Heiress's Baby Scandal

She had missed her menstrual cycle.

She’d been so lost in thoughts about the night she’d spent with Ty, about this upcoming trip, that she’d never even noticed that she’d skipped a period. Could she be any more naive?

“I’m probably only late due to stress.” Surely that was the only reason she hadn’t gotten her period.

“Are you usually regular?” He sounded so calm, so logical. If not for the tremble of his hand where he touched her thigh, she might think him completely unaffected.

She closed her eyes and nodded. “Yes. Usually I’m like clockwork.”

“Have your breasts been more sensitive?”

She so did not want to be having this conversation.

Not while crouched on the bathroom floor. Naked. With Ty. Naked. With her having just thrown up.

Under the best of circumstances she didn’t want to be having this conversation, but definitely she didn’t under the current ones.

A new wave of mortification hit her and she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to cover herself, wishing she could just crawl back into the fantastic dream she’d been having prior to waking and making her mad dash to the bathroom.

“Ellie,” Ty whispered, wrapping his arms fully around her and holding her tightly to him. “Oh, Ellie, you’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

“I … I don’t know. It—it never occurred to me that I might be.” She kept her eyes tightly squeezed shut, hating that hot tears stung her eyelids, hating that she’d stuttered. “It’s possible.” She sucked in a breath, praying she didn’t hiccup or sob. “I’m sorry, Ty.”

She felt his fingers clasp her chin, felt him lifting her face, but she didn’t open her eyes, couldn’t bear to see what was in his eyes.

“Look at me.”

lShe prised her eyelids apart, not surprised that the moment she did so the waterworks started down her cheeks.

“Don’t cry, darlin’.” He wiped at her tears. His hands were soft, gentle, attempting to comfort, but just the thought of what might be had her insides crumbling.

“If you are pregnant, you didn’t get that way alone,” he continued. “I’m as much to blame as anyone. More so.”

To blame. Because this wasn’t something good. Wasn’t something planned for. She might be having a baby and rather than it being a joyous discovery, she sat naked on a bathroom floor, being coddled by a man who couldn’t possibly want to be here but was. He was being sweet and wonderful rather than angry.

Which made her feel all the more guilty that she hadn’t been suave and sophisticated like the women he was used to, like no doubt her own sister was.

“We weren’t exactly thinking straight that night,” she whispered, offering him an out.

“All I was thinking that night was that I wanted you, Ellie, but that doesn’t excuse me making love to you without a condom. All I can say is that I’ve never done that before. I’ve never wanted someone so much that I lost control that way.”

She bet he didn’t want her now. Not after seeing her like this. She probably repulsed him.

But rather than pull away, he just held her to him for long moments, kissing the top of her head and gently rocking her in his arms while she cried.

Which probably only added to how bad she looked.

When he stood, he got another damp washcloth, knelt and gently cleaned away her tears. “You feel like standing up?”

She took a deep breath and nodded, although really she wasn’t sure of anything. Her legs felt weak and her head spun, but they couldn’t stay like this forever.

He took her hand and helped her to her feet. “Let’s get a shower, get dressed, then we’ll go into town and buy a pregnancy test. No use worrying about this until we know exactly what we’re worrying about. Maybe it really is just your nerves.”

He didn’t sound hopeful, but perhaps …

Really, if it was just her nerves, that would be best all the way around. Yet the idea that Ty’s baby might be growing inside her … She placed her hand on her belly. Was there a baby there? Her and Ty’s baby?

Why did she hope not?