She shakes her head. “Well, I just thought you should know.”
“You’re pregnant,” I say again. It feels like a hand is squeezing my lungs, making it impossible for me to breathe. “I’m sorry, how am I supposed to believe you didn’t plan on this?”
She sucks in a breath, and I wince. I really shouldn’t have said that. I may have been thinking it. But I shouldn’t have said that.
“You really think I would trick you into… getting me pregnant? Why? So I could force you to marry me or something?”
“You wouldn’t be the first woman to do that.” Again, I’ve said something I shouldn’t. I clamp my mouth shut before I can say anything else incredibly stupid.
“How… dare you.” She unbuckles her seatbelt. “The fact that you think I would ever do something like that—to you or anyone…” She shakes her head. “Don’t worry. I’ll find my own way back to the airport.”
Sophie throws open the door, jumps out of the truck, and stalks off. I’m torn between going after her and apologizing andstaying where I am to process the bomb she’s just dropped on me.
In my shock, I choose the coward’s path. I stay exactly where I am, playing our conversation over in my head over and over.
Sophie is… pregnant. With my child. A baby we conceived during one of the most incredible nights of my life.
“She’s pregnant,” I say out loud, trying the words for myself. Nearly choking on them as I do. “She’s having my baby.”
The horror I expect to feel doesn’t come. Instead, as I say the words again, the fear that has been threatening to strangle me from the moment she told me loosens its hold.
I say it for a third time, and an unexpected warmth spreads through my chest.
“Sophie is pregnant. She’s having my baby.”
A slow grin spreads across my face.
Then, I remember what I said when she told me. I remember the look on her face as she got out of the truck and the smile falls away.
“Fuck. I mean shit.” I wince because that’s not much better. I really need to work on my language before the baby gets here. You’re not supposed to swear around babies. Right?
Hell, what do I know? You could take everything I know about raising a baby, and it wouldn’t even fill the dirty coffee mug still sitting in my kitchen sink.
Luckily, I had the world’s best dad growing up. If I do even half as good of a job as he did, I might not screw up this whole fatherhood thing.
That is if Sophie will forgive me. I’ll probably have to do some groveling. And… I’ll have to explain a couple of things about my past. It won’t make up for the way I just treated her. But maybe, if she understands, she’ll give me another chance.
A chance to be a father to a baby. A chance to be a partner to her.
I glance down the sidewalk looking for a glimpse of her and frown. She must have gone into one of the stores.
It doesn’t matter. I’ll stop at each one and even—sigh—talk to the townies until I find her. I’d do even more, because… Well, because I’m falling for Sophie.
And I want to have a life with her.
TEN
SOPHIE
Hearing my name, I glance up from the display of onesies covered in whales and puffins and into Cliff’s intense stare.
I suck in a breath and drop the onesie I was holding.
He strides across the shop, not bothering to acknowledge the couple of people who call out greetings to him. I guess I should be glad he’s so stern and reserved with everyone here as he was back in Seattle.
“Good.” He stops a few feet from me. “You’re still here.”
“Of course, I’m still here.” I raise my jaw, hoping it gives me the appearance of having more confidence than I do. “I couldn’t get a seat on the next flight to Seattle, so I’m here until at least morning.”
