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Pregnant
Pregnant
“Sydney, wait.” He followed her down the long hallway to the western side of the house, where the owner’s wing was located. There, he found her pacing, the sheets unmade because the housekeepers had a day off—and because he enjoyed the games he and Sydney played.
“I didn’t plan this,” she said. “I didn’t do this on purpose, I swear.”
He tapped the tests against his palm. “Sydney, if you were trying to trap me, I gave you a whole boatload of ammunition. A ship docked at a harbor pulled out more than I did.”
She continued to pace, wringing her fingers. “I need to go to Sweden.”
“Sweden? Where your ex-husband lives?”
She came to a stop, her eyes wide and her hands raised in front of her. “No, I don’t mean…it’s nothing like that. It’s your baby.”
“Ourbaby,” he corrected.
She squeezed her fingers, and he stepped forward to break them apart before she permanently cut off her blood supply.
“I just need someone to talk to.”
“Someoneis standing right here, Syd.”
She stared at him, the whites of her eyes glistening. “Dmitri, I…I don’t know if I can do this,” she said, barely louder than a whisper. “I don’t know if I can be a mother.”
“The baby’s already inside you. Are you talking about terminating the pregnancy?”
“No, no.” She pressed her forehead against his chest. “I don’t want to do that. I want the baby. I want…ourbaby, but I don’t know if I can be a mother.”
“The two kind of go hand in hand.”
“I know.”
“So then, going to Sweden is about seeing your friend,” he said. “The therapist.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. I’m not sure I can talk to her right now.”
“Why not?”
She didn’t respond.
He sighed, not used to brokering deals where he didn’t come out the ultimate beneficiary. “Syd, if you want to go to Sweden, it won’t be alone. I have business there. We can fly out together.”
She looked up into his face. “Are you sure? You haven’t been feeling well, and you promised me you’d slow down.”
When they first met, she’d expected him to treat her like a princess before understanding that he was used to being treated like a king. After meeting her family, he’d realized they’d molded her that way, her parents swiping her along a whetstone until she was sharpened into someone shortsighted with an intense fear of abandonment. Someone even she hadn’t wanted to be.
“That’s what this business trip is for. After that, I’ll rest. I mean, I’ve got a kid on the way.” He smiled. “I’ve got akidon the way.”
“So, you’ve got to make sure you’re around.”
“Would you leave?”
She cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“You left your marriage because life grew out of your control. If that happens with us, will you leave?”
“The world doesn’t revolve around Sydney Donovan,” she said. “A…friend taught me that.”
