that you’d unknowingly donated some DNA. You don’t have to be involved in this baby’s life. Frankly, I don’t want you to be involved in this baby’s life. I think he or she can do without a dad like you.’
Aaron blinked, her words wounding him far more than they should have. They
hurt
. ‘Probably,’ he said in a low voice, when he trusted himself to speak. ‘I’ll probably be a pretty lousy dad.’ He certainly didn’t have any good experience to draw from. He took a breath, let it out slowly. ‘But I still want to be involved.’
Her jaw slackened and she stared at him with wide, dark eyes.
‘What?’
‘I want to be involved, Zoe. I regret my earlier…suggestion. I told you, you caught me by surprise.’
‘Remind me never to do that again, then.’
‘I said,’ Aaron said, hearing the edge enter his voice, ‘I’m sorry.’
‘And sometimes, Aaron, it’s just not that easy. I can’t forget. And I’m still not sure I want you involved.’
‘I could—’ He stopped, knowing a threat wasn’t the right choice now.
‘You could what?’ she filled in. ‘Take me to court? Sue for custody? With your money you’d probably win, too.’
Aaron said, his teeth gritted, ‘I’d just like to have a civil conversation.’
Her shoulders sagged then and she sank onto the sofa, her head in her hands. He resisted the entirely ridiculous and inappropriate impulse to touch her, offer her some kind ofcomfort. He wouldn’t even know how. ‘Look, it’s probably all irrelevant anyway.’
‘Irrelevant? What do you mean?’
She glanced up at him, and with a jolt of alarm he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. ‘I had some bleeding,’ she said dully. ‘I might be having a miscarriage.’
Considering his earlier stance, Aaron knew he should be feeling relieved. But he didn’t. He felt…alarmed. Worried. Maybe even sad.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said and Zoe’s mouth twisted.
‘Are you?’
‘Yes, Zoe, I actually am. Can you just—please stop with the little barbed comments? For a little while, at least?’
She glanced down again. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Have you been to the doctor?’
‘Yes.’
‘What did he say?’
‘
She
said there wasn’t much I could do right now. Nature will take its course.’
‘That’s not much of an answer.’ Frustration fired through him. He’d never been the kind of person just to let things happen. From the moment he’d discovered Bryant Enterprises was virtually bankrupt, he’d been striving to bring it back from the brink. Even though several financial advisors had told him to just let it go, he’d refused. He’d worked endlessly to put his family’s firm in the black and he’d work just as hard now. He didn’t give up. He didn’t
fail
.
‘There must be something you can do,’ he said, keeping his tone reasonable. ‘Stay off your feet, rest.’
She shrugged. ‘My life isn’t like yours, you know. I can’t just become a lady of leisure.’
He stared at her, thinking of her on her feet all day at the café, then tramping up five flights of stairs every night tothis awful apartment. ‘Actually,’ he said slowly, the idea just starting to take shape, ‘You could.’
Her brow wrinkled and she shook her head. ‘What do you mean?’
Aaron, decisive now that a solution had presented itself, said, ‘You could come and live with me.’
CHAPTER FOUR
Z OE STARED AT Aaron, his words, his offer, seeming to echo through the apartment.
‘You’re joking,’ she finally said, and he shook his head, the movement brisk and decisive.
‘I told you, I don’t joke.’
She shook her head, everything in her rejecting what he’d suggested. ‘Aaron, we barely know each other.’
‘We’re going to have a baby.’
She hated the thrill that coursed through her at his words, at that treacherous ‘we’. ‘A baby you don’t want.’ His dark brows came together in a frown but he said nothing and Zoe sighed. ‘I’d drive you crazy.’
‘Probably,
Aaron blinked, her words wounding him far more than they should have. They
hurt
. ‘Probably,’ he said in a low voice, when he trusted himself to speak. ‘I’ll probably be a pretty lousy dad.’ He certainly didn’t have any good experience to draw from. He took a breath, let it out slowly. ‘But I still want to be involved.’
Her jaw slackened and she stared at him with wide, dark eyes.
‘What?’
‘I want to be involved, Zoe. I regret my earlier…suggestion. I told you, you caught me by surprise.’
‘Remind me never to do that again, then.’
‘I said,’ Aaron said, hearing the edge enter his voice, ‘I’m sorry.’
‘And sometimes, Aaron, it’s just not that easy. I can’t forget. And I’m still not sure I want you involved.’
‘I could—’ He stopped, knowing a threat wasn’t the right choice now.
‘You could what?’ she filled in. ‘Take me to court? Sue for custody? With your money you’d probably win, too.’
Aaron said, his teeth gritted, ‘I’d just like to have a civil conversation.’
Her shoulders sagged then and she sank onto the sofa, her head in her hands. He resisted the entirely ridiculous and inappropriate impulse to touch her, offer her some kind ofcomfort. He wouldn’t even know how. ‘Look, it’s probably all irrelevant anyway.’
‘Irrelevant? What do you mean?’
She glanced up at him, and with a jolt of alarm he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. ‘I had some bleeding,’ she said dully. ‘I might be having a miscarriage.’
Considering his earlier stance, Aaron knew he should be feeling relieved. But he didn’t. He felt…alarmed. Worried. Maybe even sad.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said and Zoe’s mouth twisted.
‘Are you?’
‘Yes, Zoe, I actually am. Can you just—please stop with the little barbed comments? For a little while, at least?’
She glanced down again. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Have you been to the doctor?’
‘Yes.’
‘What did he say?’
‘
She
said there wasn’t much I could do right now. Nature will take its course.’
‘That’s not much of an answer.’ Frustration fired through him. He’d never been the kind of person just to let things happen. From the moment he’d discovered Bryant Enterprises was virtually bankrupt, he’d been striving to bring it back from the brink. Even though several financial advisors had told him to just let it go, he’d refused. He’d worked endlessly to put his family’s firm in the black and he’d work just as hard now. He didn’t give up. He didn’t
fail
.
‘There must be something you can do,’ he said, keeping his tone reasonable. ‘Stay off your feet, rest.’
She shrugged. ‘My life isn’t like yours, you know. I can’t just become a lady of leisure.’
He stared at her, thinking of her on her feet all day at the café, then tramping up five flights of stairs every night tothis awful apartment. ‘Actually,’ he said slowly, the idea just starting to take shape, ‘You could.’
Her brow wrinkled and she shook her head. ‘What do you mean?’
Aaron, decisive now that a solution had presented itself, said, ‘You could come and live with me.’
CHAPTER FOUR
Z OE STARED AT Aaron, his words, his offer, seeming to echo through the apartment.
‘You’re joking,’ she finally said, and he shook his head, the movement brisk and decisive.
‘I told you, I don’t joke.’
She shook her head, everything in her rejecting what he’d suggested. ‘Aaron, we barely know each other.’
‘We’re going to have a baby.’
She hated the thrill that coursed through her at his words, at that treacherous ‘we’. ‘A baby you don’t want.’ His dark brows came together in a frown but he said nothing and Zoe sighed. ‘I’d drive you crazy.’
‘Probably,
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