Was love enough to overcome the pain?
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Rachel
Rachel sat at the small café, enjoying the spring breeze as she drank a cup of decaffeinated tea. What was the point of drinking it without caffeine? she wondered. Oh, this pregnancy wasn’t going to be pleasant, not at all.
Having arrived in America only a few days before, she was taking the higher road and meeting up with Ian, who had asked nicely this time and had flown across the ocean to speak to her. For the sake of her unborn child, she could compromise — just a little. She was the one who had to carry the child, gain a million pounds and have strange cravings at all hours of the day, so she had her limits.
If anyone should be compromising, it should be Ian, but she knew it was more mature just to speak to him, to be an adult. She didn’t want to have what ifs, and she wanted to be able to tell her child about his father, even if the man was a little bit crazy.
Still, the longer that she sat there, the greater her misgivings and second thoughts about meeting with him. She was afraid of the turbulent emotions he caused in her, but then again, she knew she couldn’t think only of herself. Though she didn’t feel pregnant yet, there was a baby growing inside her, and whether she liked it or not, Ian would be a part of her child’s life if he really wanted to be.
Her decision to have a weeklong affair with a stranger would forever haunt her now. She still hadn’t worked up the courage to tell her family. There would be no choice soon, since she would be showing in about a month. She could probably hide it for a while longer with the right clothes, but then when she showed up for a family function holding an infant, she’d have more than a little explaining to do.
It was time she confessed. She wasn’t a young girl who would get grounded or have her car taken away. She was an adult, and she had made an adult decision, and now she would face the consequences of her actions.
“Thank you for meeting with me, Rachel.”
Rachel jumped at the rich timbre of Ian’s voice as he sat down across from her. If only he weren’t so devastatingly handsome. His nearly black eyes bored into her as he waited for her to say something.
At least today he was dressed in regular clothing. Well, as regular as a wealthy man could wear, she thought. His custom suit probably cost about fifty grand. Not that she had much room to talk, considering that her shoes had been ridiculously expensive — oh, and then there was her purse. Still, his expenditures left hers in the dust.
“Of course, Ian. We are adults and can discuss this rationally. I think we both just needed a little time to cool down. I’m curious about something, though. Why are you so sure that the child I’m carrying has anything to do with you? Maybe I’m trying to scam you, take what I can get. You seem to have a low opinion of women, anyway, so what makes you think I haven’t been a floozy, sleeping around with anyone and everyone?”
He sat there too stunned to utter words for a moment as she looked at him without emotion. Let him think what he wanted about her. She didn’t care — well, not much, at least.
Finally, he must have decided on humor, because he laughed. “I have some very good reasons, Rachel. By themselves, each could be considered weak, but together, they satisfy me beyond any doubt.”
“And they are?” She definitely wanted to hear how he’d come to his own conclusions. He was either very trusting, or incredibly foolish.
“The first is that you didn’t try to deny it when I confronted you,” he said.
Rachel almost snorted. “Maybe I wanted to pawn my child off on a king. Clever, no?”
“But you didn’t know I was a king.”
“Details, details. I could be one hell of an actress. You don’t know me, can’t possibly know me after only a week together. Maybe I just wanted any guy stupid enough to claim the child I carry. Maybe I simply don’t know who the father is — for all you know, I could have torrid affairs with different men every week.”
“But you don’t, Rachel,” he said smugly. “To be sure, I don’t know precisely what you were up to before our week together, though my investigators didn’t turn up any evidence of promiscuity, or even a serious boyfriend. And after we were together? No one at all. Remember, I had you followed. In short, my sweet, you are not a wanton woman — or let me rephrase that. You seem to be very selective in your favors.”
“Ha. Let me rephrase what I said earlier: you don’t know me,” she practically growled, not at all liking how thoroughly he’d had her watched. It angered and upset her. It also brought home the sad fact that she didn’t have much of a life.
“I’m trying to remedy that now, Rachel. You’re the one who is choosing to be stubborn while I’m putting myself out there,” he scolded her, before adding, “Am I sorry that the condom broke? Who knows? It’s impossible for me to form a decision either way because the reality is that it did break, and we can’t turn back the clock now. I will emphatically say, though, that I am pleased that the mother of my child is an honorable woman. I would have expected that anyway because of your fine family.”
Rachel decided to suppress her outrage; it wouldn’t do any good. She’d just cut to the chase. “I’m sure by now,” she said, “that you’ve realized how ridiculous your insistence on marriage was.” Trying to act casual and unaffected, she picked up her cup and took a drink.
His eyes narrowed only the slightest bit, but she could easily see she’d irritated him. Well, too bad. He needed to realize that she wasn’t some pushover, and he would have to learn very quickly that the baby she carried was in her body. When their child was born, he could help with decisions, but until then, it was all on her.
“I see you haven’t taken time to consider the needs of our child.”
“Maybe this wasn’t a good idea, Ian. I thought by now that you would have come to your senses. Obviously you haven’t,” she said.
The waitress approached and Rachel sat there steaming while Ian placed an order, perfectly calm, even making the waitress swoon when he gave her his megawatt smile. She wanted to smack his face. That was the same smile he’d given her!
“This conversation would be much better held in private,” he said when the woman departed.
“I don’t trust myself not to stab you if we’re in private,” she told him pleasantly as she picked up her bagel and began to munch on it.