Blush by Nicola Marsh

sleeve. “We can be a family.”
    Shock made Adele’s legs wobble again and this time, she stumbled toward the bed and sat on the edge before she fell down.
    Reid’s declaration was her worst nightmare.
    She didn’t want him giving up his career for the baby.
    She didn’t want him being with her out of obligation.
    She didn’t want to be a family with him because that kind of intimacy involved divulging the truth of her past, and that would ultimately drive him away.
    “No, we can’t be a family.” Her fingers dug into her thighs, the slight bite of pain from her fingernails on her skin anchoring her. “Because I don’t want you in my life.”
    His harsh intake of breath broke the silence. “Why don’t you try looking at me when you lie?”
    Adele couldn’t look at him, not without breaking down again. But she had to. For the sake of the baby. For all their sakes.
    Schooling her expression into a cool mask, the same way she’d done countless times in the past with her despicable clients, she finally raised her head to look at him.
    “Don’t you get it?” She gestured between the two of them. “All you and I have ever been is sex. Granted, great sex, but that’s it.”
    She pressed a hand to her heart. Yeah, like that would stop it shattering. “I don’t feel anything in here. At least, not the kind of emotion we’d need to be a family.”
    Devastation darkened Reid’s eyes to midnight. But she had to continue, to drive him away once and for all.
    “And as much as you’d like to be a part of this child’s life, it’s not feasible. What happens when he or she wants their daddy to come to the preschool play? Or the first day of school? You can’t have a relationship with your child in secret and not be prepared to declare your bond in public.”
    His fingers curled, his hands clenching into fists. “I told you. I’m leaving politics.”
    “Out of obligation,” she spat, a tiny seed of resentment blossoming. Why couldn’t he have cared enough about her to leave, before knowing about this baby? “That’s a healthy role model for a child.”
    He blanched and she drove the knife in harder. “Kids pick up on that kind of stuff, you know. Festering resentment, regret, muted anger. All emotions you’ll develop over the years if you leave your job behind for the sake of a baby.”
    “It’s not just about the baby.” He reached out to her, before thinking better of it and letting his arms fall to his side. “But I guess there’s no point belaboring the possibility of us having a real relationship if you don’t feel anything .”
    His sarcasm hurt, but not half as much as the way he was staring at her. Like he despised her.
    It took every ounce of willpower she had to stand and face him.
    “You should go now,” she said, her hands inadvertently sliding over her belly again, as if protecting her innocent baby from the animosity radiating between its parents.
    With a mute node, Reid turned his back on her and shrugged into the rest of his clothes.
    She wanted to say so much.
    That she wished things could be different for them.
    That she wished she could eradicate her past so they could have a future.
    That she wished she could tell him the truth.
    That she loved him.
    Had probably fallen a little in love with him the first time he’d shown up here uninvited, unafraid to show how vulnerable he was to her.
    But she didn’t say a word. She clamped her lips shut. Against useless truths and the sobs gradually building with the effort of not speaking.
    Reid strode toward the bedroom door without looking at her. Long, angry strides like he couldn’t get away fast enough.
    She willed him to go faster so she could break down in peace. But he paused in the doorway and glanced over his shoulder, his derision sending another slice of pain through her.
    “I’ll be in touch about the baby.”
    Her blood chilled at his frosty tone and she opened her mouth to protest.
    “You’ve made your feelings