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It was only then I realized it was an ultrasound picture.
“I’m only here to tell you that I’m pregnant and it’s yours.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “It’s the right thing to do.” She hesitated briefly before adding, “I don’t need anything from you, okay? That’s not why I’m here. I don’t need your money or for you to even be involved if you don’t want to be. I can handle this on my own. I already have it all planned out. I hired a live-in nanny who will help me with everything, and you can be present as much or as little as you want. I’m not here to trap you. I’m just as surprised as you are, and I’m just trying to move forward with this unexpected situation we’re in, but you don’t have to claim this baby if you don’t want to.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I breathed out. “You really think I’m capable of that?”
“I’m just saying, you’re free to come and go as you please. I’m not holding you hostage. The last thing I want is for you to think I did this on purpose. Yes, we didn’t use a condom, but I was on the pill and never missed one. I wasn’t having sex with anyone for the six months prior to you, and I still stayed on it, taking it regularly. Believe me, having a baby without being married wasn’t exactly in my plans, but I guess you have super sperm, and we’re in the seven percent category. So congratulations, Ledger. We’re now a cautionary tale.”
Trying to control my temper, I continued. “It’s only one baby?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “Thank God! It was my first question to my doctor. Thankfully, there’s just one in there, which is already hard enough.”
“How far along are you?”
“Three months.”
“And you’re just telling me now?”
She raised her arms in the air in a surrendering gesture. “Give me a break. I had to get over the shock first before I told you. I’ve only known for a little over a month.”
“You should have told me the second youthoughtyou were pregnant. I’ve missed so much already.”
“Ledger, the only thing you’ve missed is me peeing on an obscene number of pregnancy tests that literally turned positive the second I peed on them and then my doctor confirming what I already knew. Other than your baby torturing me on my stupidity of wanting revenge on you, I’ve spent the last six weeks throwing up everything I tried to eat, and the smell of anything floral makes me want to puke. There,” she sneered, “you’re caught up on everything.”
“Is that why you look like you’ve lost weight?”
“Yes, but don’t worry, I’ll gain it all back and then some.”
Not wanting there to be any misunderstanding on my part, I made myself crystal fucking clear. “Hazel, I’m not missing another second of this pregnancy.”
“I’m not asking you to. Like I said, you can be as involved as you want. I’m not pressuring you or taking this baby away from you. It’s as much yours as it is mine. I know that, and I’d never want our child not to know its father. We both come from two loving parents, and that’s all I want for our baby.”
“You really mean that?”
“Of course, I do. I don’t know how we’ll make it work with you living here and me living in New York, but we’ll figure it out. My company has a private jet, and you’re welcome to use it for any future doctor appointments. I’ll give you my entire schedule. After the baby is born, you can still use it whenever you want to see him or her, alright?”
“If you’re still living in New York—”
“There is noif, Ledger. New York is my home.”
“Wyoming is mine.”
“Are you suggesting that I need to move?”
“I’m not suggesting.”
“Ledger…”
I didn’t back down, insisting, “You can run your brand anywhere.”
“As opposed to what? You can move to New York.”
“The ranch will be mine soon, and I can’t run it successfully from New York.”
She defiantly folded her arms over her chest. “I own a penthouse downtown with plenty of room for a baby. I even have a guest bedroom that you’re welcome to crash in when you come and visit. Although, from what I hear, The Beckham Ranch is on its way to becoming the best distributor—”
