Vegas, Baby! by Kathy Ivan

Author:Kathy Ivan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kathy Ivan
Published: 2015-07-24T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

“What the hell are you doing here?” Jerome's usually calm façade was absent, his voice a low pitched growl. He'd moved in front of the door in an unconscious protective move, though Hannah knew it wasn't necessary. Kevin would never hurt her.

She sprang to her feet, rushing forward. “Kevin, I thought you weren't coming.” She turned to face Jerome. “You said you'd paid him off, and he'd changed his mind.”

“Whoa, hold up, short stuff.” Kevin took a step forward and touched her arm. “Jerome and I did talk. I'm only here because I stupidly thought I should come and tell you face-to-face how sorry I am I let you down.”

Burning hot anger roared through Hannah before she wrenched her arm from his grasp. “Too little, too late.” She turned her back on him, torn between embarrassment and anger. Three days ago she'd been prepared to have his baby, and now she was married and sleeping with another man.

“Hannah, it would never have worked. Even before Jerome confronted me,” he walked around her, tipping her face up, “I knew I'd made a mistake in agreeing with your plan. Right now I'm young enough to still want my freedom, without the responsibilities of a child, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about it. Especially after agreeing to sign away all parental rights. It made me take a good hard look at myself and my life—and I realized I'd never be able to do it. Give away a child, a piece of me in this world? I'd always wonder about him or her. I was only lying to myself that I'd be able to stay away from my own child.”

His gaze bored into her, and Hannah read the truth behind his words. More than that, she realized what a narrow escape she'd had, because while Kevin might be a friend, there wasn't any kind of spark or connection between them. If he'd given his word and then reneged, she'd have fought him tooth and nail to keep custody of her child. But it was a moot point, because Jerome had intervened, and none of her plans materialized.

“It doesn't matter, because everything's changed.”

Jerome's whispered words were like a blow to her heart because he was right. Everything had changed. She'd thought she had a shot to be with the man she loved, but what kind of life could they have with a relationship built on such shaky ground? Other people might be able to make things work with a rocky start, but Hannah was a realist, and knew when the novelty of everything wore off, and the commute between her home in Essex and Jerome's life in Boston became too much, she'd wind up alone.

“Here.” Kevin handed a folded piece of paper to Jerome. Hannah raised her brow in question, but he simply smiled.

Jerome opened it, scowling at whatever was in his hand. Hannah snatched it away before he could stop her, and looked at the check he'd written to Kevin for fifty thousand dollars.

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