2

Kelly willed herself not to rage at him. Instead, she

looked calmly at him, coolly, while emotions boiled

beneath the surface like molten lava ready to erupt.

“It’s none of your business.”

His nostrils flared. “It is if you’re carrying my baby.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared

him down. “Now why would you think that?”

For a man only too willing to believe she’d slept

around, it seemed pretty damn ridiculous that he’d

barge into her apartment demanding to know

whether or not her baby was his.

“Damn it, Kelly, we were engaged. We lived

together and were intimate often. I have a right to

know if this is my child.”

She raised an eyebrow and studied him for a

moment. “There is no way to know. After all Iwas

with so many other men, your brother included.” She

shrugged nonchalantly and turned away from him,

going into the kitchen.

He was close on her heels and she could feel the

anger emanating from him. “You’re a bitch, Kelly. A

cold, calculating bitch. I gave you everything and you

threw it away for a little gratuitous sex on the side.”

She whipped around, the urge to hit him so strong

that she had to curl her fingers into a fist to keep

from doing just that. “Get out. Get out and don’t ever

come back.”

His eyes glittered with anger and frustration. “I’m

not going anywhere, Kelly, not until you tell me what I

want to know.”

She bared her teeth. “It’s not your baby. Happy?

Now go.”

“Is it Jarrod’s then?”

“Why don’t you ask him?”

“We don’t talk about you,” he bit out.

“Well, I don’t want to talk about either of you. Iwant

you out of my apartment. It isn’t your baby. Get out of

my life. I did as you asked. I got out of yours.”

“You didn’t give me a choice.”

She looked scornfully at him. “Choice? I don’t

remember having a choice either. You made that

choice for both of us.”

He stared at her in disbelief. “You’re a piece of

work, Kelly. Still the innocent martyr, I see.”

She walked over to the door and opened it,

looking expectantly at him.

He didn’t move. “Why are you living this way,

Kelly? I can’t wrap my head around why you did what

you did. Iwould have given you everything. Hell, I still

gave you a hefty amount of money when we broke upbecause I didn’t like to think of you being without. But

now I find you living in squalor working a job that is

far beneath your abilities.”

A wave of hatred hit her hard. In this moment she

realized that she truly loved and hated him in equal

measure. Her chest hurt so bad that she couldn’t

breathe. Her mind went back to the day when she’d

stood in front of him, devastated, completely and

utterly broken, while he scribbled his signature on a

bank draft and disdainfully shoved it toward her.

The look in his eyes had told her that he didn’t

love her, had never loved her. He didn’t trust her. He

didn’t have faith in her.

When she’d needed him the absolute most, he’d

let her down and treated her like a paid whore. She

would never forgive him for that.

She slowly turned and dragged herself over to the

kitchen drawer where she kept the crumpled

envelope containing the check. A reminder of brokendreams and ultimate betrayal. She’d looked at it

often but had sworn she would never walk into a

bank and cash it.

She picked it up and walked back over to where

he stood, his expression inscrutable. She crumpled

the envelope into a ball and hurled it at him, hitting

him in the cheek.

“There’s your check,” she hissed. “Take it and get

the hell out of my life.”

He bent slowly and retrieved the balled-up

envelope. He unfolded it and then opened it, taking

out the worn check. He frowned and then stared

back at her. “I don’t understand.”

“You’ve never understood,” she whispered. “Since

you won’t leave, I’m out of here.”

Before he could stop her, she walked past him

and slammed the door behind her.

Ryan stared at the check in his hand in stunned

disbelief, unable to formulate his thoughts. Why?

She acted as though he was a piece of scum. What

the hell had he ever done to her but make sure she

was taken care of?

He glanced around at the efficiency apartment,

gyp,noting the disrepair and the cheapness of the

furnishings. Two cabinet doors were barely hanging

on their hinges and there was nothing inside. No

food.

With a frown he stalked to the refrigerator and

threw open the door. He cursed when he saw only a

carton of milk, half a package of cheese and a jar of

peanut butter.

He hastily rummaged through the rest of the

kitchen, growing more furious when he found nothing

more. How was she surviving? Furthermore, why

was she living like this?

He glanced back down at the check and shook

his head. There were enough zeros in the amount for

her to live a good, modest life for years to come.

The ink had run in several places and it was

smudged with fingerprints. But she’d never tried to

cash it. Why? There were so many questions runningaround in his head that he couldn’t process them all.

Did she feel guilty over what she’d done? Had shebeen ashamed to take money from him after

betraying him?

Not the best time to develop a conscience.

One thing was for certain. He wasn’t leaving.

There were too many unanswered questions and he

wanted answers. Why was she here in this run-down

place with a job that obviously didn’t net her enough

money to feed herself, much less live a comfortable

life? What in the world was she going to do when the

baby came? Whether it was his baby or not, he

couldn’t allow himself to walk away. Not when she

had meant so much to him.

She wasn’t taking care of herself. He had always

taken care of her in the past and he would do it

again. Whether she liked it or not.

Kelly cut behind her apartment complex using the

side street. She didn’t go back to work, although it

was what she should do. A day’s lost wages wasn’t

the end of the world, but the tips she missed would

be a blow to her meager savings.

She needed time to think. To compose herself.

And Ryan would only go back to the diner to force

another confrontation.

The rain had stopped but the skies were still cast

in gloomy shades of gray with more black clouds in

the distance, a sure signal that the rain wasn’t over

for the day.

Tears threatened, much like those ominous storm

clouds, but she sucked in her breath—determined

not to allow her unexpected face-to-face with Ryan tobreak her.

The small playground just three blocks from her

apartment was abandoned. No children playing. The

swings were empty, swaying in the breeze and the

merry-go-round creaked as it rotated slowly.

She slid onto one of the benches, her mind in

chaos from the bombardment of anger, grief and

shock.

Why had he come?

Her pregnancy was obviously a huge surprise to

him. There was no faking the what-the-hell

expression on his face in the diner. Nor was their

meeting some bizarre coincidence.

She’d given their relationship a lot of thought over

the past months, when she wasn’t doing everything

possible to make herself forget him. Like that was

going to happen.

She knew several things. One, they’d moved way

too fast. From their meeting in the café where she’d

served him coffee to their rush engagement, she

hadn’t taken the time to be sure of him. Oh, she’d

been plenty sure of herself. She’d fallen head over

heels from the first look. She’d allowed herself to be

swept into a relationship with him, never questioning

his commitment to her. Or his love.

The obstacles then had seemed insignificant. He

was out of her league, but she’d naively assumed

that love would conquer all and that it didn’t matter if

his family or friends disapproved. She would prove

herself worthy. She’d fit in with his lifestyle.

No, she didn’t have his money, his connections,

his breeding or heritage. But who even cared about

that stuff in this day and age?

She’d been stupid. She’d put off school, at least

temporarily, because she’d been consumed with

being the perfect girlfriend, fiancée and eventually

wife to Ryan Beardsley. She’d allowed him to outfit

her in the finest clothing. She’d moved into his

apartment with him. She’d agonized over saying the

right thing and being the ideal complement to his life.

And she’d never had a chance.

Anyone who thought love was a cure for all things

was a misguided fool. Maybe if he’d loved her

enough—or at all. How could he ever have loved her

when he turned on her at the first opportunity?

She closed her eyes against the unwanted sting

of tears. She’d fled New York and ended up here in

Houston. She’d forged a new life for herself. It wasn’t

the best life, but it was hers.

She’d known that she couldn’t go back to school

until after her baby was born and so she’d worked

and saved every penny for that eventuality. She lived

in the cheapest apartment she could find and

earmarked all her earnings for when her child

arrived. Then she would move into a better place,

somewhere safe to raise a child and complete the

two semesters she had left of school so she could

make a better life for both herself and her precious

baby. Without Ryan Beardsley and his filthy money

and his horrid family and all the mistrust and betrayal

she’d been subjected to.

Now… Now what? Why was Ryan here? And what

would his discovery of her pregnancy mean for her

future? Her plans? Her determination never to allow

herself back into a situation where she risked so

much hurt and devastation?

She rubbed her forehead tiredly, willing the ache

y,gto go away. She was tired, worn thin and in no

position to defend herself from whatever onslaught

Ryan was preparing.

Her fingers tightened and anger penetrated the

haze. Why the hell was she sitting on a park bench

hiding? She wasn’t in the wrong. Ryan couldn’t makeher do anything he wanted; and, furthermore, he

would leave her apartment or she’d get a restraining

order against him.

He had no power over her anymore.

She breathed in deeply, steadying her shot

nerves. Yeah, he’d caught her off guard. She hadn’t

been prepared to see him again. But that didn’t

mean she was going to let him mow over her.

Even as she made that resolution, nervous fear

fluttered in her chest and tightened her throat. The

future that she’d planned suddenly seemed in peril

with Ryan’s reappearance in her life.

If he got it in his head that it was his child she

carried, he wouldn’t go away. The problem was,

even if she managed to convince him that it wasn’t

his child, he’d only assume it was Jarrod’s. That still

made the Beardsley family a serious impediment to

her future.

“One thing at a time, Kelly,” she murmured.

The very first thing she had to do was get Ryan out

of her apartment so she could weigh her options.

She may not have his money or connections but that

didn’t mean she was going to fold at the first sign of

adversity.

A raindrop hit her forehead and she sighed. It had

begun sprinkling again, and if she didn’t get back,

she’d be caught out in the downpour that was surely

coming.

As she trudged in the direction of her building she

cheered herself up by imagining that he wouldn’t be

there. That he’d given up and left, deciding she

wasn’t worth the effort. She snorted as that thought

crossed her mind. He’d already done that once. It

wasn’t a stretch that he’d simply dismiss her from his

life again.

By the time she climbed the stairs to her

apartment, she was soaked through and her hair

clung limply to her head. She shivered as she

fumbled with the lock to let herself in.

It didn’t surprise her to see Ryan pacing the floor

of her living room. She stiffened her shoulders just as

he whirled around.

“Where the hell have you been?” he demanded.

“None of your business.”

“The hell it’s not. You didn’t go back to work. It’s

raining and you’re soaked to the skin. Are you

crazy?”

She laughed and shook her head. “Clearly I am.

Or Iwas. But not anymore. Get out, Ryan. This is my

apartment. You have no rights here. You can’t bully

your way in here. I’ll swear out a restraining order if I

have to.”

His forehead wrinkled and he stared at her in

surprise. “You think I’d hurt you?”

She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Physically? No.”

He swore under his breath. Then he ran his hand

through his hair in agitation. “You need to eat.

There’s no food in this apartment. How the hell are

you taking care of yourself and a baby when you’re

on your feet all day? You’re clearly not eating here.

There’s nothing to eat!”

“My, my, one would think you cared,” she mocked.

“But we both know that isn’t true. Don’t worry about

me, Ryan. I’m taking care of myself and my baby just

fine.”

He stalked toward her, his eyes blazing. “Oh, I

care, Kelly. You can’t accuse me of not caring. I

wasn’t the one who threw away what we had. That’s

on you. Not me.”

She held up a hand and hastily backed away. Her

fingers trembled and she felt precariously lightheaded. “Get. Out.”

His nostrils flared and his lip curled up as if he

was about to launch another offensive. Then he took

a step back and blew out his breath.

“I’ll leave, but I’ll be back at nine tomorrow

morning.”

She lifted one eyebrow.

“You have an appointment to see a doctor. I’m

taking you.”

He’d been busy while she was gone, and he

worked fast. But then for a man like Ryan, all he had

to do was pick up a phone. He had countless people

to do his bidding. She shook her head in disgust.

“Maybe you don’t get it, Ryan. I’m not going

anywhere with you. We are nothing to each other.

You aren’t responsible for me. I have my own doctor.

You aren’t hauling me to another one.”

“And when was the last time you saw this doctor?”

yhe demanded. “You look like hell, Kelly. You aren’t

taking care of yourself. That can’t be good for either

you or your child.”

“Don’t pretend that you care,” she said softly. “Just

do us both a favor and leave.”

He looked like he was going to argue, but again,

he bit back the words. He walked toward the door

and then turned around to her again. “Nine o’clock

tomorrow. You’re going if I have to carry you there

myself.”

“Yeah, and maybe hell will freeze over,” she

muttered as he slammed out of her apartment.

She woke up early as a matter of habit. A quick

check of her watch, however, told her she had

overslept by fifteen minutes. She would have to hurry

to get to the diner by six. After a brief shower, she

pulled on her loose-fitting jumper over a shirt and

headed for the door.

She held her breath, almost expecting Ryan to be

outside. She shook her head and walked down the

stairs. He was messing with her head and making

her paranoid. Any thought that she was over him and

moving on had been shot to hell the moment he

showed up in her diner.

A few minutes later, she hustled into the diner to

see that Nina was already at work serving their earlymorning breakfast customers. Kelly donned her

apron, picked up her order tablet and headed

toward her section of tables.

For the first hour, she forced thoughts of Ryan and

the dread that he’d make another appearance to the

back of her mind. Unfortunately, it was obvious that

she failed miserably after she messed up three

orders, spilled coffee on a customer and retreated tothe kitchen to get herself together.

She’d just given herself a stern lecture, calmed

her shaking hands and was preparing to return out

front when Ralph burst through the doors, a scowl on

his face.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Kelly frowned. “Iwork here, remember?”

“Not anymore you don’t. You’re out of here.”

Kelly paled and stared at him as panic rolled

through her chest. “You’re firing me?”

“You walked out yesterday during our busiest

time. No word, no nothing. You didn’t come back.

What the hell did you expect? And now you’re back

here this morning and I have a diner full of pissed-off

customers because you don’t have your head on

right.”

She took a deep breath and tried to steady her

nerves. “Ralph, I need this job. Yesterday…

Yesterday I got sick, okay? It won’t happen again.”

“Damn right it won’t. I never should have hired you

in the first place.” He curled his lip in disgust. “If I

hadn’t needed a waitress so desperately, Iwould

have never hired a pregnant woman to begin with.”

OhGod, she didn’t want to beg, but what choice

did she have? The chances of her finding another

job at this advanced stage of pregnancy were nil. All

she needed was a few more months, just until the

baby was born. By then she’d have enough money tostop working and take care of her baby. She’d have

enough money to finish the rest of her classes.

“Please,” she choked out. “Give me another

chance. You’ve never heard a single complaint from

me. I’ve never missed work for any reason. I have to

have this job.”

He pulled out an envelope from his shirt pocket

and thrust it toward her. “Here’s your final check,

minus the hours for yesterday’s disappearing act.”

She took it with a shaking hand and he turned and

walked out of the kitchen, the door swinging wildly

behind him.

Anger and frustration overwhelmed her. Ryan was

still ruining her life, months later. She yanked off her

apron, tossed it in the direction of the hook and then

left through the back entrance, squinting when she

was nearly blinded by sunlight.

As she walked back toward her apartment, she

stared at the envelope in her hand. Despair weighed

her down until each step felt unbearable. Her damn

pride. She should have taken the check Ryan had

given her. To hell with him and his nasty accusations.

That check represented a way for her to finish school

and provide for her child.

She had every reason to refuse it. To tear it up

into little pieces and shove it under his nose. Maybe

that’s why she’d held on to it for so long because a

part of her wanted the satisfaction of throwing it back

at him.

It had been important to her that he know she

wasn’t some whore to be bought, but what had that

got her? A dead-end job that sucked the life out of

gjher on a daily basis and a shabby apartment that

she never wanted to bring her child home to.

Enough with her pride. Ryan Beardsley could go

to hell. She was going to cash that chec