Page 68 of Chance of Romance
Chapter Fifteen
Logan returned home Wednesday night tense as all hell. And it wasn’t because of work, which was going well, or that Sabrina had moved in for a temporary stay, it was what he had to tell her. He sat in his car in the garage, trying to mentally prepare for how best to deliver the news. He really didn’t want to hurt her. The truth was, they were just starting as a couple, and he wasn’t at all sure they’d be able to keep going once she heard.
All right, get your ass out of the car. He just had to tell her, explain the situation, and hope she’d understand. He was still in shock himself.
He left the car, grabbed all of his stuff from the trunk, and walked into the house. He stepped into the kitchen, half expecting it to be full of weird appliances and kitschy farm animal decorations the way a woman might decorate, but everything looked exactly the same. The dark gray granite counters were polished and free of clutter. It smelled good, though, like Sabrina had cooked dinner, some kind of meat.
He set his laptop on the island and put his stuff down. He was about to look for her when she appeared, her long dark blond hair up in a cute high ponytail, wearing a pink long-sleeved pajama top and pink flowery pajama bottoms. Bare feet and her toenails were painted pink. She looked like she lived here, relaxing in her pajamas. God, he’d missed her. Three days apart felt like forever.
“Hi,” she said almost shyly. “I made pot roast.”
“Thanks. I ate on the plane, but I could have some for lunch tomorrow.”
She nodded, crossing her arms. A moment of panic gripped him because her expression looked a lot like the untouchable professional she used to be with him. Had she heard something?
He opened his arms to her, and she closed the distance, giving him a hug. Not an awkward hug, but a little stiff.
He pulled away and cleared his throat. “I need to talk to you.”
She blushed. “That story was from Claire. She’s been putting out the word through her contacts to counteract the bad press. You know, you and me happy newlyweds in our love nest.”
He jerked his chin. Thank God for Claire. Sabrina’s mom was still giving interviews and had appeared on a major news show this morning, a competitor toSunshine America. He’d rather have no mom in the picture than a mom who profited off him like hers did. And the stuff her mom shared…no boundaries at all. Like that Sabrina had hung out with her stuffed animals the way other kids hung out with friends, imagining they were having fun slumber parties well past the age most girls moved on to real slumber parties. He read between the lines, imagining a young lonely Sabrina, but most people would probably just think she was strange.
“It’s not about that,” he said.
He took her hand and led her to the living room sofa. Once she took her seat, he met her eyes directly. “I care about you. A lot. I just want to say that up front.”
Her eyes got shiny like she was going to cry, which got him choked up, because he could tell the deep feelings went both ways. Dammit. Things were just starting with them, and what he was about to say might finish them for good.
“Me too,” she whispered. “A lot.”
He blew out a breath. “Olivia got in touch with me today and told me she’s pregnant. She says it’s mine.”
She slapped a hand over her mouth, her brown eyes wide.
He shoved a hand in his hair. “I swear I used protection, but I guess it’s not a hundred percent. I was with her two months ago, so it’s possible.”
Sabrina dropped her hand. “Do you believe her? She did cheat on you. Maybe it’s that other guy’s. He’s supposed to have an arranged marriage. Maybe she knew she couldn’t get anything out of him.”
“She heard we were married. I don’t think that would’ve stopped her. I told her I want a paternity test. I found out she can get one as soon as next week, totally noninvasive. She does a blood test; I give a cheek swab. I’m flying back to California as soon as she can get an appointment. I just wanted to prepare you for the possibility.”
Sabrina stared at him, her eyes wide and searching. “What does this mean for us? Are you going to move to San Francisco to be with her?”
“Not to be with her, but if it’s true, if that’s my kid, I want to be a part of his or her life. A big part. So, yes, I’d move out there for the kid, not for her.”
She stood abruptly.
“Where’re you going?”
She didn’t meet his eyes. “I’m-I’m going home. There’s no sense pretending we’re married. She’ll probably tell everyone she’s having your baby, while you’re supposed to be married to me, and the whole thing is so sordid.” She crossed her arms tightly over her stomach. “Oh, God, I’m going to be sick.”
She ran to the downstairs bathroom just off the kitchen.
He winced at the sound of her retching. This was fucked up. But what choice did he have? Never know his kid? His own dad had set such a strong example of what a good father was both to his own kids and all the other kids he took under his wing through the Police Athletic League. There was just no way Logan could ever be a long-distance father. He hadn’t expected to be a dad so soon, but here it was, and he had to step up.
~ ~ ~
Sabrina rinsed out her mouth and headed upstairs to pack her suitcase, her gut still churning, chest tight, eyes stinging. She should’ve known it was too good to be true. Of course Logan would want to be a good dad, but to know he was going to be that dad across the country for another woman’s child was more than Sabrina could bear.
