Throughout the delicious main course, he steered the conversation away from serious matters and kept things light and easy. Despite the amazing food, Lana’s frustration level grew until she wanted to scream. Why wouldn’t he get to the point?
Finally, the waiter cleared their plates. “Dessert?” he asked.
She shook her head, but Sly ordered coffee, tiramisu, and two forks. When the treat arrived, he nudged the plate between them. “Half of this is yours.”
“I’m too nervous.” And too impatient to wait one more second. “I feel like there’s an elephant in the room. You invited me to dinner to talk, and I’ve been giving you space to bring up our situation when you’re ready, and I’m frustrated.”
With a somber expression, he set down his fork. “I was planning to wait till after the meal, but if you’d rather talk now, it’s okay by me. I made a decision about the baby.” He paused, his steady gaze revealing little.
If only she could read his mind. He claimed he didn’t want to abandon their child, but for all she knew, his idea of sticking around could be to offer monetary support and nothing more.
Aware of how he felt about having a child, she assumed that had to be it. Disappointed, but determined not to let on, she widened her eyes. “What did you decide?”
“I want to be part of his life.”
Talk about a pleasant surprise. She was so relieved she sagged in her seat.
His expression confused, he scrutinized her. “You’re not happy about that.”
“The opposite—I’m glad our baby will have the chance to get to know his or her daddy. What do you have in mind?”
“I’m still working on that, but for starters, I’ll go with you to your next doctor’s visit—if the offer’s still open.”
“It is. It’s going to be a very special appointment. We’ll get to hear the baby’s heartbeat.”
He didn’t exactly seem excited, but at least he’d agreed to be there. It was a beginning, and she decided she’d do whatever she could to encourage him.
“What time should I pick you up?” he said.
“Since I’ll be coming straight from work, it’ll be easier if we meet at the clinic.”
He nodded. “Give me the details and I’ll be there.”
After texting him the information, she picked up her fork. “Now I’m ready to eat some of that tiramisu.”
Chapter
Twenty
“We were supposedto split the bill,” Lana said, as Sly pulled onto the highway and headed toward her place. “You should’ve let me pay my share.”
Despite her words, she didn’t seem too upset he’d insisted on paying. The truth was, she hadn’t stopped smiling since he’d announced he wanted to be part of the baby’s life.
His chest was full and warm. Maybe he didn’t want a kid, but he felt good that his decision had made her happy. He wasn’t about to analyze why that was so important. It just was.
Darkness had fallen, but in the faint light of the dash he caught that soft smile. Desire slammed into him. If not for the truck’s bucket seats, he’d have pulled her close against his side.
But that wasn’t what tonight was about, and if he was smart, he’d spend the rest of the evening pissed off at her cousin or thinking about how being a father would mess with his life—anything to keep his mind off sex.
Too bad his body wasn’t cooperating. It wanted sex with Lana. Fighting the hunger wasn’t easy, but this was the wrong time to get physical.
“You pay next time,” he said.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Then they were both quiet, till out of the blue she pivoted in her seat toward him. “You’ll make a great father, Sly. I know it.”
He wasn’t at all sure of that, but since he was going to be a father regardless, he intended to do much better with this kid than he had with Seth.
