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A slow smile formed on his lips. “I mean it’s great news.”
She was sure she must be missing something. It didn’t make sense. “Do you mean great with a sarcastic undertone? Or do you mean great great?”
“Great great.” An emotion she hadn’t expected gleamed in his eyes, one that mirrored her joy. “Awesome great!”
She’d absolutely, positively stepped into the Twilight Zone. Especially when a full-blown smile bloomed on his face.
Didn’t he realize he’d just been hit with a life-altering revelation? Didn’t he realize he was going to be a father in a little less than nine months, despite the fact that he didn’t want to have a relationship with her, that he was her boss, and that he was twenty years older?
“But you’ve never wanted to get married or have kids,” she blurted.
“Who said I never wanted marriage and a family?”
“If you wanted them, you would have had them already. You’ve always gone after what you want, so why would those things be any different?”
“For a long time, I thought my career was enough. But then, after watching your brothers start their own families, I began to see there’s more to life than work. There’s family, and I finally realized I want one of my own. On Catalina, I was envious of Evan and Paige, especially after they told us they were having twins.” His smile was like the sun and the moon and the stars all rolled into one. “But I don’t have to be envious anymore. Not with your great, awesome news.”
Lyssa had been prepared for her news to turn him inside out, that he’d tear his hair out, but she was the one having trouble accepting his reaction. She’d given him the most shocking, out-of-the-blue news ever. And he was psyched about it?
Gazing at the ocean, reeling from his astonishing response, she spoke toward the water. “I’m stunned, Cal.” Gingerly, she put her hands to her head as if it might explode. “I thought you were going to freak out. I thought you’d even accuse me of trying to steal your freedom by getting pregnant on purpose, that you’d think I was trying to trap you into being with me.”
She felt the warmth of his touch as he gently took her hands in his and pulled them away from her head. “I know you’d never try to trap me.” His expression was as serious as she’d ever seen it. “This must have come as a huge surprise to you too, Lyssa. I can’t imagine what it was like when you realized you were pregnant. I wish I could have been there for you when you took the test—”
“You mean instead of on a helicopter flying as far as possible from me?” She hadn’t meant to spit out the words, but couldn’t help herself.
He had the grace to look ashamed. “I’ve been a jerk. The biggest one imaginable.”
For a moment, she was glad to hear him admit it. Then a thought hit her. “Wait a second. Are you just saying all of this wow, great, awesome stuff because you feel guilty for being a jerk? Or worse, because you think I can’t deal with raising a baby on my own? Or because you’re worried that my brothers will tear you apart twice—once when they find out that we were together and then again when you don’t want the kid you’ve helped make?”
“No,” he protested wildly. “That’s not what’s going on. Not at all.”
She didn’t know what to believe anymore. “It wasn’t your fault, Cal. You don’t have to step up to any plate you don’t want to. I told you I wasn’t going to get pregnant because of the pill, and then I did. So this is on me, and I’m wholly capable of dealing with it on my own.”
“You can deal with absolutely anything.” His brow furrowed. “But we were equal partners together, both on the way back from London and again on Catalina Island. So your pregnancy is no one’s ‘fault.’ And as for your brothers? It’s true they’re going to want to tear me to shreds, and that isn’t my favorite part in all this. But even if they hate me forever, I’m positive they’ll always love and support you. All that matters is that they’re there for you and our child. I’ll make sure to deflect any and all of their anger from you to me.”
She shook her head vehemently. “No, we’ll deal with my brothers together,” she told him once she’d managed to catch her breath at everything he’d revealed. “That is, after we figure out exactly how we’re going to deal with things. Then we’ll present it as a fait accompli.” Her head spun as she thought about all the details, all the changes, all the ups and downs that were sure to come.
