“No, never,” I rasp, my chest growing tight at the thought of abandoning this woman.“I understand that we conceived this baby accidentally during a single night of passion, but he or she is here, whether or not we like it.I want you under my protection,” I rasp in determined tone.“New York is the best place for me to make sure you get everything you need.For example, you’re dressed completely inappropriately,” I state in a harsh tone, gesturing to her thin sweater and shabby housedress.“It’s fall in Minnesota.This park is freezing already, and I don’t understand why you’re not bundled up like a bear.”
Immediately, I know I’ve said the wrong thing judging from the rush of color up Ella’s neck.It’s bewitching, actually, and I want to run my tongue along her smooth skin before claiming her plush pout in a kiss.I want to graze my hands along her voluptuous curves, stopping only to worship the baby within her bulging belly.
Wait a minute, when did you get so sappy?the voice in my head sneers.You’re acting like a fucking pushover.
Immediately, I resolve to exert my dominance, except Ella’s primed for a fight now.
“No, I won’t be going to New York,” she states, drawing the edges of the jacket closer about her shoulders.“I belong here, in Minnesota.This is where I’m from, and this is where my home is.”
I stare at her.
“Ella,” I say in a slow voice.“You’re working long hours, for little pay.You don’t have to do this.I’m here, and I want to look after you and the baby.You’ll be living in the lap of luxury in New York.”
The spots of color flame vivid on her round cheeks.
“But I don’t belong there,” she says in a smooth tone.“I belong here.Besides, what would I even do in New York?”
“That’s the point,” I interject quickly.“You wouldn’t have to do anything.You could quit your job, and focus on taking care of yourself and the baby.I want you to stay healthy, and to relax without being on your feet from sun-up to sundown.I don’t know what’s so difficult to understand about that.”
She flushes red again, but her chin is a stubborn point as she shakes it.
“I don’t appreciate your patronizing tone,” she says in a stiff voice.“It’s completely unnecessary, and especially when you’re talking to the mother of your child.”
“Of course,” I amend immediately.“I apologize for that.But still, there’s logic to my words.Why stay here, working your fingers to the bone when it’s unnecessary?I’m offering you an opportunity to relax.To take a deep breath, and to focus on your pregnancy.What’s so wrong with that?”
Ella eyes me carefully.
“But what would happen afterwards, Nick?”she asks in a slow tone.“I give birth to the child, and then what?We stay at your apartment?You introduce us to everyone you know as your child and his babymama?Who am I to you, anyways?And what’s going to happen to me after the baby’s born?”
I shrug unselfconsciously.
“I don’t know,” I reply.“I haven’t gotten that far yet.But what I do know is that I came to find you today, and you were working like a dog at a shabby resort that’s seen better days.Whatever they’re paying you, I can do better.I can double your salary, or even triple it, and you won’t have to lift a finger.You can live in the lap of luxury, and just enjoy yourself.Sit back, exhale, and let yourself experience the finer things in life as the baby grows.That’s what I’m offering you.”
Ella bites her lip, her expression unreadable.
“Okay, you haven’t exactly answered my question about what happens after the birth,” she begins.
I lean forward, my gaze intent.
“Because I don’tknowthe answer.I’m being honest with you, which is the best I can do now.”
She’s pensive as she nods slightly, pulling the jacket about her narrow shoulders again.
“Okay, but how long do youthinkthe deal will last?”she asks.“I don’t mean to be pushy, but I need some structure.It can’t all be open-ended and nebulous.”
I shrug again.
“I don’t know because again, I’ve never done this before.This is my first time as a father.It’s my first time as a provider because I’ve never gotten a woman pregnant before.But I assure you that you’ll be taken care of after the baby’s born.That I can guarantee.”
Ella chews her lip and I’m momentarily distracted because her pout is already lush and rosy, and the added movement makes her mouth even more so.I have an urge to lean forward and press a kiss to those delectable lips, but I know the time isn’t right because the beautiful girl still looks perturbed.
“But what about our child?”she asks in a slow tone.“Are you going to take him or her from me after they’re born?”she asks, her eyes slightly glassy now.“I wouldn’t be able to handle that, Nick.This is my child as much as yours, and I can’t be separated from them.”
Suddenly, I realize that the baby is what Ella cares about, first and foremost.She wants this child and has been doing her best by the unborn baby, and my heart swoops and falls because this isn’t a woman after fame, money, or fortune.This is a woman who just wants a stable life for her child, and it strengthens my resolve to give that to her.
“No one’s taking the baby from you,” I intone in a low voice.“Least of all me.We’ll find something that works for both of us, I promise.But I’m begging you, Ella – let me take care of you during your pregnancy.I want to do this.Ineedto do it.”
What the hell?Where are these heartfelt words coming from?Yet, I speak the truth because something about the bedraggled young woman touches me at the deepest levels.She’s clearly in need, and likely panicking about her future.She doesn’t have a cent to her name, and appears to be alone in the world, whereas I have more money than God, in addition to every resource at my fingertips.I want Ella under my protection, and don’t give a fuck that I’ve become a sap in the process.
