Kiss an Angel(117)

She stiffened and then turned. Her face grew even paler, and her hands twitched in an involuntary spasm. She looked as if she were getting ready to flee, and he took a quick step forward to stop her, but the coldness in her expression halted him in his tracks. The only other time he could remember seeing eyes so empty was when he’d looked into a mirror.

“We have to talk.” His words unconsciously echoed the ones she’d spoken to him so many times, and her stony expression as she gazed back at him must be a reflection of the way he’d frequently regarded her.

Who was this woman? Her face bore none of the animation he was used to. Those violet eyes were so lifeless they didn’t look as if they ever cried. It was as if something inside her had died, and he began to sweat. Had she lost their baby? Was that responsible for the change in her? Not their baby. Please.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” She turned and walked away, heading back through the rope curtain that served as the entrance to the habitat. He followed her outside and without thinking, grabbed her arm.

“Let me go.”

How many times had she said that to him as he’d dragged her across a lot or pulled her out of bed at dawn? But this time she spoke the words without any of her former passion. He gazed down into her pale, closed face. What have I done to you, my love?

“I just want to talk,” he said brusquely, steering her off to the side and away from the crowd.

She glanced at his hand, still encircling her arm. “If you’re planning to carry me off to have an abortion, it’s too late.”

He wanted to throw back his head and howl. She’d lost the baby, and it was his fault.

He dropped his hand, and he could barely force out the word. “You’ll never know how sorry I am about that.”

“Oh, I know,” she said with an eerie calm. “You made that very clear.”

“I didn’t make anything clear. I never told you I loved you. I said hateful things to you, things I didn’t mean.” His arms ached to gather her close, but she had erected an invisible barrier around herself. “All that’s behind us now, sweetheart. We’re going to start over. I promise I’ll make everything up to you.”

“I have to go. I have to be at work soon.”

It was as if he hadn’t spoken. He’d told her he loved her, but it hadn’t made any difference. She intended to walk away and never see him again.

His resolve hardened. He couldn’t let that happen. He would deal with his grief later. For now, he would do whatever he needed to to get his wife back.

“You’re coming with me.”

“No, I’m not. I have a job.”

“You also have a marriage.”

“It’s not a real marriage. It never was.”

“It is now. We took vows, Daisy. Sacred vows. That’s as real as it gets.”

Her bottom lip trembled. “Why are you doing this? I told you it’s too late for me to have an abortion.”

He ached for her. As deep as his sorrow was, he knew it couldn’t match hers. “There’ll be other babies, sweetheart. We’ll try again. As soon as the doctor says it’s all right”

“What are you talking about?”

“I wanted the baby as much as you did, but I didn’t realize it until the night you ran away. I know it’s my fault you lost the baby. If I’d taken better care of you this never would have happened.”

Her brow furrowed. “I haven’t lost the baby.”

He stared at her.

“I’m still pregnant.”

“But you said—when I told you I wanted to talk, you said it was too late for you to have an abortion.”

“I’m four-and-a-half months pregnant. An abortion isn’t legal.”

Even as joy flooded through him, her mouth twisted with a cynicism that he’d never imagined he’d see. “That changes things, doesn’t it, Alex? Now that you know the cake’s still baking in the oven and it’s going to stay right there, I’ll bet you aren’t so anxious to have me back.”

Emotions were traveling through him so quickly he couldn’t deal with them. She still carried their baby. She hated him. She didn’t want to come back. He couldn’t handle that much emotional chaos, so he settled on the practical. “What are you doing about medical care?”

“There’s a clinic not far from here.”

“A clinic?” He had a fortune in the bank, and his wife was going to a clinic. He had to get her away from here where he could kiss that look of implacable resolve from her face, but the only way he could do that was by playing the tough guy.

“If this is your idea of taking care of yourself, I’m not impressed. You’re thin and pale. You’re strung so damned tight, you look like you’re going to fall apart.”

“What do you care? You don’t want this baby.”

“Oh, I want the baby very much. Just because I acted like a bastard when you told me the news doesn’t mean I didn’t come to my senses. I know you don’t want to go with me, but for now, you don’t have any other choice. You’re endangering yourself and the baby, Daisy, and I can’t let you do that.”

He could see that he’d found her weakest spot, but she still fought him. “You don’t have any say in this.”