“No. No. I mean…no. You don’t have to do the test again.”
“So you don’t think I’m lying?”
“No.” He cleared his throat. “Of course I don’t. I just… I’ve used condoms lots of times, and this never happened.”
“Please,” I said. “I really don’t want to hear about all the other women you’ve fucked right now.”
I shuddered at my use of the word fuck. It wasn’t like me.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“That’s what it sounded like. How do you think I feel? I have sex one time, and this happens. Did you use the condom right?”
“For God’s sake, Daphne, I know how to use a damned condom.”
“You might as well have used nothing.”
Then I burst into tears.
I was completely inexperienced. It was my body. I should have taken care of it.
He touched my face. “Honey, please. This isn’t anyone’s fault. Now we have to decide what to do.”
“I know what you want. You want an abortion.”
“Only if that’s what you want.”
“I don’t know what I want, Brad. I’m eighteen years old. I don’t even know what I want to major in yet. I’m not ready to be a mother.”
“I’m not ready to be a father, either. Are you saying you want an abortion?”
“No. No. That’s not what I’m saying. I’ve known about this for an hour. How can I make any kind of decision that quickly?”
“It’s not your decision,” he said. “It’s our decision.”
“Our decision? You can’t be serious. It’s in my body.”
“It’s part of me, too.”
“Stop, just stop!” I stood. “Why is this making us fight? I don’t want that.”
He rose and put his arms around me. “I don’t want that either. I love you, Daphne.”
God, more tears. “I love you too.”
“We’ll work this out one way or another.”
“I don’t think I can do it, Brad.”
“Do what?”
“Have an abortion. It’s not that I’m some pro-life activist or anything. I just don’t like the idea. This is our baby. Yours and mine. A part of you and a part of me. There’s something special about that. This baby was conceived in love.”
“There’s everything special about that.”
“I suppose we could have the baby and put it up for adoption,” I said.
“Could you do that?”
“I have no idea. Right now, I feel like maybe I could, but as the baby grows, and after I see him and hold him… I just don’t know. What do you want?”
He smiled and kissed my forehead. “This messes up my life. It messes up your life. But as I stand here and look into your beautiful eyes, I’m certain of two things.”
“What are they?”
“I love you. And I want this baby.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
Brad
I want this baby.
My words surprised me, but I couldn’t deny their truth. I wanted this child with Daphne. She was so young. Hell, I was young too. But we could do it. We could do it together.
I was financially stable. I’d be almost done with college by the time the baby came, and then we’d move to the ranch after I graduated. Daphne could complete the first semester. She’d have to put off school for a semester or two, but she could go back later if she wanted to. Grand Junction had colleges. We could get a nanny for the baby. I’d build us our own house on the ranch or renovate one that was already there. Our ranch was huge. There was plenty of room, and it would all be mine someday anyway.
My mother would love a grandchild. We might not need a nanny. My mother could help with the baby.
All these thoughts whirled in my head, until Daphne’s soft voice interrupted them.
“You do?”
“Yes, Daphne. I do. I want you, and I want this baby.”
“Oh, Brad.” She fell into my arms again. “Can we really do this?”
“Honey, people do this all the time with a lot less than we have. We’ll be fine. I promise you.” I kissed the top of her head.
This beautiful woman was carrying my child. It was early yet. Anything could happen. But it wouldn’t. She was right about fate. I believed now. How else could a condom have failed? Fate. Daphne would have this baby, and we’d have a family of our own.
Just the thought made me want her. Already I was hardening inside my jeans.
Great timing, Steel.
But she pushed into me, her body responding to mine.
I lowered my head and took her lips with mine.
We kissed with passion and need. With urgency yet tenderness, exploring each other’s mouths.
I wanted to make love. Weeks had gone by since that perfect first time. I broke the kiss with a loud smack. “Can you?”
She nodded, her lips red and swollen from just one hard kiss. “Yeah. The nurse practitioner said it won’t hurt the baby.”
“Thank God.” I lifted her into my arms and carried her into my bedroom.
Our bedroom.
This was our bedroom, now. She’d have to move in, let me take care of her. Finally I saw the good in Murph moving out. Daphne and I needed this time to get to know each other. Truly know each other—and prepare for our family while I finished college.