Page 1 of His Valentine

Chapter One

Lena

“Careful there, honey,” the stranger leaning against the building says to me. “Hey, want me to escort you home?”

I ignore him as I start walking down the little flight of stairs. This isn’t the first time a random dude has talked to me like this. Certain men see my baby belly and instantly think I’m incapable of doing the most basic things—or, bizarrely, think it’s somehow okay to hit on me when my bumpshouldbe a huge blazing neon sign that I’m taken.

The truth is, I’m not taken. Not even close.

Buttheydon’t know that.

I continue down the remaining steps and adjust my scarf as a gust of winter air whips at my face. Fresh snow is collecting on the sidewalk as it drifts softly from the evening sky. God, I love the way the air smells when it’s snowing. It’s sopure. As I start walking home, I draw in a few deep cleansing breaths of it, soaking it up as much as possible.

I’ve just finished up a long shift at my job—I work the front desk at a small healthcare clinic—and I’m so looking forward to getting home, tugging off my boots, and doing nothing for the rest of the evening. Maybe on my way home, I’ll stop by that little Italian place and order my favorite linguine dish to go, then—

Crap. I forgot.

Today is Valentine’s Day.

That Italian place is going to be packed.

Figures.

My dislike of the holiday all started when I was a kid. Oh, yeah. I guess I should mention that my legal name is Valentine. When I started grade school, the other kids in my class sure thought that was funny—but theyreallygot a kick out of it when the holiday rolled around.

The next autumn, when our family moved and I started at a new school, I started going by Lena instead.

But that didn’t entirely undo my dislike of the holiday. As I got older, I developed anewreason to dislike it: I was always single on the lovey-dovey day in question.

This year is no different. I’m single as can be. In fact, I haven’t even flirted with a guy in six months.

Yep, the last guy I flirted with was the guy who knocked me up.

Despite the circumstances, I wouldn’t go back and change what happened. I’m already in love with the little nugget I’m carrying around, and I’m going to give her the best life I possibly can. The second I saw her sweet tiny face on the ultrasound, everything around me became more beautiful.

It was a sultry summer evening the night I met the man who would change the course of my life. The city had been ravaged by high temperatures for a full week, and every day made me feel like I was melting.Especiallywhen I was in my apartment, which trapped heat so badly that it was worse than being outside.

So I’d been spending all week avoiding my apartment. I’d been working late, eating out, and using any excuse to spend time in air-conditioned buildings. I didn’t want to overstay my welcome at any one place, though, so I tried to find different locations to hang out in each evening.

And that evening, fate brought me to The Regal.

The Regal is an upscale hotel on the waterfront. It’s one of the most gorgeous old buildings you’ll ever see. I had never stepped inside it before that night, but in my heat-dazed state, it practically beckoned to me. I passed through its large, ornate front doors and strode with reverence through the front lobby.

A sharply-dressed woman looked up from behind a luxuriously grand reception desk and greeted me.

“Checking in, ma’am?” she asked.

I thought of the temperature-controlled rooms upstairs. My hand itched to pull out my credit card and hand it over. Then common sense reminded me the cheapest room here probably cost more than a month’s worth of groceries.

“No,” I said. “I’m just…um…”

“Looking for the lounge?”

I couldn’t tell if she was onto me or not, but either way, I nodded.

“It’s right through there, ma’am,” she said, gesturing toward a doorway. I smiled, thanked her, and headed in that direction.

The lounge was low-lit and ambient as hell. Soft light glowed from votive candles on the tables around the room. I took a seat at the bar and asked for a club soda and lime. I’d never been much of a drinker. I just wanted something refreshing.

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