“I didn’t put a wrench into anything. She changed my life forever—I had no choice in the matter.”
“You took a risk, okay? You trusted a complete stranger. But whether or not it changes your life is up to you.”
Conner pulled her a little farther down the hall, afraid the others could still hear. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“All Delaney wants is the baby. That’s all she ever wanted. It was between you and artificial insemination, okay? And let’s be honest, your services were a lot cheaper.”
Incredulous, Conner shook his head. “I knew she was using me, but this is ridiculous.”
“Oh, come on. You were using each other, and you both knew that from the start.”
“Mutual pleasure is one thing. A baby is another,” he replied.
“Only because you found out about it. You were supposed to live happily ever after in ignorant bliss. But then Delaney’s conscience kicked in and…and you know the rest. So you see? This is all a big misunderstanding. If you ask me, you should forget any of this ever happened.”
“I’m going to have a baby in less than seven months, and you think I should forget about it?”
“Why not? You’re obviously unhappy about the situation. So walk away. Nothing’s stopping you. Certainly not Delaney.”
Conner frowned. “You have a strange way of looking at things, Rebecca. But somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.”
“Just walk away and Delaney will never contact you again, okay?”
“That’s what she wants?”
“That’s what she wants.”
What Rebecca said should’ve made him feel better, but it made him feel worse. It stung that he could be so insignificant now, especially when Delaney had made him feel anything but insignificant the night they’d created the baby. But he couldn’t have it both ways. This was what he really wanted—wasn’t it?
What if he took the escape Rebecca was offering him, walked away and forgot about Delaney and the baby? Everything that weighed so heavily on his mind—his doubts about being a good father, his fear of the repercussions within his family, his uncertainty over the future, or at least some of it—could simply fade away. And turning his back on this situation was nothing more than most people would expect of him.
But somehow he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t walk away. Not from his child.
“Sorry,” he said. “She took a risk, too. And no child of mine is going to grow up without its father.”
“I THINK YOU MIGHT BE in trouble,” Rebecca said as soon as Delaney returned from her doctor’s appointment.
“What trouble?” Delaney asked, depositing a bag of groceries on the kitchen table.
“Not so loud,” Rebecca warned. “Conner didn’t go out with the others after breakfast. He’s just down the hall.”
“What’s he doing?”
“I don’t know.”
“So why am I in trouble?”
Rebecca gave her arm a sympathetic squeeze. “He’s not willing to back off and leave you alone, Laney.”
“What’s he going to do?”
“I don’t know, but he told me this baby isn’t going to grow up without its father.”
“That could be a good thing,” Delaney said, trying to be hopeful.
“If that’s what you want to believe,” Rebecca replied. “You know what I think? I think you were crazy to give him the power to hurt you. I tried to—”
Delaney cut Rebecca off with a warning look. “Don’t say it. Don’t say I told you so. I’m not in the mood.”
Rebecca grabbed her jacket from one of the hooks along the far wall. “Okay, I won’t. I know how it feels to hear it. People have been shaking their heads at me for years.” She grinned. “But I told you so.”
Delaney propped a hand on her hip. “You’re also the one who said ‘What are the odds of running into Joe Schmoe Donor from Boise way out here in Dundee?’”
A guilty expression washed over Rebecca’s face, and she quickly changed the subject. “How are your assertiveness training lessons going?”
“I dropped out.”
“Why?”
“Because life is teaching me everything I need to know.”
Rebecca chuckled. “We make quite a pair, don’t we? I’m too bold and you’re not bold enough.”
“If Conner tries to take this baby away from me, he’ll find out just how bold I can be,” Delaney vowed, but she’d scarcely gotten the words out of her mouth when the louvered door swung open and Conner came in from the hall.
Delaney gave Rebecca an apprehensive look, wondering how much he’d overheard, but if he’d caught any of their conversation, he gave no indication.
“What did the doctor say?” he asked.
Surprised by the question, Delaney exchanged another glance with Rebecca. “Nothing, really. He gave me a prescription for some prenatal vitamins. That’s about it.”
He hooked his thumbs in his pockets and leaned one shoulder against the wall near the entrance. “Did he say anything about the weight you’ve lost?”
Conner had noticed? “He’s hoping the morning sickness will ease. It usually does.”
“Who’s your doctor?”
“His name’s Wiseman. He’s in Boise.”
“Isn’t there a closer obstetrician?”
“There’s a general practitioner who delivers babies,” Delaney said. “But I don’t want to go to him. The whole town will know my situation in a matter of hours if I do. And I’m not in any hurry to spread the word. Why rush to be snubbed?”
“I think it’s a little late to keep this under your hat,” Conner said.
Delaney felt a jolt of anxiety. “Why?”
“Someone’s talking. Roy mentioned the baby to me just the other day.”
“He knows I’m pregnant?”
“He knows more than that. He knows I’m the father.”
“But how—” Delaney started, then stopped. Rebecca had been awfully quiet during this conversation. Surely she hadn’t mentioned anything to anyone at the salon…. “Rebecca?”
Ducking her head, Rebecca grabbed her purse. “Wow, is it that late already? Gotta go. I’ve got appointments lined up all day.”
“How could you, Beck?” Delaney asked. “I told you not to tell anyone.”