Fuck. This was real.
His stomach tensed against the anticipated blow. “Who’s the father?”
The second her brow fell into a scowl, he knew the answer. “You, you idiot. Who do you think?”
A trap door opened beneath Chase’s feet, and he dropped into no-man’s-land.
“Are you sure?” He regretted the words instantly. “I just mean, we were only together that one weekend, and we used—”
“Condoms. And something obviously went wrong. A heads-up would have been nice.”
“A heads-up? I couldn’t give you a heads-up about something I didn’t even notice. Zahara,” he said, breathless with panic. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure you’re the only man I’ve had sex with in, like, eight months, and I’m sure I’m pregnant. Those are the only two things I am sure about right now.”
Movement drew her gaze out the door. She made a whimpering sound and moved to the glass, where an older man in scrubs approached with a warm smile.
He slid the door open. “I certainly didn’t expect to see you so soon.”
“How’d you know—”
“Despina called me. I was rounding on patients, so I thought I’d stop by.” He gave Chase a nod, then looked at Zahara again.
“They want me to have X-rays,” she told him. “Didn’t you say no X-rays? Only, I have to get back to work, and they won’t release me if—”
He put a comforting hand on Zahara’s arm. “Shall we talk in private?”
Zahara exhaled and cast a miserable look at Chase before turning her gaze to the ground. “He knows.”
“And I assume he’s one of the dozen people you said I’d need to talk to?”
“I hadn’t planned on that happening so soon, but…”
“Okay, then.” The doctor stepped into the room and slid the door closed. “Let me check you over, then we can talk as long as necessary.” He offered his hand to Chase. “I’m Doctor Cardinally.”
Feeling numb and confused, Chase shook his hand. “Chase.”
Doctor Cardinally gave his shoulder a pat. “Strap yourself in, son. This is going to be a wild ride.”
11
Zahara slid into the passenger’s seat of the SUV the studio had rented for Chase, and he slammed the door behind her. She flinched, then exhaled, preparing for the onslaught.
Dr. Cardinally had been a little off the mark. This ride was going to be more rough than wild.
As expected, the second his door closed, he lit into her. “Why didn’t you fuckin’ tell me?”
His voice reverberated off the metal, and she flinched again, which made her angry. “I was going to. I only figured it out a couple of days ago. I’ve been trying to process the whole thing. It’s a lot to think about, being a single mom, raising a kid alone—”
“Hello,” he cut in, also yelling, “I’m right here. I’ve wanted to be a dad my whole life. Maybe not quite this soon, not this unplanned, but I’m going to be an awesome father, just like mine.”
“We’re not committed to each other. Hell, we’re barely civil. And this mess you’re in with Lila makes everything harder on me.”
“You should have told me when you found out. Then we wouldn’t be here, and you wouldn’t be hurt, because you wouldn’t have been doing that stunt. Jesus Christ, your shoulder looks like hamburger. The thought of you getting hurt worse than you were makes me sick. You could have hurt the baby.” He barely took a breath before he continued. “You’ve been doing stunts for days— Oh my God. Did you fucking jump out of that car knowing you were pregnant?”
“No,” she yelled over him. Then she pointed at him and threw his own words back. “That. That right there is why I didn’t tell you right away.”
He ignored her taunt. “My mom would tell me ‘A woman’s body, a woman’s choice,’ but you’re going to keep it right? I want to be clear here: I want you to keep it. I want this baby.”