Until You Loved Me (Silver Springs #3)(33)

Since becoming famous, he’d heard from a lot of his foster caregivers. They seemed to have very different memories of how they’d treated him than he did. But she’d been sweet—and she was the only one he now occasionally kept in contact with.

He had no trouble finding a parking space. Although Silver Springs received its fair share of visitors, most came in spring, summer and fall. Today, other than a handful of cars, the lot sat empty.

It had been sunny when he left his house this morning, so he hadn’t put on a coat over his long-sleeved golf shirt and the comfortable pair of faded jeans he’d worn, but the weather was turning chilly. They were in for another thunderstorm tonight. The past few days had been wet.

Room 103 was located right off the parking lot, not a far walk. He passed a rental car—economy—in front of her room and guessed it was what Ellie had driven, since there weren’t any vehicles on either side for several slots.

Out of curiosity, he peered into the car but saw nothing other than the remains of a Starbucks tea drink in the cup holder and a leather jacket on the passenger seat.

A rush of expectation shot through him at the prospect of seeing the sexy, sweet, fun woman he’d met in Miami. When he knocked, he was already planning where he’d take her to dinner. He wasn’t positive they’d hit it off the way they had back at Envy. That had been positively electric. But he felt certain they could get through a meal. And if that spark was still there? Who could say what might happen? He didn’t think she should be too mad at him. After all, she was the one who’d left without so much as a goodbye.

The door opened almost immediately, as if she’d been standing behind it, waiting for him to arrive—and there she was, peering out at him through the opening.

“Wow. I thought I’d never see you again.” He’d been worried he might not recognize her. For the most part, he’d seen her only in the dark. But she looked exactly as he remembered, maybe prettier.

“I thought the same.”

He expected her to let go of the door and possibly greet him with a hug. He didn’t feel that would be inappropriate, considering what had taken place between them. But she didn’t even smile. She seemed flustered, worried, as Aiyana had said.

“Please, come in,” she said, moving back to allow him room.

Hudson felt his own smile fade as he stepped across the threshold. Already this meeting wasn’t going the way he’d imagined. “Look, if you’re mad, I can explain.”

“Explain?” she echoed.

“Why I didn’t tell you who I am.”

“Oh.” She spoke in a throwaway manner, giving him the impression that couldn’t have been further from her mind. “I admit I found it slightly...curious. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want that to influence what you were thinking or feeling. I preferred to be a regular guy for a change.” Remembering the soft mound of her breast beneath his hand, he grinned. That first touch had been so intoxicating. It was one of his favorite memories.

But even then she didn’t smile back. She shifted her gaze away as if she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted. “Makes sense, I guess,” she said.

That was easy, so easy it caused Hudson a moment of alarm. “You’re not mad?”

“No.”

If she wasn’t upset that he’d hidden his identity, and she wasn’t happy to see him, what was this about? “Aiyana said you have something to tell me.”

Her hand went to her stomach, which drew his gaze lower. She looked as thin as ever, but the roundness he saw once she pressed the fabric against her body made his heart jump into his throat. “You’re not—you’re not here to tell me you’re pregnant or anything, are you?”

She nodded, seemingly relieved that she hadn’t had to be the one to say those words. “Yes, I’m afraid—” when her voice squeaked, she cleared her throat “—I’m afraid I am.”

A red-hot rage poured through him. No. After what he’d been through when he was young, rejected by his own mother right from the start, he’d promised himself he would not bring an unwanted child into the world. He’d been so careful, denied himself so many times. This could not be happening. “There has to be some mistake,” he said. “We used protection. I always use protection.”

She blew out an audible sigh. “I thought the same thing at first. Believe me, it came as a complete surprise when...when I didn’t get my period the next month. I didn’t even notice I was late—that’s how unexpected it was. I was so caught up in my work and life in general that the dates got away from me. But then...well, I did notice. So I used one of those at-home pregnancy tests.”

Hudson’s chest had constricted to the point that he could scarcely breathe. “Those can be wrong,” he croaked.

Her gaze skittered away. “That’s true. Except this one wasn’t. I’ve been to an ob-gyn since then. A blood test confirmed it, and I’m starting to show. There’s no question.”

Feeling as if someone had just kicked him in the stomach, he steadied himself by putting a hand to the wall. “Look, I’m really sorry that you...that you’re in a difficult spot. I can give you some money, if that’ll help. But...you’re not carrying my baby.”

She seemed taken aback. “Yes, I am,” she insisted. “There’s no confusion about that.”