Until You Loved Me (Silver Springs #3)(44)

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” Ellie said. “I just... I don’t know. You’re a public figure. Someone could take a picture.”

“So?”

“So with you looking so unkempt, they could assume you’re on a drug binge. Or worse. Word could get out that you’re taking care of a woman who’s in the hospital, which would naturally create the assumption that there’s some kind of...romantic attachment between the two of us.”

He grimaced. “That’s worse than thinking I’m on a drug binge?”

“Well, it’s not true.”

“I’m not taking drugs, either.”

“I’m saying the situation could be misinterpreted.”

“Let ’em say or print what they want.” He shrugged. “I can’t live in fear of what people will make of every little thing I do.”

Apparently, appealing to his public image wasn’t enough to get rid of him... “Still, there’s no reason for you not to go on about your business. I’m fine now. Sorry for all the trouble I’ve put you through.”

He scowled at her. “Oh, no, you don’t.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re not sending me away.”

“Of course I’m not sending you away. I’m merely...letting you off the hook. There’s nothing worse than having to be around someone who’s vomiting or...sick in other ways. Surely you’ve got to be eager for the chance to escape.” She was certainly eager to finish recuperating without once again suffering from diarrhea while Hudson King was on the other side of the bathroom door.

“Everyone gets sick now and then. It’s not a big deal. You should see how many guys throw up before—or after—a big game.”

“I appreciate your understanding. That’s very...down-to-earth. But I’m in good hands here. There’s no need to waste any more of your time.”

“I’m not wasting my time.” He reached into the sack and stuck a french fry in his mouth. “You’re about to have an ultrasound. I’d like to be here for that.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because I’ve never seen one. And it’s my baby, too, isn’t it?”

“Are you double-checking?”

“Just confirming.”

“Yes. It’s your baby. It can’t be anyone else’s. Sorry that I haven’t been more promiscuous,” she said sarcastically. “You’ve got to be hoping for a little doubt. The way I went to your hotel so easily was quite misleading. But what can I say? I’d had too much to drink.”

He froze, an expression of concern on his face. “You were sober enough to make the decision. I was very careful about that.”

“Sorry. You’re right. That wasn’t an accusation. I knew what I was doing. So let me pick a different excuse—I was on the rebound. I shouldn’t have gone out that night, especially with a handful of condoms in my purse. Anyway, the doctor checked for a heartbeat. The nurse told me the baby’s fine.”

He ate another french fry. “I know about the heartbeat. I was here when they put on the monitor.”

She widened her eyes. “Was I dressed when they did that?” She glanced down at her hospital gown and realized that, of course, she wouldn’t have been. “I mean...covered?”

He swallowed what he had in his mouth before speaking. “For the most part.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I can’t believe a nurse—someone—didn’t kick you out of the room.”

He kept eating his fries. “Why would they? I told them you were pregnant with my baby. Obviously they’d assume I’ve seen it all, because I have.”

“As I remember, we never even turned on a light.”

“Semantics. I felt every inch of you.”

“That was before!”

“Before what?” he said.

“Before I was pregnant.”

He looked genuinely confused. “How does that change anything?”

“Just because we had a one-night stand doesn’t mean... Never mind.”

“You’re taking it all wrong,” he said. “We were afraid you were losing the baby. Like I said, I wasn’t looking at you that way.”

“I trust that’s the truth. It just feels weird that I was exposed without my knowledge or control when there was a...a guy in the room.” And deep down, she hated the thought that maybe he was comparing her to some of the perfect female bodies he’d seen in the past when she hadn’t even had the chance to make sure she was presentable.

“A guy?” Losing interest in the fries, he put the sack on her rolling tray. “You mean the father of your baby?”

“Would you like me looking at you when you’re naked and helpless?” she countered.

“I wouldn’t care. I mean...maybe I’d have a problem with it if you were taking pictures you planned to sell. I have to worry about weird shit like that. But people see my body all the time. There’s no privacy when you play professional sports.”

“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure you keep your pants on while female reporters are in the locker room. You at least have the choice. Besides, you spend your life honing your body. You probably live in a freaking gym.”