Page 73 of Baby Maker

Keegan glances up from his desk, but his face doesn’t give away any emotion. “What can I do for you, Calli?”

I will stay calm. I will stay calm. “You’re leaving? Just like that?”

“It was a carefully calculated decision. It’s a great opportunity for me, as you know.”

“You have opportunities here.” Okay, a bit more forward than I planned.

His eyes widen as he finally meets my gaze. “What do you need?”

“I need you. I need to talk to you. I know I said so many wrong things that night. Both nights. I was angry and upset and scared.”

“You said what you felt. As did I. I can’t compete with Nigel. I don’t stand a chance of winning. There’s not even room for me at the table to play.”

I reach across the desk, grasping his hand, but he moves away. “I know that’s how you feel, but it’s not true. There is room for you. I’ve made certain.”

All I have to do is convince him that I do love him. That I do want him.

Just him.

How hard can it be?

Keegan folds his hands in a triangle, clearing his throat and avoiding my gaze. “Look. I never should have let it get this far.”

A sheen of perspiration breaks out across my skin. “What does that mean?”

“You’re my patient. You want a baby with your husband. It’s my job to give you that.”

“I am more than your patient.”

“Because I let it get too far. I felt something, and I went with it. I should have maintained a professional distance. This is on me.”

My temper flares at his calm demeanor. His flat affect. “Screw your professional distance. What about that weekend on Cape Cod?”

“The one where you demanded I drive you home because you couldn’t handle being around me? That one? The one where not twelve hours after you told me that you love me, you slam on the brakes? What about it, Calli?”

Okay, at least now he’s angry. It’s an improvement over apathy. I’ll take what I can get at this point.

I’m also firmly aware that I need to lay it all out there if I stand any chance in hell.

“We didn’t use anything.”

He clicks his tongue against his teeth, nodding in agreement. “I know. I’m sorry about that as well.”

“You’re sorry? So, it meant nothing to you? Because it meant something to me.”

“Of course, it meant something. But I crossed a line. A line I won’t cross again.”

I feel the walls closing in on me, my throat constricting as I fight to find a way to open the door to Keegan’s heart again. “That’s it, then? You’re done with me.”

Those blue eyes—those beautiful blue eyes I hoped to gaze into every morning—meet mine. “Calli, I did not reach this decision lightly. I wish you every happiness. You deserve it. I hope you have the most beautiful baby in the world. One that looks like a perfect blend of you and Nigel.”

“What if I’m already pregnant?”

Finally, an honest response as his jaw slackens. “What?”

“We had unprotected sex. Multiple times. I was ovulating. What if I’m pregnant? What then?”

“I hadn’t considered that, but I can test you right now.”

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