Page 94 of Moon's Promise

Without a word, Moon left the room.

Her sisters stared at the closed door, their expressions mirroring the same disgust.

Larissa sat up. “Moon is angry I’ve put him in this position.” She made the excuse for Moon, not wanting her sisters to hate him for the way he had behaved. “He’s angry, and he has a right to be. I should have told him I was pregnant instead of taking off like a coward. We have to get along, whether we like it or not, for the baby,” she pleaded with her sisters. “Gradually, we might be able to become friends.”

Priss looked at her as if she had taken leave of her senses. “We’ve been looking forward to one of us having a baby one day, and he’s going to ruin it for us.”

Larissa slid over the exam table. “I’m sure he’d say the same thing about me being the mother of his child.”

Lana rolled the ultrasound back in place. “I agree with Larissa, Priss. We have to be understanding if we expect the same in return.” She moved to stand back in front of her. “But I do want to say one thing.” Her voice became firm. “You didn’t make this baby on your own. It took two. I’m not going to watch him behave this way when he comes in for the appointments, or he can wait out in the lobby. Either you can say something, or I will.”

“I will.”

“Good. Then I need to get back to the hospital.”

“Thanks, Lana.”

“Anytime, sis.”

“You really going eat lunch with that jerk?” Priss asked after Lana had left.

“Yes. We need to find a middle ground, not for us to be able to get along, but for the baby’s welfare. I want him to have a healthy relationship with our child, and it’s going to start today,” she said with determination.

“You want me to come with you?”

“No, I think Moon and I need to have this talk alone. Sooner or later, I have to be able to talk with him and come to a mutual agreement to be more cordial toward each other.”

Priss gave her a conspiring nod. “Fake it until you can make it sort of thing?”

Larissa shook her head seriously. “No, more like work on it until it comes true.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Moon asked Evie to seat him in a corner booth in a back room. He ordered iced tea, then waited for Larissa when Evie returned to the front of the restaurant after seating him.

As he stared unseeingly at the bread basket the waitress had brought, he castigated himself for the way he had acted. Why did she get to him so badly? All he had to do was look at her, and every nerve ending in his body went on high alert. He had never experienced this reaction before with the numerous women he had been with. The more he kept an emotional distance from her, the more out of whack he felt because of the baby. How could he dislike the mother so much while the burgeoning emotions he was beginning to feel for his child were both in the same package currently? Sure, the upheaval would end once his son was born, yet he determined not to let what he was feeling for the baby entwine with Larissa and keep them separate.

She didn’t keep him waiting for long before she was sliding into the booth across from him.

When the waitress approached, she ordered herself a tea. Once the waitress left, they sat in silence, just looking at each other.

“Moon …”

Larissa managed to put her trepidation aside and talk as if they were at least on speaking terms. “I know you dislike me. I apologize for not telling you I was pregnant when I found out. I kept putting it off because I kept imagining if I were you, how I would react if a complete stranger came up to me and told me they were pregnant. I hesitated too long. Then, when I truly was going to tell you, you came to the office and said you didn’t want to see me again. I just … I didn’t know what to do at that point. I left to stay with my mom and give you time to get over your anger toward me. I had every intention of coming back, but my friend asked me to stay with her. She ne—”

Moon’s face remained passive while he took a slice of bread from the basket and started eating.

As she talked, he listened with half an ear while his eye roved over the other customers sitting in the room.

She was still talking when he finished the bread then rubbed his hands together to get rid of the crumbs.

“You know, what I’m hearing is nothing but excuses. Save yourself the trouble. The waitress is coming back; do you want something to eat?”

Larissa smothered down her hurt feelings, hoping that once he had the chance to air his grievances, they could move forward.

“No, thank you. I’m not hungry.”

The thought of eating any food in front of him sent her stomach rolling. His appetite didn’t seem to be affected as he ordered a ribeye dinner and asked the waitress to bring more bread.

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