Every Wrong Reason(53)



Ryan didn’t seem as confused. “Of the child.”

“What child?” My anger and hurt quickly swirled into out of control confusion. Honestly, what the hell was he talking about? Was it possible that Nick was also married to someone else? And they were also going through a divorce? And they’d had a child?

And that divorce had somehow gotten mixed up with my divorce???

Because that was the only explanation that would make sense here.

“The child you might potentially be pregnant with,” Ryan explained concisely.

“The child… What?!” I slid forward in my chair, nearly falling out of it.

I felt Ryan’s hard stare on me, but I couldn’t see anything. His voice was harder when he asked, “Did you or did you not recently have sexual relations with my client? As recently as twenty days ago?”

“I… I… I…”

Ryan wasn’t finished. “And did you or did you not forego the use of a contraceptive or take preventative measures?”

I slammed my eyes shut and rubbed my forehead with the heel of my palm. Oh, my god. This could not be happening. This could not be happening.

Keeping my eyes tightly closed because I could not look at any of these men right now, I started stuttering, “I mean, I guess…” That night flashed in my mind. Nick’s body against mine. His naked body against my equally naked one. A flush suffused my body, boiling with its intensity. I felt every inch of my skin turn bright red. Nick’s mouth on mine. His hands all over me, giving me what I wanted… what I needed. Nick inside me, making me his again… proving that I had never been anything but his. “Oh, god,” I gasped and opened my eyes to escape the vivid images that were doing nothing to soften my blush. I found Nick immediately, a smug expression on his face and a wicked little smirk playing on his lips. That cocky bastard! “No, I’m not pregnant!” I practically shouted my verdict. Mr. Cavanaugh jerked next to me. I’d surprised him.

“Did you take any measures to prevent pregnancy?” Ryan asked steadily.

“No,” I hissed. We hadn’t taken measures to prevent pregnancy in over two years.

“So you can’t be certain,” Ryan concluded.

My eyes snapped up and I leveled him with my glare. “I can be certain. We didn’t need to prevent pregnancy because I can’t get pregnant.”

Ryan raised one of his eyebrows and I knew this question was prompted by Nick. I mean, I couldn’t prove that it was, but if I had to bet my life, I would say it came straight from him. “Is that a medical absolute?”

Losing my temper completely, I shoved back in my chair and jumped to standing, “It’s a we-tried-for-more-than-two-years-to-conceive-and-never-did absolute! Yeah, it’s a goddamn absolute. I’m not pregnant!” I was so angry my body started shaking. I ground my teeth together so forcefully I was convinced I was going to crack every last one of them. I turned my attention to Nick. “How dare you.” He opened his mouth as if he wanted to respond, but I hit him with another, “How dare you.”

He pushed to standing too, meeting me eye-to-eye. He leaned forward menacingly and rested both hands on the table. Marty Furbish, who had done absolute jackshit stood too, trying to pacify both of us by pumping his hands. I ignored him. I ignored everyone in the room but my very-soon-to-be ex-husband.

In a growling voice that packed quite the punch, Nick argued, “The truth is, Katie, we didn’t use protection. And I’m not going to piss away rights to my child by ignoring the very real possibility that you are pregnant.”

I leaned forward too, feeling as though I were about to spit venom. “Fine, Nick. If you want to believe I might be pregnant, then good for you. But other than humiliating me, I’m not sure why you felt the need to bring it up now before we could possibly know one way or the other! I would never keep a child from you! I would never take away your rights as a parent!”

Nick stared at me, his eyes piercing deeper than I thought possible. He raised one mocking eyebrow at me and issued a challenge. He didn’t trust me. He didn’t trust me to give him permission to see our child. If we had one.

Which we wouldn’t.

It was impossible.

My hands landed on my stomach and I had to fight with everything I had left not to crumble in front of these people. They had no idea what this fight meant to me, how deep it cut.

They saw two people acting crazy, but they couldn’t possibly understand how hurtful Nick’s accusations were.

I wanted nothing more than a baby. I wanted nothing but for my nights to be interrupted by feedings and my arms to be filled with the likeness of Nick or me. I ached with the need. My bones hurt and my spirit shattered with the frustration and disappointment of not being able to conceive.

This was the lowest he could go.

This was the very bottom.

I stood up straighter and sniffled. “We’re finished.” I started gathering up my papers. “I’m done for tonight. We’ll have to reschedule.”

Ryan tried to argue, “But we’re not-”

Mr. Cavanaugh leaped to my defense. “That’s an excellent idea, Ms. Carter.” He turned his attention to Ryan. “We’ll be in touch when we want to reschedule.”

Ryan glanced wildly at Nick. “It’s fine,” Nick nodded. “This was a lot for one day.”

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