“This is way more than an entanglement, Kalli. And there’s no way out. This could be a lifelong commitment.”
“But it doesn’t need to be. Truly, I can handle it. You don’t need to worry about it.” A bead of sweat ran down her spine. His reaction was so much worse than she had ever imagined it could be.
“You keep saying that. What does that mean, exactly? Am I to forget that I may have helped create a human being? Am I to ignore my own child?” he asked, his voice lethally soft.
“Only if you want to, of course. I didn’t think you would want that sort of responsibility.”
He leaned back again and studied her. “Did you truly forget? Or did you do this on purpose?”
“No! I...” She looked away. Unable to utter a lie. Unable to look him in the eyes.
“Damn you!” He exploded out of the chair and paced the room, looking like a caged lion.
“It is not as simple as that,” she said, scrambling for a way to placate him. “I truly did not do it on purpose. I forgot to take the pill on time. But then... Well, I can’t say I regret it. If, against all odds, I conceive, I would welcome the event. This may be my only chance to have a child.”
He turned and pinned her with a stare. “It is not right to use people for our purposes. I am not a stud.”
“I did not think you were.”
“Did you not? Then why did you keep it from me?” He had come back to lean over the table, crowding her in.
“I told you. I didn’t think you would be happy to know. And there’s nothing to tell yet. I have no reason to think I’m pregnant.”
“But if you later found out that you are, you did not intend to tell me.” It was not a question, but she answered anyway.
“No.”
He nodded, confirming what he already knew. “And you see nothing wrong with that? Don’t you think I have the right to know if I have a child? It’s mine too, Kalli.”
“But you don’t want children. You are not even convinced you want a human relationship.”
“I don’t, if I had the choice. But you took the choice away from me. This is exactly why I don’t trust human relationships. The lies, the conflicts, the manipulations, the unpredictability. Tell you what. As soon as we return to our time, you will take a pregnancy test. And if the results are positive, we will have a talk.”
“What do you intend to do if it turns out I’m pregnant?”
“What do you think? Be a father.”
