Until You Loved Me (Silver Springs #3)(34)

The fact that anyone would try to hold him responsible for something he’d gone to such pains to avoid made his muscles tense. “There has to be!”

She winced when he exploded, lifting her hands, palms out, as if beseeching him to remain calm. “I know this comes as a shock. I’m sorry about that. But can we... Can we talk through this without the emotion?”

“Without the emotion?” he repeated. “How am I not supposed to be upset? You’re saying I’ve done the very thing I promised myself I’d never do.”

She frowned. “I’m just letting you know what happened. I felt it was only right to make you aware that we...inadvertently created another human being.”

“Of course. No doubt your motives in bringing me this welcome news are completely altruistic.”

He knew she’d heard the sarcasm in his voice when she stiffened. “Please, if you’ll hear me out—”

“What about that fiancé you told me about?” he broke in. “The one you said you caught cheating with another man?”

“What about him?”

“Was that just a clever story? A way to make me feel sorry for you?”

She looked bewildered. “No! Don is real.”

“I hope so. Because if there really was a fiancé, I’m guessing you slept with him, too.” Surely this line of reasoning would provide a rope he could use to climb out of the pit into which he’d fallen.

“Yes.”

“Then this baby could also be his.”

“Except we weren’t intimate after my last period.”

“Maybe the sperm lasted—that can happen. They can live inside a woman for several days.”

“It was longer than several days.”

“Then there has to be some other guy who did this,” he insisted. “Who else have you slept with?”

She wrapped her arms around herself as if fighting a strong headwind. “No one! I haven’t been with anyone else in seven years.”

“Bullshit! That’s not even normal.”

Tears began to roll down her cheeks, but he refused to let that soften his heart. She’d played him so well, so perfectly. No way was he going to make this easy on her, not after what she’d done to him. She had no idea how strongly he felt about making sure two adults were ready for a child before creating one.

He saw her throat work as she struggled to swallow. “As weird as it may seem to you, I’ve only been with three men in my whole life. Two of them were long-term, steady boyfriends.”

“You expect me to believe, after going to my hotel a couple of hours after we met, that I’m the only stranger you’ve ever slept with?”

She rocked back as if he’d slapped her. “Yes.”

“And the one person you chose to do that with just happened to be a famous quarterback.”

“Yes, I mean...no. It’s not like you’re making it sound. I didn’t know you were a famous quarterback. I wasn’t targeting you.”

He moved forward the same distance as she’d moved back a moment earlier. “How do I know that?”

She seemed at a loss for words. “I—I guess you don’t.”

“Exactly. All I have is your word.”

“You’re the only person who could be the father.” She stared up at him, imploring him to believe her, but he refused to be persuaded by that earnest, innocent-looking face. She’d suckered him once; he wouldn’t let her do it a second time.

“You can be that specific?” he said. “Really?”

“You’re not convinced.”

“Is it any wonder? You set me up! Admit it!”

She’d been pale when he first came in; now she was white as a sheet. “No!”

“Stop lying!” He took another menacing step toward her, and she backed up even farther. “You recognized me all along, didn’t you? You knew who I was. You were only pretending you didn’t so you could get me in the sack, and I fell neatly into your trap.”

“I wasn’t trying to t-trap you!” she stammered, coming up against the wall.

“Then how do you explain that you were the one who provided the condoms that didn’t work?”

She tried to slide away from him, but he propped a hand on either side of her face, confining her between his arms. “Tell me the truth,” he said through gritted teeth. “You did this to me on purpose!”

The tears were coming faster now. “Of course I didn’t! If you’ll listen, I—I can explain the condoms. You see, my f-friend shoved those condoms in my purse that night as a—a joke.”

“You told me that before we used them.”

“Exactly. See? I never d-dreamed I’d really need them. But then I met you, and one thing led to another, and you didn’t have any condoms yourself, and I had those and...” Her words dwindled as if she could tell by the murderous look on his face that she was only making him angrier. “Wait.” She sniffed and dashed a hand across her wet cheeks in an attempt to compose herself. “This is getting out of control. I understand why you’d be tempted to—to think the worst. Some of the facts do seem odd. But let’s wait until the baby’s born. You can order a paternity test at that time, which would...which would prove I’m not lying.”