Page 28 of An Heir Made In Hawaii (Hot Winter Escapes)

Things like a baby.

His eyes dropped down to her stomach, concealed under a loose gray shirt. He swallowed hard.

“How? We used protection.”

A light blush stained her cheeks.

“We did. But do you remember in the middle of the night...”

Nicholas’s brain fumbled, trying to remember. And then the image came back to him with roaring clarity. He had turned to her in the night. They’d made love to each other with questing hands, seeking lips. At one moment, just one, he had slipped inside her before he’d remembered that he had not put on a condom. He had quickly withdrawn, peppering kisses down her breasts, her belly, over her hips, before he’d pulled out a condom and sheathed himself.

“It was only a moment.”

“A moment was more than enough.” She stilled, a distant look coming into her eyes, one that hinted at a pain she was trying to conceal. “If you want, I’m happy to provide a test and we can get blood work done so that you know for sure it’s yours.”

Nicholas was surprised to find that he didn’t doubt a single word that Anika was saying. As little as they had gotten along in the beginning, the time that they had spent together in Hawaii had helped him realize just what kind of person she was. Even though he’d been angry and disappointed at the way she’d walked out, she was not the kind of woman who would make up a pregnancy. Especially, he thought to himself, a pregnancy with someone she could barely stand.

“I appreciate the offer.” He walked back around the desk, needing the familiarity of his desk, something that made him feel in control. “What steps do we take next?”

“I’ll continue to go to my doctor’s appointments. I can keep you updated, of course.”

“Updated?”

She frowned. “You told me from the beginning you had no interest in being a father or having a long-term relationship. I’m not going to make any demands on you.”

Annoyance stirred inside him. Did she truly think so little of him?

“I’m not just going to stand by and live the rest of my life while you take care of our child by yourself.”

Alarm flooded across her face.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’m going to be involved.”

“Involved how? I’m more than capable of taking care of this child by myself.”

“How? You can barely keep your business afloat.”

Too far, he realized as her expression morphed into anger.

“As I said,” she replied in a chilly voice, “since I’ve come back, I’ve already increased reservations for the spring by fifteen percent over last year. It’s starting off small, but it’s working. Just like I told you it would.”

He half expected her to stick out her tongue at the end, she was so fired up. And damned if that didn’t stir his blood, just like she had when she’d stood up in the middle of a ballroom full of people and sparred with him. Reluctant admiration filled him. He wanted that property and everything that it could bring the Hotel Lassard. Still, it was impressive how hard she was fighting to keep the inn up and running, how much she was accomplishing with so little. It also made him realize just how capable Anika would be as a mother.

His eyes drifted down once more to her belly. He’d never contemplated the possibility of having children before, despite his mother’s growing hints in recent years. He’d only been eleven when David had been killed. But that event alone had cemented his commitment to never having children. He hadn’t been able to keep his seven-year-old brother safe. How could he possibly trust himself with the responsibility of an infant whose existence would literally rest in his hands for the first few years of its life? Even if he could overcome that fear, he wasn’t sure that he would ever be able to overcome the pain. The pain that had lingered from years and years of his parents drifting farther apart and wallowing in their own depression as he had been left to fend for himself.

His parents were good people. They had overcome the odds and eventually found their way back to each other, and to him. But that decade between David’s death and their reconciliation had been lonely and bitter. If his parents had succumbed to loss and left him for so long, what would he do if he were to face a similar loss? Could he guarantee that he wouldn’t do the same thing his parents had done?

That it was even a possibility had been enough for him to abstain from considering a family of his own. A child deserved more than he could offer.

Yet as the reality of the situation hit, something shifted inside him. He might not be capable of providing a child with the kind of love and happiness that so many fathers could. But he had plenty of resources at his fingertips to ensure the child and Anika would never want for anything. He owed it to both of them to at least try to be involved as much as he could.

“Look, I know this was unexpected.” Anika started to rise from the couch. “How about we sleep on it and talk tomorrow?”

Her face went pale. Nicholas was on his feet and by her side within seconds.

“Are you all right?”

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