The rain poured down as though somebody had slit the clouds’ fat bellies. No matter what setting she used for the wipers, Vanessa couldn’t see anything in front of her. There was no way she was going to reach O’Hare in weather like this.
She pulled over and stared outside. Shudders went through her every time a car sped by, making her rental rock. It didn’t look like the rain would let up any time soon. There wasn’t even a sliver of blue on the dark horizon. She pulled out her phone to check the weather in Chicago. Rain for the rest of the day. Great.
Maybe she should just call Mark and ask him to arrange for a pickup. Her brother would do it, and unlike Iain he wouldn’t ask annoying questions. She didn’t want to discuss why she was in Chicago with anybody. Her business was strictly with Justin.
She pressed her head against the headrest and tapped the edge of her phone. Maybe she didn’t have to tell Justin. It wasn’t like she wanted him to get involved with her life. He seemed to have moved on, and it looked like London might be the one for him, given how long they’d been dating.
And the idea of him being with London—or any woman—twisted her heart. Vanessa rubbed her forehead. When had she turned into a dog in a manger? It wasn’t like she was going to start dating him if he just ditched everyone else.
She put a hand over her belly. Even if she wanted to keep it quiet, this wasn’t something she could hide…not to mention the child would want to know about its father.
Before she lost her nerve, she typed I’m pregnant and hit send. As soon as her phone showed “sent” confirmation, she cursed. What the hell had she been thinking? This was what happened when she was tired and sleep-deprived and stressed.
She check
ed the settings on her phone. There had to be a way to recall that text before Justin saw it.
Nobody needed to know whose baby she carried. She could just say she didn’t know, and it wasn’t like she needed anybody’s approval. She made her own money, and she had an amazing career. She could raise the baby on her own, and it would never lack for anything, even if it didn’t have the Sterling family’s level of wealth.
Money wasn’t everything in life.
She stared at the phone. No response from Justin. Maybe he didn’t see it. Maybe he’d lost his phone or changed his number.
Or he might just laugh it off. He’d probably think she’d sent it by error or something. They’d been so careful, always using birth control. He would think it was a prank, a bad one, but prank nonetheless.
Weren’t there dozens of reason why she shouldn’t be with him anyway, even if London hadn’t been in the picture? He was too handsome, too sexy, too good in bed, too popular, too rich and too likely to influence her career. But most importantly, he was too likely to break her heart. She knew herself. If she stayed with him for too long, she’d fall for him and nothing—not even love—was enough to make relationships last.
She looked at the water streaming down her windshield. The rain would let up at some point. When it was light enough for her to drive again, she’d either make her way to the airport or check into a nearby hotel.
Whichever was safer.
* * *
Justin smiled at London. She’d been chattering about shoes for the last half-hour. She had to be an alien whose mind and logic defied human understanding. What else could explain her obsessive desire to talk about leather used to make shoes in Italy?
The lobster bisque was unexpectedly excellent and provided great distraction from the monologue. Rain ran down the windows in rivulets, and he took a brief glance at the wet pavement. Was Vanessa going to be okay driving to the airport? She was a prototypical Californian—the most inclement weather she could stand was cloudy.
“So what do you think?” London asked, jerking his attention back.
He managed a smile. “I think it’s great.” A great non-answer, guilt needled him. He shouldn’t care about Vanessa’s driving in the rain. What she did wasn’t any of his concern. He was on a date with a woman who actually liked having a relationship with him, and she didn’t slice away a bit of his heart every time they met. But somehow his mind rebelled at being in the restaurant, and he controlled his breathing. Vanessa was like a bottle of booze to a recovering alcoholic. One sip and he was done for.
When his phone buzzed in his pocket, he excused himself to check it. Anything to delay London from launching into the merits of stilettos.
His mood grew as dark as the weather outside when he noticed a text from Vanessa. He should delete it. It was probably something that would upset him. Or tempt him.
But he recalled her pallor. She’d looked absolutely wretched and tired, and he’d never seen her like that. Was her parents’ divorce weighing her down? She was close to her mother, and he knew the situation with her parents had always bothered her. Even though their marriage had been a joke of cosmic proportions, everyone had assumed Salazar and Ceinlys Pryce would always stay married to each other.
Cursing himself, he thumbed the screen. Then blinked.
I’m pregnant.
His heart thumped, and the words jumbled in his mind. It couldn’t be…
He stared at the text again, willing it to make sense. But no. It was still the same two words.
His body went slack. Now he understood why she’d been at his place. She probably wanted to talk about the baby. He remembered how she’d smiled her lawyer smile at London and climbed into her car as soon as possible without appearing rude. What else could she have done with the other woman there?
Closing his eyes, he let out a soft sigh. So many thoughts tumbled through his mind, but one thing was clear. He couldn’t let her go now.