“I have some idea.”
Mason huffs and leans back to look at me, his eyes filled with emotion. “No, you don’t. I…”
“What’s wrong?”
Mason’s eyes are on my stomach now, and he’s staring without blinking. Finally, he steps out of my arms. Then he looks back at my stomach, and some of the emotion in his eyes fades. I swing my legs over the side of the bed, ignore the lurch in my chest, and approach him.
“We still have time.”
Mason drags his gaze to mine. “What?”
“Before things change,” I whisper. “We can still enjoy ourselves.”
Mason barks out a laugh and steps away. “Is that what you think I’m worried about?”
I pause. “It’s not?”
Mason shakes his head. “I’m going to take a shower.”
He heads for the bathroom without waiting for a response, and I stand frozen in place until I hear the water running. In a daze, I walk into the bathroom and stand in the doorway, studying Mason’s outline through the curtain. He pokes his head out, and his hair is wet and flat against his face. His eyes move over me, leaving a trail of heat in his wake.
“We need to talk.” I reach behind the door for a towel and hold it over my body. “You can’t keep running away from this.”
Mason’s expression tightens. “Paynes do not run.”
“What do you call this, then?”
Mason slides the curtain the rest of the way. “You want to talk? Fine. Let’s talk. Do you still want to keep the baby?”
“You know the answer,” I say.
“Say it, then.”
I exhale. “Yes, I still want to keep the baby.”
“Then there’s nothing to talk about.”
“There’s plenty to talk about. It’s your baby, too. I don’t understand why you’re acting like this.”
Slowly, Mason climbs out of the shower and reaches for the towel. After securing it around his waist, he faces me. “Playing dumb doesn’t suit you, London.”
“I am not playing dumb. I will not apologize for wanting what I want. You knew that when you went after me.”
Mason stops in front of me. “Don’t turn this on me. I’m not the one who kept such a big secret.”
My arms fall to my sides. “I’m not proud of that, and I know I should’ve told you sooner, but I can’t change that.”
“No shit.”
“It doesn’t give you the right to be an asshole,” I snap. “This isn’t a competition where we keep score of who screwed up. We’re supposed to be in this together.”
Mason laughs humorlessly. “Oh, that’s fucking rich. You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Mason takes another step, so our bodies are flush against each other, and I can see a vein bulging in his neck. “It means you’re a hypocrite. You talk about honesty and trusting each other, but you’ve been keeping secrets from me. I’ve tried to be as honest as I could, and this is what I get in return.”
“I was trying to protect you!”
