empty box. Why had she left it in plain sight?

She moistened her dry lips. "It-it's really too early to tell."

"Oh yeah? The box says it's an early detection pregnancy test.  Ninety-nine percent accurate from the day your period is due." He  lowered the box and pinned her with his laser-sharp blue stare, making  her feel like an impaled insect. "Well? Obviously you're late, which was  why you did the test. What did it say?"

Desperation clogged her brain. She owed him the truth.

"It, uh, came out positive … " His expression altered, his eyelids  flickering, and she hurried on, "But it's still early days. It could be a  false alarm. Things have been so hectic lately that I wouldn't be  surprised if that was affecting my hormones." She was blabbering,  grasping at straws. Trying to convince herself as much as him.

"When did you do the test?" he asked.

"Yesterday."

After she'd gotten home with the pregnancy test, she'd spent hours  talking herself out of the need to take it, but in the end she realized  she'd never be able to sleep without knowing the results. So, she'd done  the test and spent the night sleepless anyway, tossing between  disbelief, dismay, and sheer panic. In the morning, she'd checked the  test stick again, but the blue positive symbol was still there, telling  her that her already rocky life had just hit one gigantic roadblock.

"And you were happy to let me go back to L.A. without telling me?" Anger snaked through Derek's voice.

The tension snapped in her. "Oh yeah, I'm just ecstatic. Can't you  tell?" She leaped to her feet and gesticulated fervently. "This wasn't  supposed to happen. We were careful! We used a condom every time, didn't  we?"

He blinked at her. "Yeah, sure, of course we did."

But she wasn't on the pill anymore, and the effectiveness of condoms was  around 98 percent. Trust her luck to fall into the other 2 percent. A  bilious wave rolled over her.

"Oh, Derek. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, I'm not blaming you." He set the empty cardboard box on the table  and moved to her. "You don't have to apologize, except maybe for keeping  me in the dark. Were you really not going to tell me?"

"I would have told you. Eventually."

He shoved his fingers through his hair. "Christ, I still can't get my head around it. A baby."

His stunned expression made her insides contort. "I know how you feel about kids. That day at the lake … "   





 

He grimaced before drawing in a deep breath. "I remember what I said,  but that was hypothetical. We've got a real situation here, and we're  going to deal with it together."

Derek's calm maturity surprised her. Rick wouldn't have been so  understanding; he would have been furious and blamed her for not taking  care of the contraception. But though she was relieved, she couldn't  allow herself to rely too much on Derek.

"Derek," she said softly but firmly, "I appreciate that, but there's no  need for you to get involved. I can deal with this myself."

His face grayed. "You-you're not going to … " He swallowed hard, looking  like he was about to vomit. He grasped both her upper arms, his hands  shaking. "Hannah, please, not that."

It dawned on her what he assumed she was contemplating. "No, of course  not!" The bleakness in his eyes shook her. Gently she pried herself  free. "Look, we're getting ahead of ourselves. I know that pregnancy  test kit claims to be accurate, but I'm going to wait another week  before I start worrying. And if I am pregnant, I can handle that on my  own."

"And how exactly are you going to do that? How are you going to juggle  nursing school, part-time work, and a baby? I know you're not afraid of  hard work, but even you're not Superwoman."

"I'd have to postpone nursing school, of course." Her heart spasmed at  the thought of giving up on her dreams … but she had to be practical. "I'd  try to get a permanent job at Avalon House. The rent on this place  isn't much, and I've got my family and friends nearby. I'm sure I can  manage. It's not like I'm the first single mother ever in Pine Falls."

Derek shook his head. "You've got it all figured out, haven't you? Doesn't sound like this baby needs a father at all."

His sarcasm made her flush. She gazed at him with new eyes. Good God, to  think that the boy who'd hung out with her kid brother was the father  of her baby. How crazy was that?

She swallowed hard. "We might be arguing over nothing because there might not even be a baby."

He sighed, dropped his head. "I guess so."

"Until I know more, I think you should go back to L.A. like you planned."

"Right now?" His jaw dropped. "You expect me to get in my car and drive back like none of this happened?"

"You won't change anything by staying."

"But you look like crap-hell, I didn't mean it that way. I just meant you look like you could use some support."