She couldn’t stand it any longer. If he was so furious that he wouldn’t even talk to her, she should wrap up this shit show and move along. Even if that meant addressing the topic they’d both prefer to avoid, one final time.
“I’m also sorry I didn’t tell you I was pregnant.” There. It was done. “Under the circumstances, I should probably stay with someone else. My continued proximity is clearly endangering you.”
He was shaking his head before she even finished speaking. “No.”
That was it. Nothing more.
“No?” Entirely out of patience, aching with hurt, she flung her hands in the air and rounded on him. “Why not? You’re clearly angry with me, so—”
“I’m angry, yes,” he interrupted. “With you?”
She waited.
“Not…” His hesitation lasted several beats too long. “Not necessarily.”
She raised her eyebrows. Glared at him until he sighed in defeat and turned to face her.
He spoke slowly at first, his voice low and rough with emotion. “I’m frustrated because I’ve been fighting to redeem my family’s reputation for the past decade, and now all that time and effort feels like an utter waste. But—”
“I’m so sorry.” Her momentary bravado had curdled into shame, and she curled up as small as possible in her seat. “That’s because of me, and—”
“It’s not your fault, Gwen. Not even one particle of blame belongs to you. And as I was about to say, the fire’s consequences for me and my family are the least of my current concerns.”
Potential criminal charges were theleastof his concerns? How was that even possible?
“I may be frustrated about the hit to the Blacke reputation. But I’mfuriousthat”—he ticked the reasons off on his fingers, starting with his forefinger—“you’ve been targeted in such a deliberate manner, in my own godsdamnhome, for reasons we don’t fully understand yet.” Middle finger. “You’re pregnant but didn’t tell me, so I failed to take care of you adequately.” Ring finger. “The father of your unborn child is nowhere to be found and hasn’t helped you during your time of need.” He paused, mid-tick, over his littlest finger. “Or maybe he is in your life still, and I just didn’t know?”
That prospect didn’t appear to make Hugh any happier. It also explained why he’d been so careful not to touch her since the revelation of her pregnancy.
He considered the issue for another moment, then shook his head. “No. If he were in your life, you wouldn’t have allowed me the liberties you did last night. So he’s an irresponsible asshole, and you deserve far better.”
Liberties?What person under the age of eighty, however wealthy and pretentious, actually used the wordliberties?
She had to stifle a snort, even as she fought back tears of relief.
He knew her—trusted her—enough to understand that she’d never cheat on anyone. And he wasn’t judging her for the pregnancy. If she understood him correctly, he was mostly upset that he hadn’t been able to protect and coddle her even more assiduously than he already had, which was…
Wow.
She really wanted to kiss him. And she would, as soon as she explained herself.
The story didn’t actually take long to share. The twenty-year anniversary of the worst moment of her life. The broken condom. The positive pregnancy test. Vic’s decision to sign away all his parental rights.
“Gwen…” With the issue of possible infidelity apparently settled in his mind, Hugh reached for her hand at long last. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The uncomfortable heat of the car had subsided to a gentle warmth, but his fingers were hot as they intertwined with hers.
“Yesterday morning, I rolled up to your apartment before dawn and demanded an audience even though you hadn’t seen me in over two decades.” She held on tight, willing him to understand. “With all our lives on the line, I needed you to believe what I told you and follow my lead without doubting my judgment. Especially since I’d lied to you a whole heck of a lot during our last encounter, so my integrity was already very much in question.”
He shook his head. “A broken condom says nothing aboutyour judgment. It’s a simple accident whose consequences you’re handling as best you know how.”
Every overtired bone in her body seemed to sag in relief at that firm declaration.
“What happened twenty years ago wasn’t an issue of missing integrity or bad judgment either.” A brief pause. “Well. To be fair, if you were going to lie, you should have predicted something that would happen long in the future, in hopes of possibly earning a paycheck in the meantime.”
Her gratitude fading fast, she frowned at him. “Yes. I realize that.”
“Also, you shouldn’t have chosen to recount the plot of a worldwide blockbuster movie involving famously extinct animals and several internationally famous movie stars.”
