Helen Lacey - Married To The Mum-To-Be

Deep down, she knew all his arguments about telling their parents—especially now—were right. But she couldn’t get over her fear that it would be like adding one final splash of gasoline to the pile of wood. And that news of a Rickard-O’Sullivan pregnancy would hardly do anything to defuse that blast. She’d been awake all night worrying—

“Is there any place in particular you’d like to go?” he asked, his voice jerking her back into the present. “Maybe try to get in to see a doctor?”

Her head snapped sideways. “No doctors. Just a drugstore. If the result is positive from the test then I’ll go and see my own physician once...once...you know...”

“Once the truth is out, you mean,” he said quietly and then glanced at her stomach. “So...how far along do you think you are?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Over a month. Maybe two.”

He was silent for a moment, and then spoke. “We’ve always used contraception.”

Kayla had wondered when that statement would rear its head. “Condoms are only ninety-eight percent effective.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” she replied and smiled sweetly. “Haven’t you ever read the packet?”

He laughed and the sound affected her way down. Sometimes, she couldn’t believe he could still do that, that she could be as gushy and as aware of him as though they were on a first date. Her lips tingled when she remembered how possessively he’d kissed her only minutes earlier.

“I’ve never been one for reading the instructions,” he said softly.

“Or taking them,” she said and folded her arms. “But you do like to boss everyone else around.”

He laughed again. “I’ve missed this.”

“Missed what?”

“You listing all my faults,” he said and grinned. “I guess I have a few.”

“No,” she replied and smiled. “Not too many at all. Which is really annoying,” she said and smiled a little. The levity between them was a welcome change, but Kayla wasn’t fooled. He was as wound up as she was. She noticed his hands were tight on the steering wheel and a pulse throbbed in his cheek. “You know, if you grip that steering wheel any tighter your knuckles might crack.”

He glanced at her and then relaxed his hands fractionally. “Coping mechanism.”

She chuckled softly. “You’re such a fraud, Liam.”

His jaw tensed even further. “What does that mean?”

She looked at him for a moment, fiddling with the strap on her tote, then returned her gaze straight ahead. “Tough guy. Calm, cool and collected. Ice in your veins. You know, all the things people say about you. None of it’s really true.”

“Sure it is,” he said dismissively.

“Yesterday I thought you were all in control and ready for whatever happened today,” she said, smiling again. “But I think you’re as nervous as I am. Maybe even more so. Let’s face it, your family is going to be as shocked about this as mine. And equally disapproving.”

“As I said last night, I don’t actually care about that, Kayla,” he said flatly. “I care about you and the child you might be carrying. You make a baby with someone, then you take on the responsibility that goes with it.”

“And to hell with everything else?” she shot back. “And everyone else?”

“Precisely.”

“I can’t disregard other people’s feelings like that.”

His mouth flattened. “Really?”

She sighed with frustration. “I don’t disregard your feelings, Liam. At least, I don’t set out to do that. But we both knew going into this relationship that it wasn’t going to be easy, considering our history.”

“Our history?” he echoed. “But we didn’t have a history, Kayla. It was our parents’ history, our parents’ private war, for want of a better expression. We were both raised on a steady diet of hatred for each other’s family. And in one way or another, if you are pregnant, then this child will end that cycle. We have to make sure of that. Otherwise, our parents won’t have the opportunity to be a part of this child’s life.”

“That sounds all very cut-and-dried,” she remarked. “But we both know I could never cut my parents out of their grandchild’s life...and I don’t think you could, either.”

“I’ll do what I have to do to protect my family,” he said and the words chilled her a little. She knew he would do exactly as he said. “My family. You and me. And you’ll do the same.”

Kayla crossed her arms and sucked in a deep breath. “For you to say that to me it’s obvious that you don’t know me at all.”

“Of course I know you,” he said quietly. “I know every inch of you...intimately.”

“Sex and intimacy are two very different things.”

He laughed humorlessly. “Ain’t that the truth.”

Kayla hung on to her temper and barely spoke for the remainder of the trip. He was being a hothead for reasons of his own. Thankfully they’d reached Rapid City and once they entered the town precinct she began scouring the streets for the first open drugstore she could find. They found a mall quickly and once he’d parked the truck she got out and shut the door, not waiting for him as she walked across the parking lot. He caught up soon enough and they walked side by side into the store. To his credit he hung back while she made her selection and didn’t do his usual thing of insisting on paying for everything.

For all his faults, she couldn’t accuse him of being anything other than incredibly generous. His benevolence didn’t stop with the museum and she knew he was generous toward the local hospital’s charitable work and fund-raising. Despite his reputation for being a ruthless, arrogant and entitled alpha male, he had a kind and giving spirit that she’d been privy to during their time together.

“All done?” he asked once she’d paid the clerk and had the parcel in her hands. She nodded and he then did the same. “So, we could go for coffee somewhere in town. There’s that little café on Omaha Street that you like. You know, the place with the pistachio brownies.”

Kayla was instantly bombarded with a memory. It was a week after that crazy afternoon at the museum when she’d given in to the constant battle of trying to resist her attraction to him and had kissed him madly. They’d spent the day in Rapid City and she’d discovered his addiction to caffeinated beverages as they frequented several cafés in search of the perfect cup. They had a lovely afternoon together and later that evening he booked them into a luxury hotel, where they ordered room service and then made love for the first time. The following morning they had a late breakfast at the café on Omaha Street and Kayla had stocked up on the delicious brownies. It seemed so long ago now, and not five short months earlier. But the memories were acute.

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