perfectly clear. Now it’s time for me to do the same.” He stabbed a finger in her direction. “That’s my baby you’re carrying and if I want to be a part of his or her life, I will be. I’ll make sure of it.”
Ice slithered down her spine at the implied threat: Reid had the power and the money to lay claim to this baby if he wanted and no way could she afford a massive legal fight if he demanded custody.
But what about his job…his reputation…he couldn’t go public with an illegitimate baby. It would ruin him. Unless he was serious about leaving politics…
She should be happy he wanted to be a father to their child. But she couldn’t shake the deep down fear that Reid had the potential to hurt this child if he persisted in being a part-time father who valued his job more than his kid. And she’d do everything in her power to prevent that from happening.
She knew what it was like having a dad to idolize, only to have him walk away without a backward glance. Her mom had dealt with the emotional pain by dousing it in alcohol. Adele had dealt with it by shutting down the part of her that dreamed.
She’d become a pragmatist, doing whatever it took to survive. She’d closed off emotionally from men.
Until Reid.
“Take good care of our baby,” he said, with a pointed glare at her belly, before he walked away.
Her entire body ached from head to foot as she waited for the slam of the front door before sinking onto the bed, curling up in a protective ball, and letting the tears of anguish flow.
CHAPTER TEN
Reid remained silent the entire cab ride back to his hotel. He had to, because if he opened his mouth and acknowledged the taxi driver’s attempts at conversation, the rage bubbling beneath the surface would erupt in a tirade that no one, let alone a stranger, should have to deal with.
He’d fucked up.
But so had Adele. Big time.
How had he got this so wrong? He’d headed over to her place, ready to declare his feelings with the monumental news he was leaving politics, only to have her blindside him.
He was going to be a father.
And she wasn’t going to tell him.
He sat on his fists to prevent from punching the window in disgust.
What type of a guy did she think he was, that he’d give up contact with his child because of his job?
Sure, she had a fair point, implying he wouldn’t want to have anything to do with his child because of the way he’d wanted to keep their relationship a secret. But he’d thought they’d connected on so many levels, that she could see past his outer layer.
His career may have meant everything to him in the past but not any more. He was willing to walk away. For her. And now, for their child.
But Adele didn’t feel anything for him. They’d had sex, that’s it.
He wanted to scream ‘bullshit’, but knew the driver wouldn’t appreciate that either.
So he gritted his teeth during the interminable ten-minute ride from Adele’s to his hotel, biting down on a host of curses and resisting the urge to punch the crap out of something.
After flinging way too much money at a baffled driver, he headed for the sanctity of his room.
A room still occupied by his sister when he flung open the door.
“You need to leave,” he said, making straight for the mini bar and pouring himself a double whisky.
“I thought you might need someone to talk to?” Jess took a tentative step toward him but stopped when he shot her a disgusted glare.
“You knew about the baby and didn’t tell me?” He drained the whisky, slammed the empty glass on the bar and folded his arms to stop from throttling his sister. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“Could ask the same about you.” Her unflappability made him madder, as she calmly sat and relaxed into a chair. “For a guy who’s just discovered he’s going to be a daddy, you’re lacking the parental glow.”
“Fuck you,” he muttered, topping up his drink and downing it in three gulps.
Jess
Ice slithered down her spine at the implied threat: Reid had the power and the money to lay claim to this baby if he wanted and no way could she afford a massive legal fight if he demanded custody.
But what about his job…his reputation…he couldn’t go public with an illegitimate baby. It would ruin him. Unless he was serious about leaving politics…
She should be happy he wanted to be a father to their child. But she couldn’t shake the deep down fear that Reid had the potential to hurt this child if he persisted in being a part-time father who valued his job more than his kid. And she’d do everything in her power to prevent that from happening.
She knew what it was like having a dad to idolize, only to have him walk away without a backward glance. Her mom had dealt with the emotional pain by dousing it in alcohol. Adele had dealt with it by shutting down the part of her that dreamed.
She’d become a pragmatist, doing whatever it took to survive. She’d closed off emotionally from men.
Until Reid.
“Take good care of our baby,” he said, with a pointed glare at her belly, before he walked away.
Her entire body ached from head to foot as she waited for the slam of the front door before sinking onto the bed, curling up in a protective ball, and letting the tears of anguish flow.
CHAPTER TEN
Reid remained silent the entire cab ride back to his hotel. He had to, because if he opened his mouth and acknowledged the taxi driver’s attempts at conversation, the rage bubbling beneath the surface would erupt in a tirade that no one, let alone a stranger, should have to deal with.
He’d fucked up.
But so had Adele. Big time.
How had he got this so wrong? He’d headed over to her place, ready to declare his feelings with the monumental news he was leaving politics, only to have her blindside him.
He was going to be a father.
And she wasn’t going to tell him.
He sat on his fists to prevent from punching the window in disgust.
What type of a guy did she think he was, that he’d give up contact with his child because of his job?
Sure, she had a fair point, implying he wouldn’t want to have anything to do with his child because of the way he’d wanted to keep their relationship a secret. But he’d thought they’d connected on so many levels, that she could see past his outer layer.
His career may have meant everything to him in the past but not any more. He was willing to walk away. For her. And now, for their child.
But Adele didn’t feel anything for him. They’d had sex, that’s it.
He wanted to scream ‘bullshit’, but knew the driver wouldn’t appreciate that either.
So he gritted his teeth during the interminable ten-minute ride from Adele’s to his hotel, biting down on a host of curses and resisting the urge to punch the crap out of something.
After flinging way too much money at a baffled driver, he headed for the sanctity of his room.
A room still occupied by his sister when he flung open the door.
“You need to leave,” he said, making straight for the mini bar and pouring himself a double whisky.
“I thought you might need someone to talk to?” Jess took a tentative step toward him but stopped when he shot her a disgusted glare.
“You knew about the baby and didn’t tell me?” He drained the whisky, slammed the empty glass on the bar and folded his arms to stop from throttling his sister. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“Could ask the same about you.” Her unflappability made him madder, as she calmly sat and relaxed into a chair. “For a guy who’s just discovered he’s going to be a daddy, you’re lacking the parental glow.”
“Fuck you,” he muttered, topping up his drink and downing it in three gulps.
Jess
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