after his meeting with the soon-to-be-former owners of The Zoo.
Her message was the stuff of teenage male fantasy: “I’m at the Bellagio. I’ll be here all day, so call or just come on by when you can.” She’d left a phone and room number, and his body had reacted like she’d run a hand over him.
But when Evie left almost four weeks ago, she’d seemed unsure when—or even if—she’d be back in Vegas. To hear from her so quickly…well, it was a stroke to his ego, but also disconcerting. He knew something wasn’t right—he could hear it in her voice—but he was headed for her hotel right now because he wasn’t thinking with his big head at the moment.
Maybe he was just being paranoid. Looking for problems where none existed. He couldn’t shake the feeling, though, even as he knocked on her door.
Evie was a bit slow answering, and while she looked happy to see him, her smile was hesitant—not that dazzling, megawatt one he remembered so well. “It’s good to see you again. Come on in.” She held the door open for him, turning her cheek up for a chaste kiss as he passed.
Not exactly the greeting his body had hoped for, and the alarm bells rang louder. The bells were temporarily muted, though, by the realization he wasn’t in an ordinary hotel room. Evie was staying in a suite—and a damn nice one at that.
“How’ve you been?” Evie led him to the sofa and indicated he should sit. Her spine ramrod straight, she perched on the edge of the sofa and clasped her hands in her lap.
“Good. And you?”
Evie’s smile faltered, but she recovered quickly. “I’m well, thank you. I’m glad you came.” Her voice was strained, teetering on the edge of something.
“And I’m glad you called. I didn’t think you’d be able to return to Vegas so soon.”
This was awkward. Evie was acting strangely—too polite, too formal and totally unlike the woman he remembered. She was casually dressed in jeans and a green top that brought out the color of her eyes, and her auburn hair was tied back in a long ponytail that draped over her shoulder. But she could have easily been wearing white gloves and a ball dress for allthe cool formality of her attitude. If it weren’t for the suffocating tension and the pinched look she wore, he almost expected her to offer him tea and a crumpet at any moment.
“Would you like something to drink? A snack, maybe?”
He bit back the absurd laugh and hid it by clearing his throat. “Evie, what’s wrong? You’re acting…” He searched for the right word. For lack of anything better, he added, “Weird.”
Her shoulders sagged a little and she ran a hand across her face. “I know. I’ve been trying to figure out how to say this, but there’s just no good way.”
There were those alarm bells again, clanging with intensity as Evie took a deep breath. “Then spit it out.”
She blew out the air noisily and met his eyes. Hers were bleak, slightly haunted. “I’m pregnant.”
The surprise at her announcement was minimal, but it didn’t keep him from feeling as if he’d been punched in the stomach with the confirmation. Where to start…? “You’re sure?”
Evie cocked her head. “Very. And, yes, I’m also sure you’re the father.”
“I wasn’t going to ask that.” The sick feeling in his stomach and the million other things his brain was trying to process put more bite in those words than he intended.
“Sorry. There was no offense intended, but it is— would be —a reasonable question for you to ask, especially since we used protection.”
“Fat lot of good that did, huh?” He’d known Evie was going to be trouble; he just hadn’t known how much at the time. Now, he was in deep.
Evie shrugged. “Nothing’s one hundred percent. However, you should know that I also plan to keep the baby.”
He’d come to that conclusion already. She wouldn’t spend the money coming here to tell him if she planned to terminate the pregnancy. The first of the
Her message was the stuff of teenage male fantasy: “I’m at the Bellagio. I’ll be here all day, so call or just come on by when you can.” She’d left a phone and room number, and his body had reacted like she’d run a hand over him.
But when Evie left almost four weeks ago, she’d seemed unsure when—or even if—she’d be back in Vegas. To hear from her so quickly…well, it was a stroke to his ego, but also disconcerting. He knew something wasn’t right—he could hear it in her voice—but he was headed for her hotel right now because he wasn’t thinking with his big head at the moment.
Maybe he was just being paranoid. Looking for problems where none existed. He couldn’t shake the feeling, though, even as he knocked on her door.
Evie was a bit slow answering, and while she looked happy to see him, her smile was hesitant—not that dazzling, megawatt one he remembered so well. “It’s good to see you again. Come on in.” She held the door open for him, turning her cheek up for a chaste kiss as he passed.
Not exactly the greeting his body had hoped for, and the alarm bells rang louder. The bells were temporarily muted, though, by the realization he wasn’t in an ordinary hotel room. Evie was staying in a suite—and a damn nice one at that.
“How’ve you been?” Evie led him to the sofa and indicated he should sit. Her spine ramrod straight, she perched on the edge of the sofa and clasped her hands in her lap.
“Good. And you?”
Evie’s smile faltered, but she recovered quickly. “I’m well, thank you. I’m glad you came.” Her voice was strained, teetering on the edge of something.
“And I’m glad you called. I didn’t think you’d be able to return to Vegas so soon.”
This was awkward. Evie was acting strangely—too polite, too formal and totally unlike the woman he remembered. She was casually dressed in jeans and a green top that brought out the color of her eyes, and her auburn hair was tied back in a long ponytail that draped over her shoulder. But she could have easily been wearing white gloves and a ball dress for allthe cool formality of her attitude. If it weren’t for the suffocating tension and the pinched look she wore, he almost expected her to offer him tea and a crumpet at any moment.
“Would you like something to drink? A snack, maybe?”
He bit back the absurd laugh and hid it by clearing his throat. “Evie, what’s wrong? You’re acting…” He searched for the right word. For lack of anything better, he added, “Weird.”
Her shoulders sagged a little and she ran a hand across her face. “I know. I’ve been trying to figure out how to say this, but there’s just no good way.”
There were those alarm bells again, clanging with intensity as Evie took a deep breath. “Then spit it out.”
She blew out the air noisily and met his eyes. Hers were bleak, slightly haunted. “I’m pregnant.”
The surprise at her announcement was minimal, but it didn’t keep him from feeling as if he’d been punched in the stomach with the confirmation. Where to start…? “You’re sure?”
Evie cocked her head. “Very. And, yes, I’m also sure you’re the father.”
“I wasn’t going to ask that.” The sick feeling in his stomach and the million other things his brain was trying to process put more bite in those words than he intended.
“Sorry. There was no offense intended, but it is— would be —a reasonable question for you to ask, especially since we used protection.”
“Fat lot of good that did, huh?” He’d known Evie was going to be trouble; he just hadn’t known how much at the time. Now, he was in deep.
Evie shrugged. “Nothing’s one hundred percent. However, you should know that I also plan to keep the baby.”
He’d come to that conclusion already. She wouldn’t spend the money coming here to tell him if she planned to terminate the pregnancy. The first of the
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