But how? Kevin knew nothing about family, and intimacy had caused him to run far and fast. She couldn’t expect him to welcome this turn of events.
“It’ll be okay,” he said again.
A tear leaked from one corner of her eye. She brushed at the moisture with her sleeve. “Would you stop saying that?” Needing time alone, she scrambled past him, heading through the door and into the living area without looking back.
“Where are you going?” he called after her.
“I have to shower and get some sleep before my shift starts again.” She worked in a frenzy, pausing to pick up stray socks, shoes and her purse.
“We have to talk.”
“Later. First I have a job to do, then I need time to think.”
“About what?”
She whirled around to face him. “That’s a stupid question. You might have figured out I was pregnant yesterday, but I had no idea until two seconds ago. And you ask me what I need to think about?” Her voice rose in pitch and her palms covered her stomach in a new movement, but one she was sure to become intimately fa
miliar with in due time.
“You don’t want to know.” He exhaled hard. “Take the night off.”
“Impossible. I can’t afford it.”
“I can.”
“You’re not responsible for me, Kevin.”
“I promised Tony I’d take care of you and you’re having my child. That makes me responsible.”
She hugged her clothes tight against her chest and met his gaze with a steady one of her own. “That’s what I was afraid of.” Before he could answer, she hit the bathroom running, slamming the door shut behind her.
* * *
Nikki made herself a promise. She’d concentrate on her job tonight, and take tomorrow and Monday, her days off, to deal with the fact that she was pregnant. With Kevin’s baby. A fuzzy warmth curled through her stomach at the thought, one at odds with the truth of her life. She shook her head, refusing to think about him now.
But not thinking of Kevin was like having someone tell you not to think about images of nice things—like weekends, vacations, or summertime. The harder you tried, the more they danced in front of your eyes, teased your senses, and invaded your dreams.
She walked over to her most recent table: men who’d come to the bar for a night on the town. She recognized them as regulars—lawyers who frequented the bar after work and occasionally on the weekends. They knew how to flirt and have a good time, but despite the banter they were harmless. In another life, she might even have been interested.
A life that didn’t include Kevin Manning, maybe.
“Can I get you fellas something?” Nikki asked.
“Nachos and beer.”
“Vodka, straight up.”
“You, honey,” a good-looking blond-haired man said. Leaning back in his chair, he stretched his arm out so his fingers touched her waist. She forced herself to remain in place. The more amiable she was, the better her tip. Right now, she needed all the spare cash she could possibly earn each night.
Besides, this same guy had made overtures before. Her responses had always been the same: a polite but firm no. He expected it and flirted anyway. No harm, no foul, she thought. She could handle him.
She forced a smile. “Sorry. I’m not on the menu,” she said and took a step backward. “But nice try.”
He grinned. “Too bad. We could have a good time.”
No, we couldn’t. Because he wasn’t Kevin. Her heart belonged to Kevin Manning from the minute he’d claimed her as his own. A primitive notion, Nikki knew. But valid anyway.
Too bad he didn’t reciprocate her feelings. Then this pregnancy would be the answer to her prayers. In a funny way, it still was. How could she regret fate, or the life growing inside her?