CEO'S Secret Baby: A Standalone Surprise Pregnancy Romance - Iona Rose (which ebook reader .txt) 📗

cautious smile on her face, and held a steaming cup of coffee in her hand. “You’ve seen her doctor?” she asked.

I nodded quietly, and we both turned to watch Leah. “She says it’s uterine fibroids, and that there’s no cause for alarm. She’ll start her off on medication first, and then monitor her. If things worsen, then they’ll consider other minimally invasive procedures.”

A long silence passed between us, before she spoke again, “You understand why she had to keep it from you, right?” Her voice was small, almost as though she was hoping I wouldn’t hear what she was saying, but still couldn’t stop herself from speaking either way. “You understand her, right?”

When I didn’t respond, she turned to face me, and when I met her gaze, I found in her eyes the quiet desperation for things to work out between me and her friend.

“Does she understand me?” I asked. “Does she understand that I love her?”

Tracy’s gaze faltered.

“I’m asking you,” I said.

“I don’t know, Carter, she’s always had difficulty trusting others,” she replied.

“I want to be there for her, but I also want her to be there for me.”

“Leah’s childhood was horrid, Carter,” she said. “I don’t know the details because she rarely speaks about it, but I do know that the times when she wanted someone to be there for her, they weren’t. She only ever tries to depend on herself because that’s all that has ever worked. The trust you’re asking for from her, is going to take time, so please allow her some room- to disappoint you, to be unreasonable. But I assure you that the moment her confidence in you is established, it’ll be unshakeable.”

“I don’t have a problem with giving her as much time as she needs. What scares me is that she won’t give us the time that’s needed to cement us together.”

“Well,” Tracy said. “There is now a baby involved. I believe that both of you will take the time that is needed to strengthen your faith in each other. You both now have much, much more to lose. Forgive her, Carter,” she cajoled. “This time around. If it happens again, I promise that I’ll stand on your side and give her a good lashing.”

Her remark drew a smile out of me. I watched through the glass as my dreary and exhausted lover, wrung her hands unconsciously, dreading my confrontation.

Tracy soon left, while I pushed the door open and went into the room.

I saw her slightly move, but then go still as if contemplating whether to meet my gaze or not.

I pulled the chair to her bedside, and waited until she agreed to turn to me.

It took more than ten seconds, and when she did, she could barely hold my gaze. “Hey,” she said. “Thanks for coming.”

“You skipped prenatal care?” I asked

“Not necessarily,” she replied. “This last month has just been... much more hectic than anticipated. I was going to get to it.”

I heard her breathing hitch in hesitation, and waited so she could say what she wanted to.

“The baby...” she began. “I know that it must be a huge shock. It was to me when I discovered I was pregnant, especially as we’d been careful and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It happened even before you came to Indiana. I thought that I was going to have to shoulder the responsibility on my own but then you showed up and—there was shock and confusion and a lot more to process.”

I remained silent.

“Carter,” she called.

I lifted my gaze to hers.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way. God knows, I’ve already pushed you far enough, but my heart won’t be at peace unless I say this. I don’t want you to feel as though you have to accept this. It was unexpected and...” She sighed deeply. “I want you to be happy, more than anything else, and the last thing I want is to hinder you from that. I’m not trying to make a decision here for you, but I just want you to know that you don’t have to make any that you might not necessarily be ready for, on my account.”

I watched her. “Are you ready?’ I asked. “For this child?”

She gazed at me and from nowhere, her eyes filled with tears. A drop fell before she could turn away. “I’m sorry,” she said with a nervous laugh. “These damn hormones keep pushing me out of balance.”

I gave her the time to recover and reached forward to place my hand on hers. That little gesture I could see, greatly encouraged her.

“I’m not ready,” she answered. “But I doubt that I’ll ever be. And since… I’ll never consider any other options, I don’t have a choice but to be ready do I?”

I was well aware of the alternative options that she was referring to. “Did you consider getting rid of the child?” I asked.

“Honestly, I didn’t. Even though at the time I didn’t know if I would ever see you again. We had gotten involved and parted in Alanya with that mutual agreement.” Her laugh was bitter. “I didn’t even know how I could possibly reach you, even if I wanted to. So no, I didn’t consider anything other than having the baby, and then you showed up and I still couldn’t let myself dream that there could be anything other than single mother parenthood for me.”

“And now?” I asked. “What happens?”

With a shaky breath, she met my gaze. “Carter, I didn’t know you well enough then. The only thing I knew was I had quite possibly fallen in love with a gorgeous stranger, that even after a month I still couldn’t get out of my mind. But now, I know for sure I am in love with that stranger, and not just because he is insanely gorgeous, but because I’ve come to know him a bit better. I’ve come to know that he will give everything he has to go after what he wants, and those that he cares for.