Unexpected Romance (12 page)

"Then
my sister will never see you again," Corey said.

"She
can move in with me tomorrow, today if she wants. Have you been to
the doctor?" He looked her in the eye and realization dawned. He
turned to Corey, feeling rage blossom. "Never see her again?
She's having my baby."

Nicole
grabbed Corey's arm. "Corey, we have to let these two figure the
rest out." She pulled him toward the door. He looked like he was
going to say something else, but he dropped his shoulders and let his
wife lead him out.

With
Corey gone, Chris felt enormously relieved. He turned to Tonya. She
looked devastated and his heart broke all over again. He balled his
hands to keep from grabbing her.

"Sorry,
I didn't mean to tell you like this. I tried to text you a dozen
times this summer, but I couldn't send any of them. I thought maybe
it wasn't true." She lifted a hand toward him. With a frown, she
dropped it and stepped further away.

"I
don't know why you stopped talking to me after I left. Was this why?
And I know we don't know each other very well. We have the next six
or so months to get to know each other. If you decide, you can't live
with me, know that I will support you and I will be involved. Okay?"
His head was spinning. Too much was happening at once. He reached for
a chair and sank into it.

"I
thought it would be better. I didn't mean for you to find out like
this."

"I
know. I need you to know that I'm actually really happy. And I hope
you'll give me a chance to make you happy." He looked at her. "I
haven't even asked how you feel?"

"I’m
not sure. When I told Nicole, I was in shock. I haven't had time to
think about it yet. I guess so far I've been scared, then Corey
overheard me and Nicole. I was scared he would kick your ass."

"I
can hold my own against him," he said.

She
laughed. "I'm willing to give this a try. But I don't want you
to feel tied down or resent me or the baby for ruining your life.
Don’t feel obligated to take care of me.” She paced
around the tiny office.

Relief
made his shoulders sag. Followed by hope that she would let him in
her life.

"I
want to be a dad. Whatever that means. Maybe we could live together?"
He got to his feet and closed the distance between them. With a touch
to her shoulder, she turned and looked up at him. He wrapped his arms
around her.

She
nodded, hiding her face in his shoulder for a moment. He buried his
face in her hair and took a deep breath. He forgot how well they fit
together.

"I
have to go to practice. But I'll come by after and take you to see my
place. I only have one bedroom, but I'll sleep on the sofa when you
move in." He stepped back to look at her.

She
looked like a deer in headlights. He rubbed her arms. "It's
okay, we can figure it out later. You don't have to move in if you
aren't ready."

"It's
all a little overwhelming," she said. "I'm scared to like
you."

"Am
I that bad?"

She
shook her head. "I have never trusted anyone, especially a guy.
Other than my brother."

"I
suppose not. I forgot to protect you one day." He squeezed his
eyes closed. "You trusted me, and I broke that."

"I
told you it was fine. It was supposed to be fine. I should have taken
extra measures. I wasn’t thinking."

"I
wasn’t either.” That was the last day he’d seen or
spoken to her. Leaving her was the hardest thing he’d ever
done. When she didn’t reply to his text messages, he worried.
When she refused his calls, he’d been sick at heart. His
buddies and family tried to get him out of the house; they tried to
set him up on dates. No one interested him.

Her
mouth pressed into a thin line. He could see tears in her eyes. Or
was that a reflection of his own? Chris glanced over her shoulder, to
the dressing room where his team mates were slowly heading for the
work out room.

“
I
have to go to practice. In case you are wondering, I waited for you
all summer. I wasn't with anyone else. I know your brother thinks the
worst of me. I swear I couldn’t think of anyone else.."

Tonya
held up her hand. "You don't have to swear anything.

"I
want to." There was a pound on the door. He pulled away. "Right
after practice, I'll come pick you up and you can come see my
apartment. I'd love for you to move in. If you want. We can talk
later."

She
nodded. "Okay. I need to think."

He
kissed her forehead, not trusting himself to kiss her the way he'd
been dying to since he left.

He
wanted to promise her something. He didn't know what yet. He had a
lot to think about. But he had to concentrate on practice first.

It
took all his willpower to leave her. He was afraid she would
disappear again.

"Are
you sure you want to go with him?" Corey asked. He had his arms
crossed over his chest, glaring at Chris. Nicole had her arms around
her husband’s midsection. Her pregnancy was becoming
noticeable, while Tony’s belly remained flat. Nicole said it
was because it was Tonya’s first baby.

Tony
nodded. "Yeah. It's okay. We have some things to talk about. I
have some apologizes to make."

"No,
you don't," Chris said, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
His handsome face looked troubled. She wanted to wipe away the lines
in his forehead. Otherwise, he hadn't changed much over the summer.

Tony
threw one last look at her brother and sister-in-law. "This
might be the easy part. I still have to tell Ma."

"You'll
have to soon.”

"I
know." Her eyes flickered to Chris and took a deep breath. Her
stomach did a flip flop that had nothing to do with pregnancy. The
nausea had been a constant reminder of her condition, but bouts had
lessened the last few weeks. "Let's do this."

He
started to put his arm around her then withdrew with a glance over
his shoulder. He opened her car door. A sports car, powder blue.
"This must be your real car."

"It
is." He offered his hand to help her into the low vehicle. "I
drove out this time. I had time."

"Congratulations,
you're in the big leagues. All your dreams come true." Maybe not
all his dreams. She doubted knocking up one of his flings was part of
his dreams. She swallowed.

He
was in the driver's seat before he responded. "Maybe," was
all he murmured. His voice floated over her like a caress. She
shivered.

"Cold?"
he asked.

He
was watching her. She blinked at him.

He
started the car and looked out the front window. "Feel free to
adjust the temperature."

She
looked out her window. It was barely September, still warm. Not
knowing what else to do or say, she moved the dial on the fan a
little.

“
Are
you going to school?" he asked after a few blocks.

"Yeah,
nearly a month under my belt."

"No
more nanny work."

"No,
someone took over my job. I go visit sometimes." She missed
them. More than she thought she would. That surprised her. It faded
over time, as she got busy with school.

"Good.
So school, do you know…" He didn't look at her, but he
was winding down the streets.

"If
I'll go to school after the baby is born? I doubt it." She had
gone over the possibilities in her mind numerous times. Abortion,
adoption, keeping the baby and being a single mom. A single mom who
went to school or worked. Or letting Corey support them until the
baby was older. She hadn't ever figured Chris into the equation. Now
that he knew, it was all she thought about.

Waiting
for Dad. She remembered doing that as a child. When her dad came
around it was sporadic, leaving her always waiting for him. She
adored him. She was nine when she finally gave up hope he'd return.
It had been two years since she had seen him, her mother constantly
frustrated by Tonya's longing for her paternal parent. Her mother had
ever right to be frustrated, she worked her ass off to support Tonya,
with little thanks and no help. Tonya no longer felt neglected by her
mother, she'd done the best she could. She was much a victim of
circumstance. Two children, two fathers, both assholes.

She
glanced toward Chris. How long it would take before he disappeared?
Before his interest in her or the baby would dissipate? She'd have to
be like her mother and take what she could when she could. She hated
knowing that when he left, she'd have to rely on Corey and Nicole,
but she didn't want to end up bitter either.

If
she let herself want, she wanted a relationship like Corey's. She
wanted someone to love her through anything. She wanted someone to
support her, no matter the choice. She wanted a family.

She
had to keep that urge buried. She wasn't going to have a family right
now. Not with Chris. He'd stick around now, in twelve months, he'd
put her up in a house somewhere and he'd slowly disappear from her
life. Guys like him didn't love women like her. Poor, plain nobodies
from the wrong side of town. That was her expectation.

She
needed to plan to support herself and her baby. She put her hand over
her belly.

"We're
here," he said. She was surprised, his place wasn't far from
home. Ten or fifteen minutes. She had no idea exactly. Had that been
deliberate?

She
looked out the windshield. They were in front of a small apartment
building. "What floor do you live on?"

"Fourth.
I wish I'd gone for the two bedroom, but it seemed like a lot of
money and space for just me."

"I
can stay at Corey's." She wanted to test him to see how much he
wanted to be with her. "If you want. I don't want to be in your
way." She was testing herself, as well, to see how she felt
about everything happening to her. She'd taken the reins once, and
look where it had gotten her.

"I
really do want you here. I want to experience everything with this
pregnancy." He stopped as if something occurred to him. New
information.

She
tilted her head as she waited. "What?" she finally
demanded.

"I
never asked, I assumed, that you'd keep the baby. Raise her."

"Or
him." She nodded, trying to get around whatever was stuck in her
throat. "I thought about ending it or adoption, but I love kids.
I've dreamed of having a baby. I dunno." If she couldn't have
Chris, she could have a piece of him. Her heart clenched. "I
knew I had Corey and Nic, if nothing else and they wouldn't let me
fall."

"You've
got me now, too."

"I
feel like I've trapped you. After that day, when we… I should
have taken the morning after pill. Maybe it was a subconscious
attempt at getting pregnant."

"We
should go in," he said, not addressing her fears.

"Right."
She followed him.

The
apartment was basic. Sparse, no frills. He kept it tidy, but he'd
only been here a week or two. The fridge contained food, mostly meat,
but she remembered his no carb diet. She didn't know if she could
live with that, she'd been a little off meat lately.

One
bedroom, a queen bed with a light-green spread on it. "My mom
was here a couple of days ago, she helped me decorate the place. We
bought everything new. I rented a furnished room before. Lucky, I
rented my own place now, lots of rookies rent a room."

She
sat on the sofa, looking at his big screen television with all the
trimmings. She rolled her eyes, as she rubbed her hand on the soft,
dark brown material. It was a comfortable couch, but she wasn’t
sure about sleeping on it.

"I
can't kick you out of your bed.” She talked to the floor.

"You
want to share?"

Her
tummy did another flip and she hoped it wouldn't turn to nausea.
Share a bed with him every night? They had shared during they had
their fling. She'd enjoyed cuddling up to him while they slept. She
liked waking to his beautiful face. Waking up to him caressing her,
making love to her first thing in the morning.

He
sank to his knees in front of her, right on the floor. Her heart
leapt into her throat. He put a hand on her knee. "We did it
before. I liked it." He swallowed, searching her face. "If
we do, I won't touch you. Unless you say it's okay."

What
the fuck was she supposed to say to that? She wanted him. No woman in
her right mind wouldn't want Chris. He was beautiful and ripped and
unbelievably nice. She also wanted to keep her dignity intact.

He
caught her wrist and brushed his thumb against the soft skin of her
inner forearm. "Unless you are afraid you can't resist me?"
He bent his head and pressed his lips to her palm. "I don't want
to keep you at arm's length, if it helps you decide. You are
incredibly beautiful."

Her
eyes lowered to half as she looked at him. It would be so easy to be
seduced. Again. She should say no.

He
stretched his legs up, still kneeling on the floor, but he had enough
height to come nearly face to face with her. He brushed his mouth
across hers. Then he increased the pressure and it hit her right in
the womb, with a tight feeling across her abdomen.