She couldn’t do it. Though she supported a woman’s right to choose any of the options, Hannah knew that she really had only one option. Should the doctor confirm her pregnancy, Hannah was going to have a baby.
A baby. Visions of soft blankets and tiny booties danced through Hannah’s mind. A fierce rush of protectiveness shot through her, and she slid a hand down over her flat belly.
Her child.
Justin’s child.
The sudden realization was both thrilling and somewhat frightening. How to tell him?
Justin had been up-front with her from the beginning. He had wanted nothing from her except a brief physical affair. Their affair had been the most wonderful experience Hannah had ever known. Of course, she hadn’t considered the possibility of falling in love with him.
Over the days they had been together, Hannah had learned a lot about Justin. Yet at times she felt she hardly knew him at all.
As a lover, she couldn’t imagine anyone his equal. There were moments when his voice was so tender, his touch so gentle it brought tears to her eyes while at the same time setting her body on fire. And there were other times when his voice was raw and ragged, his touch urgent, his lovemaking fierce and demanding.
And Hannah had reveled in every minute of both approaches.
Then there were the periods when all they did was talk, sometimes teasingly, other times seriously.
Hannah had learned that Justin was honest to a fault. When he shared something of himself with her he was blunt and to the point. Not a bad quality to possess. She knew a woman had betrayed his trust and that he had no intention of walking that route again.
She also knew Justin liked kids. He had confessed to Hannah that he adored his niece, Becky. But Justin had never mentioned a desire for children of his own, other than to say his ex had wanted to wait a while before starting a family.
If the doctor confirmed her pregnancy, Hannah didn’t know whether or not to inform Justin. After all, she reasoned, if Justin had any interest in a child of his own, he wouldn’t have been so scrupulous about protection.
For all the good it had done them.
Still, he had a right to know he had fathered a child. It was her duty, as an honest person, to let him know.
She just didn’t know how to tell him.
Nine
Valentine’s Day. The day for lovers. Hannah not only didn’t leave work early, she worked over an hour later than usual. She even skipped lunch. Tired, only vaguely hungry, and not so much as considering a restaurant, especially on this special day for sweethearts, she went straight home.
Her heart skipped many beats as she stepped from the condo’s elevator to find Justin propped languidly against her door. A bag was on the floor next to his crossed ankles.
The bag, along with the very sight of him filled her with a flash of hope that he had come to Philadelphia because he realized that they belonged together.
Gathering her senses, and applying her common sense almost at once, Hannah told herself to play it cool until she heard from his lips the words she desperately longed to hear. How easy it would be for her to then tell him of her pregnancy suspicions.
Heaven help her, he looked…wonderful, like the horseman he was. With his Stetson, heavy wool jacket, jeans and slant-heeled boots, he looked exactly as he had the first time she’d seen him.
“Hi.”
The low, intimate timbre of his voice nearly stopped her breathing completely. Damn his gorgeous hide. She had to repeat to herself her cautioning advice to play it cool.
“Hi.” Hannah was amazed by the steadiness of her own voice, her ability to speak at all, as her throat was suddenly dry. “What are you doing here?” Door key at the ready, she aimed it at the key hole. No minor feat, considering the tremor shaking her fingers.
“I came to see you. Are you going to invite me in?”
“Yes, of course, come on in.” Hannah walked inside with as much decorum as she could muster. “I didn’t mean what were you doing here, at my apartment,” she said, not sure if she was making conversation, or babbling on in response to the sudden attack of nervousness coursing through her. “I meant what are you doing here, in Philadelphia?”
“Well,” he said, grinning as he shrugged out of his jacket, removed his hat, “I wanted to see you. Though that isn’t the only reason I’m here, in the northeast.”
Hannah’s spirits soared at first, then took a nosedive, her hopes going down in flames. Still, she maintained her composure and took his jacket and hat and hung them away in the coat closet. The flight bag she set behind the nearby chair.
“I see.” She tried to match his casual tone and didn’t quite make it. “Well, I’m glad you stopped by,” she said, dredging up a shaky smile to hide the sting of pain burning inside. “So,” she held on to her smile for dear life. “Why else have you come east?”
“I’ll tell you after dinner…” Justin hesitated, frowning. “You haven’t had dinner, have you?”
“No,” Hannah shook her head. “I worked late and didn’t feel up to the crowds in the restaurants tonight.”
“Oh.” He nodded, then raised a dark brow. “You eat out often?”
Hannah wanted to scream at him. Didn’t the man know that it was Valentine’s Day? And what difference did it make to him whether or not she ate out often? This was only an afterthought visit, anyway.
“Occasionally,” she answered, smothering the curse and a sigh. She gestured for him to sit down. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked, too politely, certain that if he said coffee she’d throw up.
“No, thanks.” He sat down on the plush lounge chair. “I’ll wait for dinner.”
Did he actually expect her to cook for him? He’d wait until the cows came home, she fumed, using one of her father’s favorite expressions. Hannah gave him a level stare and mirrored his eyebrow action. “I hope you realize that there will probably be long lines at all the better restaurants tonight,” she said, making it perfectly clear she had no intention of providing a meal for him.
“I don’t need a restaurant.” His smile was knowing, making her aware he understood her unsubtle hint. “I’ve ordered dinner to be delivered here.”
The audacity of the man. Why didn’t it surprise her? Everything inside him radiated audacity and…and…sheer male sensuality.
Stop that train of thought immediately, you dimwit, Hannah ordered herself. Stick to the subject at hand. “How did you know I’d be in town?”
“I didn’t.” Justin shrugged, then laughed that deep, thrilling, damnably exciting laugh that set her pulses racing. “But I figured I’d take a chance. I’ll tell you all about why I’m here while we eat.”
“But…” Hannah began to ask him how he had gotten past the security guard in the lobby, only to be interrupted by the buzz on the intercom from that very same man.
“There’s our dinner,” Justin said, moving to the intercom beside the door. “I’ll take care of this. You go set the table.”
You go set the table, Hannah grumbled to herself, whirling around to do as he ordered. As he ordered. Who the devil did he think he was?
Hannah had finished setting the table except for the water glasses she had retrieved from the cabinet. But she didn’t know whether he wanted water with whatever it was he had ordered for dinner or if he’d prefer wine, which of course, she couldn’t have. She set one glass on the table and was filling the other glass for herself from the refrigerator’s water dispenser when she heard him open the door and speak to a delivery man. The distinct aroma of pizza wafted through the apartment.
To her amazement, instead of bringing on a wave of queasiness, the smell made her mouth water and her stomach rumble with hunger.
Carrying a large pizza box with one hand and a white paper bag in the other, Justin walked jauntily into the kitchen, his smile more appetizing than the smell of the food.