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After thanking her friend Lydia, a friend from high school who worked as a nurse at Rhode Island hospital, Addie hung up the phone. That’s what she got for not reading the information sheet included with her prescription. Never had she heard that antibiotics could reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills, and when her doctor wrote the prescription for her strep throat, she hadn’t mentioned it. According to Lydia though, her prescription should’ve have come with a fact sheet listing the side effects. Although the sheets contained important information, Addie always tossed them without even glancing at them. She’d never had a problem until now. And what a problem she had.
Learning of Trent’s deception had crushed her heart, but at least she’d assumed she’d never have to see him again. A baby would make that impossible. Or would it? If she never saw him, he’d never know about the baby. In an ideal world all children would have two parents who loved them, but plenty of children were raised by single parents. Her baby wouldn’t lack for love either, even if Trent were not around. Her parents might be disappointed when they first found out about the baby and no marriage, but they would get over it and spoil their grandson or granddaughter. Then of course there were her brothers. Her baby would have four loving and protective uncles. Although there would be the possibility they’d be loving uncles from behind bars after they killed Trent for getting her pregnant.
Addie let the idea of not telling Trent simmer and soon her conscience came online. The memory of Trent holding James in Connecticut formed, and their conversation from the garden replayed. For all his faults, Trent would be a good father. Plus, he’d be able to give their child so much more than she ever could. If she kept the baby a secret, not only would she be depriving Trent, but also their child.
Addie dropped her head in her hands. If she told him, Trent would always be involved in her life. A constant reminder of their relationship and how he’d used her. When he did marry, she’d have to see him with some beautiful wife on his arm. She’d likely see him with more children as well. How could she ever handle that? Just the mere thought made the tears flow.
It’ll get better. It won’t always hurt this much even if he does have a beautiful woman on his arm. She wiped away the tears from her face and eyed her cell phone. She had to tell him. Her emotions didn’t matter, telling him was the right thing. With a sniffle, she checked her watch. Outside, the sun had disappeared and now only the moon and stars filled the sky, but even so it couldn’t be that late.
Ten o’clock—no that couldn’t be right. Addie grabbed her phone. Sure enough the phone read ten o’clock. So much for calling and asking to see him tonight. Her news would have to wait one more day.
Chapter 20
“Damn it, Trent. I wish I’d never come up.” Jake wiped the blood from his lip. “Last night you got drunk and passed out. Now this.”
Trent rested his forearms on his knees as his cousin took care of his bloody lip. “You agreed to practice with me. It’s not my fault your ground fighting sucks.” They’d both taken up boxing and ground fighting in boarding school. Trent still practiced regularly with a personal coach, but he didn’t know about his cousin.
“I only agreed because I thought it might improve your mood. You’ve been an ass all day.”
He had no smart reply for that. Even he recognized his foul mood, which had set in after he called Addie and got her voice mail yet again. As the day wore on and no return call came his mood digressed further. Hoping that some physical activity would distract him, he’d asked
Jake to spar. So far the exercise had only gained him a sore jaw from Jake’s elbow. On the plus side, though, it had killed some time and given his cousin a bloody lip.
“The split lip improves your appearance.”
Jake wiped his bloody fingers on his T-shirt. “Give me a minute and I’ll improve yours, too.”
“You can try.”
With no warning, Jake lunged at him, taking Trent down. The two men struggled for the upper hand, neither willing to concede until the cell phone rang.
“That’s yours not mine,” Jake panted, as the ring continued.
Trent jumped up and sprinted across the gym for his cell phone. Finally. Addie’s name and number filled the screen. “Addie,” he said a little out of breath himself.
At first only silence came though the phone. “Hi, Trent. I can call you back if this is a bad time.”
“No, it’s fine.” He tried to get his breathing more normal. “I’m glad you called.”
Silence again greeted his ear.
“If you’re home, can I come over? We need to talk.” Reluctance filled her voice, but he ignored it. She’d called and wanted to see him. That was all that mattered.
“Come on over anytime. I’m home.”
Still seated on the floor, Jake listened and gave him a thumbs up when Trent told Addie to come over.
“I’m at the office so I should be there in about five minutes.”
Shit. That didn’t give him much time to clean up, but he couldn’t see her like this. Sweat covered him and he smelled about as good as a dirty gym sock, not to mention he hadn’t shaved. “Okay, see you then.” He ended the call, and then looked at his cousin. “Jake, when Addie gets here, let her in. I need a shower.” He didn’t wait for a reply. Right now time wasn’t on his side.
***
Addie stepped off the elevator but made it no further. She’d spent the night before and early morning preparing what she’d say. A client appointment in the afternoon distracted her from the task ahead, but now her mind swirled again as her insides practiced the jitterbug. How would he react? An illegitimate child with a woman couldn’t be good for his precious new image. Although, if he became the doting father it might redeem him in the eyes of many voters. After all, this wasn’t the nineteenth century. People did have children all the time without getting married.
With that, another thought popped into her head and sent ice through her veins. What if Trent demanded sole custody? These days most judges awarded joint custody except in extreme circumstances, but who knew? He could argue that he had the resources to raise a child while Addie didn’t. Trent also had money and connections; he could use both and sway a judge in his direction.
Maybe she shouldn’t tell him. What were the chances she could avoid seeing him over the next nine months or so? Her office was only floors below his. More than likely, they’d bump into each other at some point. If he saw her tomorrow he’d never suspect anything, but what if he saw her in seven months. He’d notice then.
