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“I just need some time, Dad,” she repeated.
“Well, that’s something that I can help you with,” he said. “Even if it’s for just a short time.”
“Thank you. I’m on my way over to the dock now. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes,” she said.
“I’ll put you on the schedule. Come see me in my office when you get here,” he said. “We can go over the charter then. It should be an easy one.”
“All right. See you soon,” she said, ending the call. Eden tossed her phone into the passenger seat and started her car. She took a deep breath and let it out. It was time to get her head on straight. No more living in the fantasy world that Bowie had created for her. It was time to rejoin the real world—for better or worse.
* * *
Two Months Later
Eden knew that sooner or later; she was going to have to face Bowie and tell him that she was pregnant with his baby—she was just hoping for a bit more time. It was why she left town in a hurry after taking the pregnancy test. She hated that she was going to turn his life upside down, but there would be no way around it once he saw her on the yacht. Her father had broken it to her that Bowie had booked a charter after finding out that she was practically living on the boat.
“How could you let him book the yacht?” she asked her father.
“Well, he kind of owns part of it, with the other syndicate families. I don’t think that he’d take it well if I told him no, do you?” Her father was right. Bowie would never take no for an answer. “You’re going to have to tell him about the baby, Eden. Maybe he’ll be happy to find out that he’s going to be a father.” Eden remembered everything that he told her about not wanting a family. She knew that he wasn’t going to be happy about the baby, but her father was right, she was going to have to tell him.
“I know that I have to tell him, I just need some time. Can you tell him I’m not feeling well?” she asked.
“And what—you’ll hide away in your bunk?” her father asked.
“Yes,” she defiantly answered. “I won’t be pressured into telling him about the baby until I’m ready.”
“Well, ready or not, times up,” her father said, nodding to the doorway. She turned around to find Bowie standing in the doorway and she knew that her father was right—her time was up.
“You could have warned me,” she grumbled at her father.
“Captain, may I have a few minutes with your daughter?” Bowie asked. He looked madder than she had ever seen him, and Eden wasn’t sure if that was due to the fact that she had run off and left him or that he had just heard the news that she was pregnant.
“Sure,” her father agreed. “If you need me, honey, I’ll be in the galley.” She nodded at her father as she watched him walk off the bridge, leaving her alone with Bowie.
“How much of that did you hear?” she squeaked.
“Is it true?” he asked. “Are you pregnant?”
“Yes,” Eden whispered, “I’m pregnant and I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“Why would you run, Eden? Why keep my own kid from me?” he asked. God, the hurt in his voice was nearly her undoing. This was what she was trying to avoid.
“You said that you don’t want kids, Bowie,” she reminded. “You said that your line of work wouldn’t afford you a family. I didn’t want to force you into something that you didn’t want. I can take care of the baby; I just needed some time to think. I was going to tell you about the baby, I swear,” she said.
“When Eden?” he asked. “When were you going to tell me about the baby? When he or she was getting ready to start college and you needed someone to pay the bill?” His anger was something that she could handle. It was so much easier than dealing with the pain she saw in his eyes just minutes ago.
“That’s not fair,” she breathed. “I didn’t plan this, Bowie. I was just as shocked to find out about the baby as you are. I didn’t know what to do, so I ran. I took some time to think. But I want this baby, Bowie. I understand why you don’t, and I won’t hold you to some belief that you have to do right by me. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“I’m not here because I feel like I have to do right by you, Eden. I’m here because I’ve gone out of my mind looking for you. When I got home from my meeting, and you were gone, I panicked. I called everyone that I knew to try to find you. I thought that the Gluttony family had taken advantage of me being at that meeting with Bruno and had kidnapped you. Do you know how crazy that made me? I called Bruno and accused him of double-crossing me.”
“Oh God,” she whispered, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think about that kind of stuff. I was so worried about telling you about the baby, I didn’t think about how my leaving would affect you. I left you a note, did you find it?”
“After two days of fighting with Bruno Gluttony about where you were, yeah, I found it. I had to eat crow and apologize to him, but it’s kept the peace—so far. I finally gave up and called your father. He’s the one who told me where you were and that you were safe. That’s when I came up with the idea to book this charter, but your dad convinced me to give you some extra time.”
“Did he tell you about the baby?” Eden asked.
“No, he said you were going through something personal and needed some space. I told him I’d give you time and space, but not forever. I finally gave up waiting and demanded that he book me for the night,” Bowie said.
“So, you’re not here for an overnight trip?” she asked.
