“I can call an Ub–”
“You’ll have to wait for them,” Riley replied quickly, not giving him a chance to dispute her claim. “Quicker to just ride with me. Let’s go.”
She thought he’d argue more but to her relief he followed her out of the hospital without a word. She’d thought so often about what she’d say when she saw him again but now that the time had come all those words had flown straight out of her head. Not knowing how he was going to react, it was difficult to form a strategy as to how to break the news. Gently? To the point? Slip a note in his fortune cookie?
One thing was for sure though…
Sam not liking the news didn’t change the reality. He was going to be a father.
* * *
The ride from the hospital was quiet. Sam didn’t know what to say and Riley didn’t try and start a conversation, which was a relief. The moment he’d seen her standing next to his mother’s bed he’d been hit over the head again with just how damn beautiful she was and how kind, too. For a brief moment he’d thought about what Nate and Paige had said earlier today, urging him to find someone to share his life with. But then he’d realized that once again he wasn’t there when a loved one needed him. Luckily Paula’s friends had been here when she’d collapsed, otherwise… He didn’t want to think about the alternative endings to this story.
Riley cared for Paula like she would a member of her own family. In Sam’s experience, behavior like that was rare.
He’d been knocked almost speechless so it had been easier to not say anything to her at all, focusing his attention and energy on his mother. They were alone now, however, and he needed to say something. Anything.
Maybe he could tell her he’d missed her. Perhaps she’d missed him too.
Stupid idea. You’re leaving again.
Riley pulled up into the driveway and cut the engine. “I was hoping we could talk a little bit.”
Talk? About what? Did she want to talk about that night? And what did he want?
I don’t know. I just wish things were different.
“Sure. Come on in.”
He headed straight for the kitchen when they were inside, pulling out a bottle of red from the wine cooler he’d bought Paula two Christmases ago.
“How about we relax with a glass of wine?”
A drink seemed like a really good idea right about now. He was acting like a boy on his first date instead of a grown ass man.
Riley shook her head and perched on the edge of a sofa cushion. “I’ll pass, but please, go ahead. You’ve probably had a rough day.”
He poured himself a glass and sat down in the chair next to the couch. Close enough to talk but not so close that he might get an idea to touch or kiss her. Bad idea. He wasn’t here to rekindle their romance. Nothing had changed. He was still the wrong man for her.
“So what did you want to talk about? Is it my mom? Is there something else going on that I don’t know about?”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “No, this isn’t about Paula.”
She shifted on the cushion, clearly nervous about talking to him which wasn’t like Riley at all. It looked like she’d rather be any place but here with him.
Has she fallen for another guy? Is that what she wants to tell me?
Leaning forward, he caught her hand with his own, giving it what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze.
“This is Sam, okay?” he said softly. “It’s just me and you and you can tell me anything, right?”
Her fingers pleated the leader strap of her handbag and now it was her turn not to look him in the eye. Whatever she wanted to tell him had to be bad. Shit, was she getting married? For the love of God, had she reunited with Chad the douchebag?
“I’m not sure I can tell you this.”
“Sure you can,” he cajoled. “Did I become scary in the last couple of months? C’mon, Riley. Talk to me.”
Those fingers paused for a moment and she looked up at him, their gazes colliding. Her eyes were bright with tears and he wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay, but he didn’t have a clue as to why she was upset. He didn’t want to lie to her.
“It’s just that–”
He waited not wanting to interrupt what was clearly difficult for her. His own heart had accelerated in his chest as terrible, awful thoughts began to fill his brain.
She had a terminal disease and she was dying.
She was back with Chad-boy.
She’d thought about it and she hated Sam.
She was moving to a sparsely populated island to live out her dream of climbing a volcano.
“It’s just that,” she began again, exhaling noisily. “I have some news that you need to know. I wasn’t sure when I was going to tell you but now that you’re here the time seems to be now.”
This was it. She was back with that asshole. He braced himself to hear the words but he couldn’t help the anger that churned in his gut. That jerk would only hurt her again and here she was going back for a second helping. What was it with women and douchebag guys?
Well, it was her life and he was out of it. If she was the kind of woman that would take Chad back then she wasn’t the person he’d thought she was.
He’d thought she was different. Perhaps it had only been wishful thinking.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The time had come but Riley still didn’t have a brilliant idea about how to break the news about the baby. Once again she was questioning the wisdom of doing this. What if he denied that he was the father? She didn’t want a court battle and a DNA test. What if he blamed her and decided that she wanted money from him? Or worse, what if he wanted to be in the baby’s life and Riley had to see him with his gorgeous girlfriends all the time? Eventually he’d marry one and have a few children with her.
This attraction needed to run its course in the next five minutes. She’d spent far too long thinking about him and now she was pissed because he had an imaginary girlfriend who was going to become her baby’s stepmother.
“What do you need to tell me?” Sam prompted. “You’re pale. Are you sick?”
Not exactly, although her stomach was doing gymnastics in her abdomen. It wasn’t going to get any better by drawing this out, so she needed to do it before she lost her nerve. Screwing up every bit of courage she had, she took a deep breath.
“So…I’m pregnant.”
Sam blinked once. Twice. Three times.
“Pregnant?”
His question came out strained and the shock was clear on his face.
Riley nodded, her cheeks warm and her eyes teary. She couldn’t yet tell how he was taking the news. “Yes, I’m pregnant.”
“Congratulations. Who’s the father?”
Sam’s eyes appeared glassy and his skin was pale and covered in a sheen of sweat. The cooler than ice action hero who could face down death with a smile was freaking out right here in front of Riley. It would have been amusing to watch if she hadn’t been the reason it was happening.
“You. You’re the father, Sam.”
She hadn’t slept with Chad in a long time, but she and Sam had never discussed timelines. They’d never had to. Until now.
“Okay.” He nodded as if he understood but she had a feeling he didn’t. He did, however, look like he wanted to flee in a getaway car and then join the witness protection program.
Riley pushed his glass closer to him. “Maybe you should have another drink of your wine.”
“Good idea.”
He took a gulp but she could see that his hand was shaking slightly.
“You’re probably wondering how it happened.”
His head came up sharply and he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Yep, he was freaked out alright. She did have sympathy for his plight. She’d been the same when she’d found out. Even now, it didn’t quite seem real.
“My doctor said that condoms aren’t one hundred percent effective, and I wasn’t on the pill after Cha
d and I broke up. It makes me sick to my stomach so I don’t like taking it unless I have to.” She might as well talk since he couldn’t seem to. She’d been practicing this part although she wasn’t sure he was truly listening. “All there has to be is a tiny tear and you did open them with your teeth. Anyway, I think that’s how it happened.”
Sam appeared to be in some sort of daze and he still hadn’t responded. It looked like she needed to be the designated adult. Again.
Alrighty then.
“I want you to know that I don’t expect anything from you, Sam. You can be as involved as you like, or you can wash your hands of all of this. I won’t tell anyone that you’re the father but I’m sure the locals – and your mother – are going to figure it out. I’m guessing everyone is going to be doing math in their head when they find out my due date, but I promise you that I won’t tell if you don’t want me to. They can guess but I won’t confirm.” His color was coming back and he didn’t seem to be sweating as much. The wine must have helped. Or maybe it was that she’d told him she didn’t expect anything. He might simply be relieved. “Are you okay?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Sam managed a rueful smile. “This is a…surprise. I’m still sort of trying to wrap my mind around it.”
“It takes time. I was gobsmacked too. It was the last thing I expected.” Her hand automatically went to her stomach. “But I want to keep the baby. I’ve always wanted to be a mother.”
Nodding in agreement, Sam stood and rounded the chair, leaning a hand on the fireplace mantle like it was a lifeline. “Of course, it’s your decision. I would support you no matter what.”
Riley had to make the difficult admission – if only to herself – that she had been hoping for more from Sam. She hadn’t expected him to jump for joy but…
Okay, maybe she had been hoping for that.
He was in shock and she had been too, so it wasn’t fair to compare his reaction to some pie in the sky fantasy that was driven by maternal hormones. They weren’t in love and they weren’t even a couple, so it would behoove her to keep this friendly and a little businesslike. Because that’s what it was going to end up being. If he wanted to be in the child’s life there would be a legal document that outlined a custody agreement and they would both sign on the dotted line. A parenting contract of sorts. Hopefully they could stay friends during all of this.
“I appreciate that,” Riley replied when she realized the silence had gone on too long. “Perhaps I should leave you to mull this over. I’ve had time to get used to the idea but you haven’t. You don’t need to make any life-changing decisions tonight.”
My life has already changed but you go right ahead and take your time.
“I do need to think about this. Frankly, I’m stunned. This was literally the last thing I thought you were going to tell me. I thought you were going to say–”
He broke off and didn’t finish the sentence. For a moment, Riley thought about asking him to continue but that would detour the conversation and they needed to stay focused.
“It’s a big decision,” Riley agreed with a small smile, standing and hitching her purse strap over her shoulder. “I’ll head home now. I’m so tired these days I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. Maybe we can talk more tomorrow.”
“Let’s do that.” Sam walked her to the front door and then placed his hand on her arm when she would have walked past him. Her skin tingled where he touched it, warming from the contact. That was the one thing she’d missed since finding out. There had been no hugs of congratulations, no celebratory kisses. She was missing human contact. “Wait…does anyone else know? Tara? Your family? My mother?”
As far as family went, they were close but they didn’t intrude in each other’s lives. She talked to her parents every couple of weeks and her siblings less so, but they exchanged photos through email or social media. This was going to take them by surprise.
“I haven’t said anything to anyone because I wasn’t sure what to say. They’re going to have questions and I think we need to decide on many of those answers together. Also, I was reading that the chance of miscarriage goes way down after the eleventh week, so I was thinking that perhaps we wouldn’t want to tell too many people before then.”
That color that had come back into his face completely drained again, his skin ashen. In a matter of seconds he’d gone cold and gray, his features carved from granite.
“We’ll talk tomorrow.”
She’d been dismissed. Clearly the thought of sharing the news with family and friends bothered him.
“If you like I’ll pick you up in the morning and we can go get Paula from the hospital.”
He was already a million miles away, barely paying attention. Wherever he’d gone off to wasn’t a pleasant place.
“That’s fine. I’ll see you then.”
There wasn’t anything left to say so Riley walked to her car and climbed inside, the scent from his aftershave still hanging in the air. It was a reminder she didn’t need at the moment.
As she drove away, she glanced in her rearview mirror but he’d already gone back inside and closed the door. Sam certainly had acted strangely tonight but perhaps not. She’d never told anyone they were going to be a father before, so his behavior might be totally normal for all she knew. He just seemed…disturbed. A couple of times he’d looked like he might pass out or at least puke.
Cut him some slack. He’s had the shock of his life.
She would do that. For awhile. But eventually he’d need to man up and deal with the situation.
He was either in or out. Which was it going to be?
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The shock of Riley’s news followed Sam into the shower and then back into the kitchen where he half-heartedly made himself a sandwich. He wasn’t all that hungry, his mind too preoccupied to let him know that his stomach was empty, but he forced down a few bites before giving up and tossing it into the trash can.
Riley is pregnant.
And it’s mine.
A baby, and it was his. This was no false alarm like when a crazy fan claimed that he was the father of her kid. That had happened a few times and there’d even been a close call once with a model who had texted him that she was “late” and then a few hours later had said “never mind.”
But this was real. Riley wasn’t some nutty stalker and the way she’d placed her palm over her belly was pure mother-bear instincts. When he’d watched her do that it had been like taking a roundhouse kick to the solar plexus.
After Trish, he’d vowed never again. He’d failed her so deeply and that last day was ingrained in his brain so he wouldn’t forget. He needed to remember that he hadn’t been there when she’d needed him.
Now here he was facing fatherhood again. Could he do this? Should he do this? Did he even really have a choice, if he were honest?
Sam could be selfish and self-involved. He was in the most narcissistic industry in possibly the entire world except for politics, but he simply didn’t have it in him to walk away from his own child.
This was a second chance and he might not deserve one but dammit, he was going to grab it with both hands. It didn’t hurt that the mother of his child was a woman that he liked and cared for. He could be a partner with Riley, raise their child together, and create a family. He was lousy at it and she deserved far better but he’d do the best he could. At least financially, she and the baby would want for nothing.
That was one thing he was good at. Making money.
He needed her and the baby where he could take care of them, watch over them all the time, and New Hope wasn’t that place. He could take them with him when he worked until the baby started school or better yet, he could just not work for the next few years once he finished this picture.
What would her reaction be to his proposal? They got along well and they liked each other a great deal. They were friends and that was a decent basis for marriage. Plus the sex was out of this world. It was more than m
any couples had when they started out.
All he had to do was convince Riley to give him a chance, and hope they didn’t both regret it.
* * *
Riley had slept fitfully after her conversation with Sam. It hadn’t been easy to tell him the news, especially as she didn’t know him well enough to know how he would react. She’d learned many details about the man in the week they’d spent together but how he would react to an unplanned pregnancy? That took a little more time.
At first, she’d been miffed that he wanted to think about things. There was a part of her that wanted him to sweep her off her feet, declare his undying love, and carry her away for some happily ever after that was so amazing she couldn’t even imagine it. It was not to be. Sam hadn’t been pining for her these last seven weeks, writing bad poetry and love songs.
Now that she’d had some time to think about it she was glad that he hadn’t made any quick decisions. It showed a certain maturity that he’d wanted to think things through, mull all the options and figure out what he really wanted. This was better, although it wasn’t easy to wait.
They’d picked up Paula this morning and brought her back to the house. Sam had fussed over his mother and tried to make her rest, but Paula wasn’t having any of it. She’d been lying down for too long as far as she was concerned. She wanted to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. No way was she going to bed in the middle of the day.
Sam eventually gave in and set up a small table next to Paula’s lawn chair with everything she could need. A cool drink, her cell phone, the latest bestseller, and her iPad if she wanted to play games. Paula had shooed them out of there, suggesting the two of them get some lunch. She’d said it with a gleam in her eye, clearly not giving up on the idea of them as a couple.
If she only knew. They were going to be in each other’s life for a very long time.
They’d grabbed some takeout and ended up at Riley’s home, wanting the privacy to talk. All they needed was to end up on social media or be overheard by the waitress while speaking about pregnancy and babies.
Love in the Spotlight (The Hollywood Showmance Chronicles Book 4) Page 12