Weekend Fling (11 page)

“Hi,
Austin
. I’m ready to talk now.” He gave a single nod of his head, stood up, and moved to the side to let her open the door. Once they were in the house, she turned to him and noticed the drawn and stressed-out look on his face. She was big enough to admit that she had done him a disservice.

He was completely shocked by the news of her pregnancy, and the unfairness of her actions hit her hard. Just because she didn’t think he would care didn’t mean she should have made that decision for him. Sure, she could say that her one phone call had been her attempt to let him know. However, if she was truly trying to let him be a part of his baby’s life, she would have tried harder.

“
Austin
, I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to find out this way.” Sighing, she kicked off her shoes and stretched her toes. Kara then walked toward the living room and walked in the direction of her comfortable couch. “Please, come have a seat so we can talk.” Walking over to the couch, she struggled to put her feet up. Shocked when
Austin
sat down next to her and pulled her feet into his lap, her mouth fell open. When he began massaging her feet, she moaned low in her throat. It felt so good. She closed her eyes and laid her head back. “Thank you so much. It’s getting harder for me to stay on my feet each day. The baby is constantly sitting on my bladder.”

His breathing had become ragged, and she could tell he was upset. “Tell me, Kara. Explain this to me.”

“I know we were careful,
Austin
, but it just happened. About a month after you left, I missed my . . . you know . . . and I got nervous. I took some pregnancy tests, and hello! A little bundle of joy. You have to trust me when I say I didn’t mean it. It was as much a surprise to me as it is to you.” A smile touched Kara’s lips as she thought about the joy she experienced when she saw the 3-D ultrasound picture of the baby boy growing inside of her.

“So what now? Kara, I’m not going anywhere, so you might as well get used to it. I’m out of the Navy, and the business I started with my buddy is ready to launch. I’m not leaving you or the baby. I’m sticking around.”

“Why,
Austin
? Me and the baby will be fine. I’m not asking you for anything and don’t expect you to change your life for us.”

She saw his jaw grinding together, and he stopped massaging her feet. He was well and truly angry, but she didn’t care. Trapping him into staying with her or the baby wasn’t in her plans. Letting him go was the only thing she could do.

His voice was low, and she heard a growl rumble through his throat. “I’m not going to even give you a response on that. Don’t ever think that my child and the mother of my child don’t require me to change. You’re damn right I’m going to change my life for you. I deserve to have the chance to experience this with you. I deserve the right to watch him grow up and be there for him when he needs his dad to teach him the things my dad taught me.” His voice caught, and her heart started to crack. What had she done? “Are you going to deny me? Are you?”

Answering the only way she could, she said, “No, I won’t deny you. You can be involved.” When he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, she wanted to reach out to him, but at the last minute she stopped herself. Eventually they would move beyond this, but right now, he was too angry, and she needed to stop while she was ahead.

“When is your next doctor’s appointment?”

“This Thursday at 2 p.m.”

“Fine, where do you want me to pick you up?”

“Oh, you don’t have to—”

“Where, Kara? I’ll be driving you to this appointment.”

Knowing that this wasn’t a battle she wanted to fight with him right now, she gave him the information he needed. “You can pick me up here. I’m taking the day off so that I can take care of some other things as well. The baby’s room needs to be organized, so I’ll be working on that in the morning.”

“How about I come at ten o’clock, and I’ll work on the baby’s room as well? I don’t want you doing anything strenuous.” Determination lit up his eyes, and she realized she was giving a lot of concessions today.

“Okay, thank you. I appreciate the help.”

Getting up to walk to the door, she followed behind him. “So, where are you staying?
Arlington
’s a pretty big area.”

“Well, I was renting a house until I decided where I wanted to settle down, but I think we’ll need to talk about that now.”

“W-w-we? What do you mean ‘we’?” She knew he didn’t mean what she thought he meant. There was no way he was going there this soon. “
Austin
, what are you saying?”

“You know what I’m saying, and it’s not up for discussion. That’s my baby in your stomach, and when my child is born, I’ll be married to his mother. You, Kara, are his mother.”

“What the hell? Have you lost your mind? I’m not marrying you!”

“Yes the hell you are! Damn it, woman! Why do you have to argue with everything I say?”

“You can’t walk back into my life and demand that I marry you. This is too sudden, and you know it. You only found out today about the baby. Am I supposed to drop everything and just do what you say? You are certifiably out of your damn mind.”

Standing toe-to-toe with him, she glared up at the hot-ass man who had gotten her into this mess. It was hard enough she had her parents demanding to know who the “scoundrel” was who had gotten their baby pregnant and then simply walked away. Now, she had
Austin
in here trying to act all noble and shit. Damn! Could things get any more fucked up?

“Yes, I do expect you to marry me. Sooner rather than later if I have anything to do about it.” Folding his arms across his chest, she couldn’t stop her eyes from dropping to watch his chest and arm muscles ripple. “You have until Thursday morning to come to terms with it. Call whomever you need to call, but within one month, we will be married.”

She stood there in shock and awe as he dropped a quick kiss on her mouth, rubbed his hand on her belly, and left her townhouse. “Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! That sorry motherfucker. Just who the hell does he think he is to tell me I’m going to marry him? It’ll be a cold day in hell before I marry him.” Kara realized she was yelling at an empty room, but it still made her feel better.

Storming up to her room, she was indignant in her anger. No one could make her do anything. She was a grown-ass woman with a mind of her own. Stupid motherfucker, she would just get her daddy to kick his ass if he tried to pull this shit on her. Feeling justified, she didn’t give
Austin
and his demands another thought.

* * * *

“What the hell do you mean you turned him down?” Kara cringed as Lisa’s voice yelled at her over the phone line. “Kara, that man wants to take care of you and the baby, and you’re going to let him.”

“I thought you’d be on my side. Why aren’t you supporting me, Lisa? I don’t need a man to take care of me. I have my daddy, my brother, and Bryan.
Austin
is just a man I had a weekend of sex with.”

“Yeah, and the man who impregnated your crazy ass. You know he wants you, Kara. Why won’t you accept his proposal? I want the real reason.”

There was no way she could tell Lisa the real reason. Lisa would think she had lost her damn mind if she realized how stupid Kara really was. She didn’t even know if her reason was enough for her anymore. The only man who made her whole in the bedroom, and out, wanted her to be his wife, and she was turning him down.

Rubbing her hand over her belly, she felt the baby kicking and hoped she at least had his support. Chuckling to herself, she knew that, with her luck, the baby was probably on
Austin
’s side as well.

“Lisa, you don’t understand. He doesn’t really want me. He only wants the baby. I’m not into being the odd woman out, and I don’t want to compete with my child for
Austin
’s affection. He can still be a part of the baby’s life without me.”

A long silence met her, and she wondered what Lisa would say about her baring her soul like this. “Kara, I’ll support whatever decision you make, but I don’t think
Austin
would have asked you to marry him if he wasn’t serious. He knows he can be a father to the baby without being married to you. You need to find out why he asked. You can’t move forward until you know.”

Ending the call with Lisa, Kara knew she was right. There was chemistry between them, and she felt it every time they were together. The only question she had was, was it enough? What would happen when he realized he no longer wanted her? What would she do then?

Chapter Ten

Austin
walked up to Kara’s door at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday morning. He held two bags full of gifts and baby clothes for the baby that he had purchased during the past few days. A baby . . . he was still in shock, but he was getting used to it.

He had called his parents on Sunday to tell them the good news. To say the least, they were shocked. His dad was the most difficult to convince that this was a good thing. Not that he had a problem with the baby, but
Austin
’s family was very wealthy, and his dad worried about women tying to trap
Austin
in order to get to his money.

It took some quick thinking to convince his parents that Kara knew nothing about his money. Hell, even if she did, he still wasn’t letting her go.

His mother, who simply wanted a grandbaby to hold, was much easier to talk to about the situation. “Are you sure this is what you want,
Austin
? I worry about you out there all by yourself. I know you’re an adult, but you always want to save everyone. What if she’s just someone else you want to save?”

“Mom, I love you, but I know what I’m doing. I’m going to marry her, and I hope that you’ll be happy for me. She’s having your first grandchild, and I want you and Dad to come down and meet her.”

He heard his mother sigh, and then the silence was almost deafening. He knew this was her way of taking a step back and allowing him to make his own choices. Even when she didn’t want to. “Okay, dear. I’ll talk to your father. Let us know when you’re ready for a visit.”