Foolish Expectations

by Alison Bliss

  He lifted a brow. “And you didn’t?”

  “You’re making it sound like I asked for this, Nash. As if I wanted to wind up pregnant from one careless night with a total stranger.” Her voice wavered and her fingers twisted together in her lap as she became more upset.

  “Look, I already said I was sorry the condom broke.”

  Bailey looked like she wanted to cry, but her words came out laced with sarcasm. “Yeah, you were so sorry that you had me twice more afterward.” She glanced over, just as the corner of his mouth quirked a little. “Go ahead and smile, Nash. You’ve proven yourself,” she said in a mocking tone. “You’re a Grade A stud.”

  His grin dissipated. “Okay, let’s not bullshit each other. The situation isn’t ideal. But if you are pregnant, we have a lot to work out and—”

  “There’s nothing to work out. I know what I would have to do.”

  Nash grimaced, realizing she had said I instead of we. Obviously, she wasn’t planning on including him in whatever decision she made. But what could he do about it? It’s not like he could make her have his baby if she didn’t want to. Christ. Was that what she was getting at?

  Panic gripped him by the throat, forcing his voice to soften. “Are you considering abortion?”

  “No,” she said easily.

  Relief washed over him and he inhaled a deep breath. He always knew one day he would have a child, but until this very moment, he hadn’t known he was ready to be a father. Yet, he somehow was. “Oh, thank God. I thought you were going to say—”

  “You’ll need to sign over your parental rights.”

  His head snapped toward her and fire flickered behind his eyes. “You’re not putting my baby up for adoption.”

  “No, I…I’d keep the baby. But I’ll need to save up some money until the baby is born. I’ll have to move in with my father for a while and my dad lives in a remote part of Alaska. That isn’t going to keep us in proximity to you. It’d be the best thing for both—”

  “Hold up. Just stop right there, Bailey. Where the fuck do you get off?”

  “Oh, come on. You know it would be the most sensible thing to do. It would be easier for you, me, and the baby. What else would we do—shuffle the kid back and forth between us? It would be confusing to a child.”

  “Forget it. It’s not going to happen,” he said, shaking his head. “I’d never sign away the rights to my own child. And you’re not taking off to Alaska so my child can be eaten by a bear or attacked by a fucking moose. I’m a lawyer. I know all about my parental rights, and I’ll get a court order to keep you here if I have to.”

  Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly. She was clearly stunned and didn’t know what to say. Nash hadn’t meant to threaten her with a court order, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving and taking his child away from him…even if it was only a fictional baby at the moment.

  His own parents had split up when he was only two, and though he completely understood why his mom had left his dad, he couldn’t bear to think his own child would grow up while living in a separate household from him. There had to be another way.

  “Nash, please don’t make this any more difficult than it already is. I won’t be able to afford my apartment. What happened is done, and we can’t undo it. You hooked up with a woman and got lucky. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that for you.”

  Unable to contain his anger, he shot up off the table. “That’s bullshit and you know it.” He paced back and forth before stopping directly in front of her. “If I had that attitude, I’d be considered a douche bag, deadbeat father. But since you’re the woman, you can say it and make it sound like you’re doing me a favor. It’s a fucking catch-22.”

  “I know it’s an uncomfortable situation we’re in, but I am doing you a favor. I’m absolving you of any responsibility to this child.”

  “I didn’t ask to be absolved of anything, did I? My ingredients were used in the mix, which means this baby is half mine. If you don’t want to co-parent, that’s fine. Then you can pop it out and hand it over.”

  Bailey blinked at him. “I’m not an Easy Bake Oven, you jackass! And you’re not taking the baby away from me after I carry it for nine months. You can forget it.”

  Nash shrugged. “Well, partner, then it looks like we’re in this together.”

  Chapter Seven

  Bailey held her breath and stared impatiently at the door. Several minutes had passed and Nash hadn’t said a word. He only measured her with his eyes and seemed to be rolling something around in his head. That worried her even more.

  She hadn’t expected him to get so upset and react the way he had when she’d asked him to sign over his parental rights. Hell, she’d given him an out…and he hadn’t taken it. And his refusal to do so was seriously one of the most admirable and sexiest things she’d ever seen.

  No, wait. I don’t want him to want the baby. It would only complicate things.

  Why couldn’t he be one of those guys who walked away? Lots of women got into situations where the father of the baby didn’t want to be involved. Of all the guys she could’ve slept with, how did she end up with a man who wanted to act like one? God, he’d never leave her alone now.

  The moment he’d thrown the court order in her face, she knew she was in trouble. Nash would win any custody battle she threw at him. He was a lawyer, for goodness sakes! Surely, he knew the law and any loopholes in it. He would be familiar with the judges and know exactly which ones would be most sympathetic to the father over the mother. And if that wasn’t enough, he’d certainly bring their financial situations and living arrangements into play. In the end, he would walk away with sole custody.

  Unless…

  Maybe she could convince Nash that the baby wasn’t his. When he’d asked her, she hadn’t actually said the baby was his. She’d only suggested it. But if she mentioned the other man in her life, Nash would probably assume the worst. Thus far, he’d always seemed to when it came to her. Then again, knowing him, he’d probably just insist on a paternity test. She had to try, though.

  Just as she opened her mouth to speak, the doctor stepped back into the room. “You’re pregnant. About six weeks along, going off your last menstrual cycle.”

  Jeez. Thanks for blurting that out. Perfect timing, asshole.

  “Okay,” she said, trying to hide her irritation.

  “I’m putting you on bedrest for a couple of days, which may help with the cramping. Your bloodwork came back normal, and I’m giving you a prescription for some prenatal vitamins. If your cramps worsen, you develop fever, or have any bleeding, then go to the nearest emergency room. And don’t forget to follow up with your regular OB doctor as soon as possible.”

  “I don’t have a—”

  “She will,” Nash said, cutting her off.

  The doctor didn’t bat an eye at the interruption. He just looked directly at Nash and said, “No sex or anything else in your vagina for at least forty-eight hours.” Then he walked out the door.

  “His bedside manner sucks,” Nash said with annoyance. “He didn’t even ask you if you had any questions.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Well, maybe I did. I get the whole no sex thing, but what the hell kind of strange shit did he think I’d be sticking in your vagina?”

  Bailey bit her cheek to keep from smiling. “He meant no tampons or douching.”

  “Then why did he look at me when he said it? It’s your vagina.”

  “Can you quit saying…that word? It sounds so vulgar coming from you.”

  “Hey, he called it that first,” Nash said with a laugh. “If it was me, I’d call it a puss—”

  She clamped her hand over his mouth just as the nurse opened the door. The woman sneered at them and shook her head like she was perturbed. “Be sure to stop and see the receptionist on your way out.”

  To get them the hell out of there, Bailey hurried behind the curtain and quickly changed her clothes. When she ca
me out, Nash glanced down her body and smirked. Her gaze followed his to see what the hell he was looking at. “Did I miss something? Why are you smiling?”

  “You’re pregnant,” he replied, the smile spreading wider. “With my baby.”

  “We already figured that, genius.”

  “Yeah, but now it’s confirmed.” He grinned again, like it was the newsflash of the century. “You can’t try to get rid of me now by saying the baby isn’t mine. That is what you were planning, right?” Sure of himself, he cocked an eyebrow at her. “It won’t work. The doc pegged it down to almost the precise day we were together.”

  Damn him and his perceptiveness. She hated that the gears turning in her head showed so plainly on her face. It made her want to wipe that stupid grin off his face, so she shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s right…if you were the only man I’d had sex with around that time.”

  His smile melted. “You lied about that, too?”

  The worried look of desperation in his eyes made her feel like a jerk. She wanted to lie, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not to him. Not about the baby. She sighed heavily. “No, Nash, I wasn’t with anyone else. Just you.”

  The look of relief on his face only made her feel guiltier. Damn it.

  They headed down the hallway toward the checkout counter and waited for an old woman behind the desk to pull up Bailey’s file on her computer. “How much can you afford to pay today?”

  Bailey practically cringed as she pulled out her checkbook.

  “All of it,” Nash said, quickly fishing his wallet from his back pocket and sliding the receptionist a credit card.

  “Um, sir. Since Ms. Hobbs doesn’t have medical coverage and her income is low enough, we won’t charge her for the full amount.”

  “Ms. Hobbs isn’t responsible for the bill. I am. Just tell me what I owe and I’ll pay for it in full.”

  “Well, the entire bill is over three hundred dollars.”

  Nash gave the old woman a quick nod. “That’s fine.”

  She smiled and took his card without so much as glancing at Bailey, who stood there with her mouth open and arms crossed. Nash signed the receipt and then steered her toward the parking lot before she could argue with him.

  This was exactly what she didn’t want. She didn’t want to be a financial burden on a complete stranger…or to put her trust in another man. As she waited for Nash to unlock the passenger door, she said, “I’ll pay you back.”

  “Like hell you will.” He opened the door and lifted her into the seat. “That’s my baby you’re carrying. I’m capable of paying for the care you and our child receive.”

  She shook her head so hard she made herself dizzy. “Nash, I can’t accept—”

  “Look, if you want to argue about this, we will. But I’m warning you…you’ll lose. I’m a lawyer. I do this shit for a living.” Without another word, he closed the door on her protests and strolled around to the driver’s side.

  They headed for Bailey’s apartment. Nash was exceptionally quiet, and although she could tell he was carefully mulling something over in his head, he said nothing. Once inside, Bailey sat down on the couch, hoping they could talk and she could try to reason with him once more.

  Granted, he was a lawyer who probably made a lot more money than she did and could financially support a child. But that’s also exactly what scared her. Nash was used to getting his way. If co-parenting didn’t work out, would he try to gain sole custody of the baby because he had the better means to care for a child? And if so, would she ever see her son or daughter again?

  Having grown up without her mother in her own life, Bailey couldn’t risk it. She hated to think Nash would be so cruel, but if her past had showed her anything, it was that she wasn’t a good judge of character when it came to men. “Nash, what I said earlier about you giving up your rights… Please think about it. You can’t possibly want to be a part-time father to this child. It’d never work.”

  Nash knelt down in front of her. His eyes trained on her stomach, then his warm hand quickly followed. Bailey tensed and put her hand on top of his as his gaze flickered back to hers. “Marry me, then.”

  She jerked her hand back, as if his words had somehow scalded her. “W-what did you say?”

  “You heard me. I want you to marry me.”

  To him, he probably thought he was stepping up, acting like a man, and taking responsibility for his actions. But to her, it was more like a rude awakening littered with strange emotions that no doubt flickered across her face one by one. Shock. Fear. Intrigue. Distrust.

  “Listen, I’m not going to water it down for you. It’s a crapshoot, I know. But I want to help you—”

  “No.”

  “Just think about it for a while. You don’t have to answer right now.”

  “I gave you an answer. I said no.”

  “Damn it, Bailey. Why not?”

  She shook her head, not believing he even needed to ask. “Are you kidding me? Nash, you’re a nice guy, and I always thought the man who took my virginity would be the man I grew old with, but this situation isn’t anything like I’d pictured.”

  “So plans change.”

  “But people don’t. I can’t marry you for security. That isn’t what a marriage should be based on. I believe in the sanctity of marriage. What I don’t believe in is marrying a complete stranger on a whim because we couldn’t keep our hormones in check.”

  “Then we’re perfect for each other. I don’t believe in divorce. Never have. I’ve always planned to have a family one day. Might as well be now. We’ll make it work.”

  “We hardly even know each other.”

  “Living together will make it easier for that to happen, though.”

  “It won’t work, Nash. Trust me, you wouldn’t like living with me. I get moody sometimes.”

  “You’re already moody. I’m not worried about that.”

  She let out a heavy breath. “I’m being serious. It would be a marriage based on a lie…on a pregnancy. I’m sorry, but I don’t want a husband just on paper.”

  “Good, because that wasn’t what I was suggesting. It would be a real marriage, Bailey. I’d be the loyal, doting husband and father, while you would be my lovely wife and mother of our child. We’d share the same bed and everything. I wouldn’t ask you to give anything up.” He gave her a smug grin and shrugged his eyebrows at her. “Especially when it comes to sex.”

  She pushed him out of her way and stood up alarmingly fast. Then she walked over and opened the front door. “Get out,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “You mean besides that insulting, detached proposal you offered me?”

  Nash stood up and walked closer, but didn’t dare try to touch her. That was probably a smart move because she was seething mad. But he apparently wasn’t about to let her throw him out without giving it another shot. “Bailey, I want this to work.”

  “No, what you want is for us to be paper dolls living together in a stiff cardboard-constructed home with no passion or feelings. You want polite, fake smiles during breakfast and meaningless pity fucks after dinner. Well, no thank you.”

  “Sweetheart, you misunderstood. My parents’ marriage was much like that. That’s not what I want for us. If you’ll just let me—”

  “There’s no us,” she said firmly. “I can’t marry you, anyway.”

  “You mean you won’t marry me.”

  She hesitated, then dropped her gaze. “Both,” she said. “Now I want you to go.”

  He eyed her suspiciously. “Wait. You’re not telling me something. What is it?”

  “I asked you to leave.”

  Nash shut the door and turned to face her. “What is it you’re not saying?”

  “Stop it. I…I don’t want to lie to you anymore.”

  “Then don’t.” He cocked his head to the side, waiting for an answer. “Come on, Bailey. Tell me why you can’t marry me.”

  Tears welled up in her
eyes. “Because…I’m already married.”

  The look on his face crushed her.

  It had been an undeniable mix of confusion and frustration. Nash couldn’t understand how she had been married—virginity intact—to one man, now impregnated by another, yet still completely alone. Sad thing was, she didn’t understand it herself. But she’d already married one man for the wrong reasons. She wasn’t about to repeat the mistake.

  “So you’re saying that this baby could possibly be…your husband’s?”

  “No, it’s not his.”

  “You were with someone else, then?” He rubbed at his temples. “Jesus. How many men have there been?”

  God, all of this is going wrong. “Nash, I…no, you’re the only man I’ve ever been with.”

  His eyes blazed fire. “Don’t screw with me, Bailey. You said you’re married, for Christ’s sake. Don’t you dare tell me you haven’t slept with your—”

  “It’s true!” she cried, embarrassment slapping her face and stinging both cheeks.

  He snorted and rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. I’ll play your stupid game. Then what the hell were you doing on your wedding night?”

  She blinked rapidly, forcing back the building tears. “You.”

  Chapter Eight

  Nash wasn’t sure what to believe.

  When she’d turned down his marriage proposal, Nash understood her need to choose a life partner based on love, rather than necessity. Hell, he felt the same way. But arranged marriages had been around for centuries and many were successful once the couple grew to love each other. In time, he thought they would do the same. After all, she was the mother of his unborn child. That alone made him care more for her than just some one-night stand. Not that she’d ever been that to him, anyway.

  From the moment the waitress had given him Bailey’s credit card, Nash had hoped he would find her and it would be the start of something between them. Sure, he’d been pissed to find out she’d never told him her real name. And yes, it had annoyed him that she’d never bothered to show up on his doorstep, though she knew where he lived. Now it all made sense.