The Heiress's Baby by Lilian Darcy

Author:Lilian Darcy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2010-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

August, San Diego

“It must have been that very first time,” Lannie said. “By the lake, with the candles. When the condom broke.” That beautiful, beautiful day with its one jarring moment…

“But you had your period after that.” Nate paced the room. “You told me you had.”

After the way they’d silently held each other a few minutes ago, Lannie had hoped for greater closeness. Forgiveness. Shared understanding. But the distance had come between them again. They were reacting differently, thanks to their different histories—the differences so much clearer to her now than they’d been even three days ago—and she didn’t know how to bridge the yawning chasm.

“It was very light,” she told him. “I didn’t think anything about it at the time. I thought it was the travel. But maybe it wasn’t a period at all. I’ve heard that some women bleed after they’ve conceived.”

“We have to get you a test.” He was already striding toward the door, as if the possible pregnancy was a ticking bomb about to go off.

“Is that the most important thing right now?”

“Yes! We need to know what we’re dealing with. It’s pointless doing anything until we have the facts. The fact.”

“Let me come with you.”

“There’s no need. There’s a drugstore right around the corner. I’ll only be a couple of minutes. You need to eat, settle your stomach. I’ll be back before you know it and we can get this done.”

Yes, great, but she didn’t want him to leave at all. She didn’t want his concern for her, or his need for certainty, to separate them even for a few minutes. Not until they’d talked more, and touched more. She hated these proofs of difference between them, in the way they thought and felt about things.

Alone, she sipped the tea and nibbled the crackers, and felt a little better. She let her head and heart explore the idea of adopting the baby out. There were so many couples who were desperate for a baby. She could bring a dazzling ray of sunshine to someone’s life, while starting with a clean slate of her own. She could do anything. Go anywhere. She didn’t have to submit to this radical change in her life if she didn’t want to. She wasn’t in the habit of submitting to things she didn’t want, as Nate was.

She experienced a moment of dizzying relief at the thought of her potential freedom, but then, without warning, it changed to horrible vertigo. The room felt as if it was spinning around her and she panicked completely. Let her baby go to strangers? Carry it for nine months and then leave it like a piece of baggage in an Amtrak locker?

She didn’t even know this child yet—couldn’t be totally certain that there even was a child—and yet the thought of giving it up, giving up a tiny, baldy boy who looked like Nate, or a red, wrinkled girl who might one day want to learn to dance or ride horses, was so terrifying

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.