Just One Night (The Kingston Family 1)
Her mother’s grin lightened the mood, and Jordan couldn’t help but smile back. “Only if he grovels nicely.”
Her mom laughed, then stood up and walked out the door.
Jordan glanced in the mirror above the dresser and groaned. She could wash the black eye makeup away, but there wasn’t much more she could do to fix her pale face. Linc would have to take her or leave her.
* * *
From the entry to the family room, Jordan watched Linc pace the carpeted floor. He wore a pair of dark jeans and a cream-colored Henley top, looking as sexy as ever. It wasn’t fair. She’d done her best to pull herself together, but she was still pale, her eyes red and puffy from crying, and her hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head.
Here goes nothing, she thought. “Linc?”
He turned toward her, his face filled with relief at the sight of her. He took her in, consuming her, those eyes traveling from head to toe, and she couldn’t help but be self-conscious. With no desire to put last night’s tight outfit back on, she still wore her borrowed sweats and tee.
“I know, not my best look.” She gestured to her mismatched outfit. “But I came straight here last night, and I had to borrow something to wear.”
He shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “Actually I think you look cute.”
She did her best not to cringe at the description and folded her arms across her chest.
“Can we sit?” he asked.
She walked to the sofa and settled into the corner, well aware her body language and attitude gave off a keep-your-distance vibe.
Proving he knew her well, he sat one cushion away from her, providing her with the distance she needed as she waited in silence for him to speak.
He cleared his throat and looked into her eyes. “I didn’t handle things well last night and I’m sorry.”
He owned his actions, and she not only appreciated it, she knew what it said about his character. None of which meant she would let him off easily. A big part of her needed to express her feelings so he really understood what he’d done.
“Complete understatement,” she said with a hint of defiance in her tone. “Should we start with you asking me how it happened? Your angry tone of voice?” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, I know. How about when you said, shit? As if the worst thing in the world had happened to you?”
Ducking his head, he admitted, “None of them were my finest moment.”
Although she gave him credit. He didn’t use him being caught off guard as an excuse. But she was well aware that how he’d found out she was pregnant factored into his negative reaction, something her mother had forced her to face.
Jordan blew out a long breath and sighed. “Look, I know you were in shock. You overheard Aurora and it was the last thing you expected to hear.”
“That doesn’t make it right,” he muttered.
She nodded in agreement. “No, it doesn’t. But I shouldn’t have lumped you in with your father and Collin, either.”
His wince told her how hard the comparison had hit him, and she couldn’t help but feel bad.
“I know I wasn’t fair. You’d never throw a check at a problem like this.” She’d hurled the accusation as a means of self-protection, before he could treat her the way Collin had.
The amazing thing was, Linc’s silence and lack of emotion had sliced through her worse than her ex’s financial solution.
Linc’s body stiffened. “Jordan, you are not a problem and neither is our baby.” As he said the word, his entire expression softened. “We’re having a baby,” he repeated in awe, almost as if he’d just now realized what her being pregnant meant, and he was now happy about it.
“I don’t understand.” She shook her head, confused. “We both know you were against having kids.” Her stomach churned at the reminder. “You said you didn’t want them to relive your childhood in any way.”
“And they won’t,” he said, his tone full of certainty. “No baby of ours will relive the kind of upbringing I had. Not with us as parents.”
She blinked back tears and trembled at the swell of emotion rushing through her. Reaching out, he rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip, and it was all she could do not to wrap her body around him and put last night behind her.
Could she?
Should she trust his change of heart?
“I want you to listen carefully and hear everything I’m about to say. Now, are you paying attention?” His firm tone had her sitting up straighter and focusing.
He slid closer, picking up her hand and holding it in his. “When I said I didn’t want children, I imagined marrying and having them with someone like Angelica, who I couldn’t see ever getting along with long-term. Those were the kind of women who came and went, but I didn’t let any of them in, and none stayed for long.”