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“It’s standard, all right. In cases where the mother is being called a liar.” She glared at him. “Help me up.”
“Oh, come on, Maya. I wasn’t calling you a liar. I…you’re…I…”
“Help me up now.” She gripped the table and started to rise.
He jumped to her aid but found himself awkwardly unsure where to put his hands. He finally settled on gripping her forearms and pulling, even as he tried to fast-talk his way out of the slam he’d inadvertently delivered. “Please don’t leave. Have dinner, come on. You’re overreacting to everything I say here.”
“I’m not overreacting. And I’m not leaving,” she said, once she was upright.
He frowned. “Then…where are you going?”
Tilting her head to one side, she said, “Caleb, there are two hefty babies writhing around on top of my bladder right now. Where do youthinkI’m going?”
“Oh. Uh. Sorry.”
She tossed her head and headed across the restaurant to the rest room in the rear. And despite her proud stance, she sort of…waddled when she walked away, which took all the indignant outrage out of her exit.
He sat back down, feeling like he’d just been through Round One of a fight with no rules and no reason. The woman was obviously an emotional basket case right now.
And no wonder. Twins. And she was alone.
But why the hell did she seem so determined to see him as the enemy?
The waitress brought the food—Maya’s order took up two plates—and a whole pitcher of milk. He waited for Maya to return, and then got up and met her halfway to escort her back to the table. She sat down, looking a bit calmer.
“I did some thinking,” she said, “and I’ve decided that you should go home.”
“I should?”
“Uh-huh. First thing in the morning. Leave an address, phone number, something like that. I’ll call you when the kids arrive. We’ll work out a time for you to come visit them. And I promise I’ll be generous about that, so long as you don’t try to take them away from me.” She shrugged. “And if you want to pitch in on expenses, fine. I won’t fight it.” She spoke as if it was all decided.
“I see.”
She dug into her food as if she was starved. And as Caleb watched her, he thought she looked very smug and superior. As if she made the rules and he had no choice but to obey. He was a freaking Montgomery, for crying out loud. He was the third richest man in the country, a former mayor, and the predicted winner of the senatorial race even though he had yet to declare himself a candidate. And her attitude chafed, big time.
He picked at his food, while she finished hers. Finally she looked up at him, dabbing her face with a napkin. She’d barely left a crumb on her plate.
“So, are we agreed?” she asked him.
He pursed his lips, crossed his arms over his chest, looked her in the eye and shook his head. “Not on your life.”
Blinking in surprise, she stared at him. “Why not?”
“Because you’re acting like a little dictator, and I don’t like it. So, no, Maya. I think maybe I’d better look into things just a bit more thoroughly before I agree to anything regarding our children.”
Her brows rose. “Jumping the gun, aren’t you? You don’t have your precious paternity tests yet.”
“No. But I will.”
“Oooh, yes. You never know, I might be conspiring to take you for everything you have. Now that I’ve figured out that would amount to slightly more than a pair of scuffed boots and a rusted-out pickup truck, that is.”
“Why are you so determined to treat me like the enemy here?”
“As far as I’m concerned, you are the enemy!”
“Fine,” he said, and he got to his feet. “Then this conversation is over.”
“It isnotover,” she retorted in a calm tone, “until after dessert.”
