Having made up her mind that it was time, Tasha sat down on the toilet and opened the box. She ripped the wrapper off the test, uncapped it and then waited until she could go.
Some moments later, she looked at the test.
Pregnant. The damned stick said she was pregnant.
Still sitting on the toilet, Tasha held the test with one hand and dropped her forehead into the other. Oh, God. How was she going to tell Andre—a man she had a casual relationship with, at best—that he’d knocked her up?
Andre was coming for a visit in a day or two. What was she supposed to say to him? She wasn’t even sure how she felt about being pregnant.
Can you abort Andre’s baby? A little voice in Tasha’s head—or maybe it was her heart—posed the question.
Moisture in her eyes blurred her vision, but she managed to the get the cap on the stick and put it on the tank behind her.
Finishing up her business, she left the stick on the back on the toilet and went to the sink to wash her hands. Drying them on the towel hanging near the sink, she sucked in a deep breath but it did nothing to calm the chaotic storm brewing inside.
A baby. Oh, God…was she ready for this? Not alone. But she wasn’t prepared to abort Andre’s child either.
Tears spilled over from Tasha’s eyes.
Heading into the living room, she plucked a Kleenex from the box on the coffee table and dropped down onto the couch.
She tucked her feet beneath her and prepared to let the waterworks flow when a knock echoed through the door.
Tasha dried her eyes and swabbed her nose. Heading for the door, she raked her chin-length bangs back behind her ear.
Who the hell is this…? Ran through her mind as she opened the door.
CHAPTER SEVEN
TASHA’S NATURALLY CHEERY BLUE EYES were sad and red and wet. That wiped the smile off Andre’s lips. “Mon trésor…?” He lifted a hand to brush away her tears.
“Andre…” She sucked in a deep breath and offered him a meager smile while running a hand over her long, blonde hair that she’d pulled back into a ponytail.
Seeing her fight her tears made him forget about his problems. “Tasha, what’s the matter?”
She shook her head. “I was just watching some dumb, sappy movie on TV.” She reached out and latched on to his wrist. “You’re early,” she said, pulling him inside. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. I just wanted to see you.” He dropped it at that and let her lead him into the living room. There was plenty of time to tell her about his troubles—like tomorrow. Today, he needed to find out what was troubling her so. He didn’t accept her story about a movie.
They cozied up together on the couch. “I’m glad you’re here.” She laid her head on his chest.
“Me, too.” Andre draped his arms around her and managed to keep his voice on a nonchalant level. “How’s work?” Maybe that was the problem. He knew her tips had been diminishing lately, ever since their pictures had started appearing in the American papers.
“Same shit. Different day.” She shrugged it off. “More and more people have been recognizing me as the constant companion of the French playboy Andre de Laurent.” Her soft laughter lingered on the air.
“You know that I’m more than willing to supplement your income.” He put it out there again, even though he knew what she’d say.
She crooked her head up to look at him. “You know money’s not what I want from you.”
“Yes, I do know that.” And so did Papa. Maybe that’s why Maurice de Laurent had taken a shine to her—as Tasha would say. “But I’m directly responsible for your loss of income.”
“If only my connection to you could influence Hollywood as much as it does my customers.” She laughed again, with bite this time, and then laid her head back on his chest.
“Hollywood just needs a little nudge. They need to be shown what a great actress you are.” And if Andre’s inheritance came through, he could do that for her. Not only were his brother and sister’s legacies dependent upon him, now it seemed he was Tasha’s best chance at landing that big break.
It was something he had to do for her, even if it meant he’d lose her. He got the feeling that offering to make Tasha a star in exchange for marrying him so he could get his inheritance would ultimately lead to his losing her.
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
Tomorrow. Tomorrow he’d tell her about his quandary. He’d word it just right so she’d see that she could help herself and his family, which now included Camille. If he reminded her that helping Julian also meant she’d be helping Camille—that just might tip the scales in Andre’s favor.
But tonight, tonight he just wanted to spend one last perfect night with her because tomorrow would change everything.
“Say, are you hungry?” Tasha raised her head and looked at Andre.
“Do you want to go out to dinner?”
“No. If it’s all the same with you, I’d just like to hang out here for a quiet evening.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Andre said. “But let’s order some takeout. What are you in the mood for?”
Nothing. Food was the last thing Tasha wanted, considering her queasy stomach. But now that she had confirmation that she had a baby growing inside her, she supposed she should eat something. “Maybe some Chinese. What do you think?”
She fully expected Andre to agree since Chinese was one of his favorites, and she wasn’t surprised when he nodded, and said, “Sounds perfect.”
She grabbed the phone off the coffee table, hit number three on the speed dial for China Gardens, a little restaurant right around the corner, and ordered their favorites: Kung Pau Chicken, General Chicken and vegetable fried rice. Fifteen minutes later, Mr. Wong’s grandson was knocking on the door to deliver the goods.
They ate—well, Andre ate and Tasha did a good job of pretending to eat by stirring her food around on the plate and picking at a bite every now and then.
Once Andre pushed his plate aside, she did the same. He followed her to the couch where she leaned back and gave her tummy a gentle rub. “I’m stuffed.”
“You hardly ate anything at all.” Andre chuckled and draped his arms around her.
“I had some soup before you got here.”
Andre nodded. “That explains it.”
“How’s Camille?”
“She’s doing well. Papa is pestering them to have a baby.” Andre rolled his eyes and a slight snort escaped him.