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Ed barked from the window, and Sylvie followed me onto the porch. I let Ed out, and he sniffed us both before trotting off toward the barn. I gestured toward the old hound dog. “Gotta go check on his kid.”
A scoff burst from her, and my brows cinched together. Silently we walked up the porch steps. “Do you want to sit out here, or is it too cold?”
Sylvie swallowed and sank into a large cushioned chair. I took the one next to her, resting my elbows on my knees and studying her face.
She still hadn’t looked at me.
“What’s going on, Hall, I?—”
“I’m pregnant.”
I studied her face.Pregnant?
Sylvie shook her head. “I’m sorry. I?—”
“You’re pregnant.” I was testing the words, seeing how they felt when I said them aloud. “It’s mine.”
In the dark I couldn’t make out the tones of amber in her eyes, but they radiated sadness. Fear. “Yes,” she whispered.
I reached for her hand. “Okay.”
Her eyes bounced between mine. “Okay?”
I swallowed past the dry lump lodged in my throat. “It’s going to be okay.” I had no fucking clue what I was talking about, but itseemed like she needed comfort, and that was something I could give to her.
Fresh tears filled her eyes as her chin wobbled. A dark, sinking feeling pooled in my gut at the realization that maybe Sylvie didn’t want to keep the baby. In a matter of seconds, my entire world had been upended. Sylvie looked at me with uncertainty and a vulnerability I had never seen before.
I chose my words carefully. I didn’t want to spook her, but I also knew that this would be a conversation that would haunt me for the rest of my life if I fucked it up. “How long have you known?”
She sighed and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her flannel. “A few hours? Something came up at work, and I realized I didn’t remember the last time I had my period, which isreallyunusual for me.”
I nodded. My sister, Kate, was really private with all that stuff, but I could imagine a woman would know her own body.
“Maybe I should have waited to tell you. Until I went to the doctor to confirm, but?—”
“No.” She blinked up at me as I shook my head. “No, I’m glad you came and found me.”
She breathed out a watery laugh. “I didn’t reallyfindyou so much as I saw you, and your baby grabbed the steering wheel.”
My baby.
That was when I realized that I’d done the worst thing I could have done. I got the daughter of my family’s rival pregnant... and I wasn’t even sorry about it.
I took a deep breath, terrified of the next words I had to say to her. “I know I have no right to ask—that it’s too much, and I want you to know that I will respect your choice, but... would you consider having it?” She stared at me in stunned silence as I continued, “If you’re not interested in being a mother, I can respect that, but I would want it.”
Her eyes grew wider. “You would want the baby even if I didn’t?”
“Of course.” There was no hesitation. I could deal with the fallout, but no matter what, I’d take care of my kid, love it like my parents had loved us.
I watched the delicate muscles in her neck move with a swallow. “I want to keep the baby.”
I sagged in relief. “Okay.”
Sylvie’s back went straight as her eyes bounced across the boards under her feet. “I don’t have expectations. We used a condom, and it either broke or you have supersperm or something, but it happened.” I chuckled at her attempt to lighten the intensity of the conversation.
I nodded, trying to reassure her. “It happens, I guess. We can handle this.”
Sylvie lowered her gaze. “Thank you for not questioning me. If you want a DNA test or something, I wouldn’t be mad.”
