Page 20 of Fumbled Love

“Is that so?” I said, trying to move on from her little speech. Forget the night ever happened? Yeah, right.

“Yes.” The word fell from her mouth so easily. “I never want my child to feel like a mistake or unwanted.”

“Yourchild?” My chocolate eyes met her blues. I pointed to her flat stomach. “I believe I had something to do with that. Wait…” I don’t know what made me think of it, maybe because I was still trying to wrap my head around everything. “How the hell did this even happen? I wore a condom.”

Her eyes flashed to mine in anger. “Not at first you didn’t.”

My mouth opened and closed. “I was wrapped up when I needed to be.” How dare she imply that I didn’t know how to roll that shit on. I’ve had plenty of practice. Never, ever, have I forgotten before that night. It was a tiny slip-up on my part, which I immediately corrected.

“You obviously didn’t do a very good job.” She sighed. “Look, we all know that condoms aren’t one hundred percent effective. I didn’t plan this, and I’m not trying to trap you.” She swallowed, looking pissed. I couldn’t blame her, but then again, I was caught off guard. What did she expect?

She flattened her mouth, causing my eyes to narrow on that beauty mark above her top lip. That should have given it away. Kinley looked different but still somehow the same. I should have known it was her.

I lifted my gaze to her blue eyes; they were so bright they practically glowed. They held a look of sincerity as opposed to the dollar signs I was used to seeing. Gone was the nerdy little bookworm who wore sweatshirts and turtlenecks. Little Kinley Roberts turned into a real looker. She wasn’t the kind of stunner that stopped traffic and preyed on celebrities looking for their next meal ticket. She was cute in a girl-next-door sort of way. The kind that you took home to your parents. The type you settled down with—the exact opposite of what I’d been chasing since high school.

There wasn’t a fake thing on her body. Everything was soft and smooth, perfect for my roaming hands. And I remembered vividly how she felt under my palms. Maybe it was crazy, reckless, or a little bit of both, but I didn’t want her to just disappear. Now that I knew who she was, it changed everything.

But her life was in New York now. Mine was still in Atlanta. Georgia had always been my home. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, especially in New York. I liked driving my truck down country back roads, where the only thing I needed to worry about hitting was a possum instead of a person crossing a crowded intersection. I liked the feeling of the hot sun beating down on my back during my morning run, as opposed to jogging on noisy sidewalks. Panic started to take hold and tighten inside my chest.

She rubbed at her arms, completely unaware of the chaos running through my head. “Look, Maverick. I don’t know what to expect from you, so I’m giving you an out. I know this is coming out of left field, but you have a choice and I’ll accept whatever you decide. Regardless of your decision, I wanted you to know that I’m keeping this baby.”

I wasn’t sure what pissed me off more. The fact that she assumed I wouldn’t want anything to do with my kid or that she was using a baseball metaphor to make her point.

I crossed my arms and tightened my lips in displeasure, letting her know what I thought about her little theory. “So, you think I want to forget that my baby exists? Walk away from my responsibilities?”

She held up her hands in the air. “I don’t know what to think, okay?”

“I’d also like to point out that you’re in no position to be upset with me. You haven’t exactly been truthful.”

“I never lied to you,” she said, keeping her eyes straight on me.

“No?” I raised a brow. “Ivy?”

Her eyes slid shut. “I’m sorry, okay? You had no idea who I was, and I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“But you knew who I was though, didn’t you?” She hung her head in confirmation.

“Kinley, I haven’t seen you since my sister’s graduation party. You were practically a kid back then.”

She didn’t like that answer for some reason. “Of course, you would say that. You always thought of me as a kid. You never saw me for who I was. I grew tits and an ass, all the boys at school noticed but you. I was always your little sister’s pesky friend.”

“I was three years older than you. You were fucking jailbait back then.” Sighing in frustration, I ran my fingers through my hair. I was messing everything up. “Obviously, emotions are running high right now. Give me some time to let this news sink in.”

I was there. I participated. I knew this could potentially happen. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve heard of it happening. It’s never happened to me. So now I needed time to figure a few things out.

“That’s fair enough. I can give you my cell number. I’m staying with my mom until after New Year’s.”

I blew out a relieved breath. “Good.” That gave us a little bit of breathing room to figure things out before she flew back home. “Are you free for breakfast tomorrow morning?”

She wrung her hands in front of her. “Sure. Let me know where and when and I’ll be there.”

I handed her my phone so that she could program her number. “I’m sorry about the way I acted a few minutes ago. I’m just as responsible for this as you are. My parents raised me better than that.”

She nodded her head in understanding.

I walked her to the door and held it open. She gave me a quizzical look and paused like she wanted to say something. Instead, she gave me a tight smile and left.

CHAPTER9

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