Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss (Pregnancy & Passion #3)(52)

She swallowed nervously but she held her ground. It was mean-spirited to make him stand out in the cold, but she didn’t want him to come in.

“I was going to come by tomorrow to pick up my things,” she said in a low voice that barely managed to hide the tremble. “If that’s all right with you.”

“No, it’s not all right with me,” he bit out.

Her eyes widened and she took a step back at the vehemence in his voice.

“Can we go somewhere and talk, Ash?”

She shook her head automatically. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

His lips formed a grim line. “You don’t think it’s a good idea. You’re pregnant with my child. We’re married. We’ve only been married a short time. And you don’t think we have anything to talk about?”

She closed her eyes and put a hand to her forehead in an automatic gesture.

“Ash? Is everything okay?” Pippa called. Then she came up behind Ashley. “Who is it?”

Ashley turned. “It’s okay, Pip. It’s Devon.”

Pippa’s expression darkened, but Ashley held up her hand. Pippa reluctantly turned to go back to the living room but she called back in a low voice, “I’ll be right here if you need me.”

Ashley returned her attention to Devon. “I know we need to talk. I just don’t think I’m up to it right now. This has been hard for me, Dev. I don’t expect you to believe that, but this isn’t easy.”

His expression softened and he took a step forward, snow dusting off his hair as he moved. “I know it’s not, baby. Please. There’s so much I need to say to you. There are things I need to show you. But I can’t do that if you won’t talk to me. Give me this afternoon. Please. If you still don’t want anything to do with me, I’ll take you over to the apartment myself and I’ll help you pack your things.”

She stared back at him, utterly befuddled by the pleading in his voice. He almost looked as though he were holding his breath. And his eyes. They looked…bleak.

“I—I need to get my coat,” she said lamely.

The relief that poured over his face was stunning. His eyes lightened and he immediately straightened, hope flashing in those golden depths.

“And shoes,” he said. “I brought some from the apartment. I wasn’t sure you had any you loved here.”

She gaped at him. “You brought my shoes?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “Six pairs. They’re in the trunk of the car. I chose those I thought would be warm and would protect your feet from getting wet in the snow.”

Something loosened in her heart and began to slowly unwind.

“That would be great,” she said softly. “Let me go get my coat and my cap. If you brought a pair of boots, that would be perfect.”

“I’ll be right back. Wait here. I don’t want you falling on the ice,” he said.

He turned and sprinted back toward the street, where his car was parked. She stood there a moment, staring in bemusement as he popped the trunk and bent over to rummage in the boxes.

He rarely drove his own car. She’d only seen the vehicle once. They always used his car service or hailed cabs.

Realizing she was still standing in the wide open doorway, allowing the bitter chill inside, she hastily withdrew into the apartment and shut the door.

She hurried back into the living room, grabbed a brush from the end table and began pulling it through her hair in short, rapid strokes.

“Ash? What’s going on?” Pippa asked cautiously.

Ashley stopped and frowned. “I’m not altogether certain. Devon wants to talk. Asked if I’d give him the afternoon and then he’d take me to the apartment and help me pack if that’s what I wanted. He’s acting…weird.”

Pippa snorted. “Of course he is. You dumped him after telling him you were pregnant with his baby. That has a way of altering your priorities.”

“I guess I’ll go…talk,” Ashley said as she put the brush aside.

“Call me later,” Pippa said. “I’ll want a full report.”

Ashley blew Pippa a kiss and went to the closet to retrieve her coat and scarf. She pulled on a cap and tucked her hair carefully underneath before heading back to the door.

When she opened it, Devon was standing there holding a pair of fur-lined boots. When she would have reached for them, he bent over and said, “Here, let me.”

She put a hand on his shoulder to balance herself and stood on one foot while he pulled her boot on the other. After he zipped it up, she switched feet and he put the other one on for her.

When he was done, he straightened to his full height and then took her hand to help her down the steps. He walked her to the car and settled her into the passenger seat.

“Where are we going?” she asked as he pulled away into traffic.

“You’ll see.”

She wrinkled her nose and sighed. He slid his hand over the center console and tangled his fingers with hers.

“Trust me, Ash. I know it’s a big thing to ask and I totally don’t have the right to ask it of you, but trust me just this once.”

The utter sincerity in his voice swayed her as nothing else could. There was raw vulnerability echoed in his every word and expression. He looked as terrible as she felt, almost as if he’d suffered as much as she had.