Patricia Forsythe - His Twin Baby Surprise

As he walked back to the house, he took out his phone and checked his calendar. His attention was caught by the sound of tires crunching on gravel. A dark red, sporty sedan was heading toward him. He frowned for a second as he tried to see who was driving, then grinned.

So his visit to Lisa’s office had paid off. But he was surprised she’d come out to his ranch.

He watched as Lisa pulled her car to a stop and looked up to meet his eyes. Her solemn expression, the twin of the one she’d given him earlier in her office, made him pause before he walked over to open her door and hold out his hand to help her out.

She stood, somewhat unsteadily, smoothed the short, black wool jacket she wore with matching slacks, and braced herself in the door opening. Finally she looked at him. Her lips flickered in the faintest smile. “Hello, Ben.”

“Hey, Lisa. Thanks for coming over. I would have called, headed back to your office. You didn’t need to come all the way out here.”

“It’s okay. I wanted to,” she said, stepping aside so that he could close the door behind her.

Something about her complete shift in attitude made his words stumble. “Um, yeah. I wanted to see if you were okay after your aunt’s death...and...well, you know...everything that happened.” Ben felt embarrassed heat climb his throat. “But you didn’t respond.”

“I know.” She glanced away, apparently distraught. Her face was as pale as it had been earlier and her eyes seemed sunken. “I was hoping we could start this conversation again.”

“Yes, sure, but are you okay?” he asked, reaching to take her arm.

At last she met his gaze. “Can we go inside, Ben? I have something...important to tell you.”

CHAPTER THREE

“PREGNANT?” BEN STARED at her, swallowed, then stared some more. “And...it’s mine?”

“Of course it is!” Lisa fought down a burst of hysteria. “You don’t think I go around sleeping with—”

“Of course not. Of course not,” he answered hastily, holding up his hands, palms outward. “But...we used protection.”

Hearing him say exactly what she’d said to Gemma and Carly a few days ago didn’t make her feel any better. “I know.”

He sat forward, as if all the strength had been drained from him, and rested his forearms on his thighs. Looking down, and then up, he seemed to struggle to form a sentence.

Lisa knew this wasn’t at all the conversation he’d expected to be having when he’d come to her office. She wondered if that was the last lunch invitation she’d ever receive from him.

Unable to meet his shocked gaze anymore, Lisa looked away, taking in the shabby living room she’d last entered late in September when she’d handled the sale of the ranch to him. The house looked as bad as ever, but she’d been so agitated when she’d driven up today, she hadn’t even noticed if he’d done anything to improve the outbuildings or acreage, although she’d noticed a small herd of horses in the pasture.

She looked around, feeling her mind drifting from the subject at hand. This time, she didn’t try to stop it as the Realtor in her assessed the positive aspects of the house.

This room had beautifully carved crown moldings that could easily be returned to their original beauty if touched up and painted, maple floors with a buildup of grime around the edges that could be cleaned with refinishing, and dingy mint-green paint on the walls. She didn’t think any upgrades would happen. Ben had brought in two new-looking chairs, a sofa and a couple of floor lamps, but she had no idea if he intended to make it any more homey.

Ben looked as though he’d been working hard since he’d returned from town, if his worn, dirt-streaked jeans and blue flannel shirt were any indication. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but his dark auburn hair needed a cut, or maybe it only looked disastrous because he’d been repeatedly running his hands through it, exactly as she’d done when she’d first learned of this news.

Ben cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to him. His dark gray eyes, the color of a winter storm, looked at her. “Is that why you’ve refused to talk to me?”

“Not at first. I was...embarrassed.”

“Because you never do what you did? What we did? I get that. But you don’t have anything to be ashamed of.” When she didn’t respond, he asked, “How long have you known?”

“Only a few days, but I’ve known something was...different for a while.”

“Have you...thought about...what you’re going to do?” His expression was that of a man going down for the third time, grasping at any twig of hope for a different outcome. There wasn’t going to be one.

She scooted forward in her chair, sat straighter and gave him a hard look. “I’m having it and I’m keeping it.”

“Of course. I wasn’t suggesting anything else, I swear. Listen, it’s your choice.” He stood and paced around the room, his boots thumping on the hardwood. “I’ll do my part, of course. I’ll pay child support.”

She waited, wondering what he would say next. Would he want to be part of the baby’s life? That wasn’t what she wanted. Did most men say they wanted to help when they were handed a bombshell like this one? Other than a name on her birth certificate, she didn’t know who her father was and doubted he knew of her existence.

Ben swung back to look at her. His face worked for a minute before he went on, his voice strangled. “I have to tell you, though, Lisa, I never intended to be a dad. I like kids, but I’ve got the life I always worked for—money to do what I like, go where I want, deals working, projects and businesses all over the world.” He shook his head and frowned. “I just had this conversation with my father. I never saw myself with a family because I thought it would be unfair to a kid for me to either be gone all the time or to drag it around the world with me.”

“You don’t ever want anything to impinge on your freedom.”

He barely seemed to think about his response. Throwing his hands wide, he asked, “Would you?”

Lisa started to answer but a wave of nausea rose in her throat. She stumbled to her feet and ran to where she recalled the downstairs bathroom was located. Desperately hoping the ancient plumbing worked, she lurched into the room and shoved the door closed behind her.

A few seconds later she had emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl and stood trembling, holding on to the washbasin as she rinsed her mouth and splashed water on her face. She spotted a roll of paper towels beneath the sink and used one to pat her face dry. Staring at her miserable reflection in the mirror, she took several deep breaths and then scooped more water into her mouth.

She could hear Ben pacing to and fro outside, which meant it was time for her to leave. She had done what she was supposed to do. After stewing about it for days, choosing exactly the right words, even writing out what she planned to say so that her sudden onslaught of brain burps wouldn’t hijack her thoughts, she had told Ben he was going to be a father. Shock and surprise were what she’d expected, but she hadn’t counted on his adamant statement that he’d never wanted to be a dad.

She should have guessed, though. He’d had legions of girlfriends over the years, some in Reston, others scattered around the country, maybe even the world. If he’d wanted to stay with one woman and start a family, there probably would have been at least one of them who would have been happy to accommodate him.

“Lisa?” he called from the other side of the door. “Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”

“No. I’m fine.” She pulled on the knob but nothing happened. She looked to see if she’d locked it, but the old-fashioned door had only a slightly rusted bolt. She tried the knob again but the door wouldn’t budge.