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She stared at him in astonishment. ‘What the heck are you smiling about?’
‘So there’s not still a baby, huh?’ The light dancing in his deep blue eyes made it clear it was a rhetorical question.
‘Well…’ She’d made a fool of herself.
Okay, so she was glad he didn’t look stricken any more. But he didn’t have to look quite so ecstatic. That was just plain annoying.
‘All right, there is still a baby. I lied.’ She sounded huffy. She didn’t care. ‘I said that because I wanted you to suffer.’
Despite the catty remark, he grinned. ‘Yeah, I figured that out while I was watching you decorate the sidewalk.’
Parting the jacket of her linen trouser suit, he stroked his palms over her midriff, stared down at it. She could see the fierce pride and joy in his face, struggled hard not to be moved by it.
‘How big is he in there—d’ you know?’ he said.
‘Who says it’s a he?’
‘You think it’s a girl?’ It was as if he hadn’t heard the sneer in her words. ‘That’d be so cool.’ His gaze stayed on her belly; his hands felt warm through the thin fabric of the pink silk camisole.
Without saying anything, she pushed his hands away and wriggled off his lap. He didn’t stop her as she shifted as far away from him as she could get. Turning her back to him, she stared out of the cab window.
She didn’t want to see the joy in his face, didn’t want to see his intense happiness at the baby. It might make her forget what he was really like. It might make her forget what he’d put her through.
Monroe let her go, his euphoria fading. Yeah, there was still a baby, the best gift anyone had ever given him, could ever give him. But he wanted so much more. He wanted Jessie, too. And the problems between them were far from solved.
‘Jess, I can say I’m sorry for the rest of my life. But it won’t ever undo what I said. It can’t ever take away the wrong I did you. I know that.’
When she turned, he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes and felt his heart clutch at the sight.
‘Just tell me one thing,’ she whispered. ‘Did you really think I’d slept with someone else?’
He shook his head. ‘No.’ About that he could be honest. ‘Not when I thought it through. I just…’ He stopped. How could he make her understand? ‘I never thought I could have kids, Jess. I’d spent my whole life convincing myself I didn’t want them. When you told me, I wanted so bad for it to be true.’
‘Why didn’t you believe me, then?’
What did he say to that?
The cab came to a stop and the driver opened his grill. ‘We’re here, buddy.’ Monroe slapped a twenty into his palm and guided Jessie out.
‘Why have you brought me here?’ Jessie said, gaping at the ornate art-deco frontage on the landmark hotel.
‘I’m staying here.’
‘You are?’ She looked stunned.
He shrugged. ‘Yeah, the gallery’s paying for it.’
‘What gallery?’
He didn’t want to go into all that now. This was more important.
‘It’s a long story.’ He took her elbow, guided her towards the stairs. ‘I’ve got a suite. I can order in room service. If you want, you know. If you’re hungry now. We can talk.’
She pulled back, looking confused and wary. ‘You don’t have to explain anything to me, Monroe. Not really.’
Monroe didn’t like that look of resignation, or the note of finality in her voice.
‘Yeah, I do.’ Of that he was certain, but how to do it was a whole other question.
