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“Yes.” My shoulders sag, and I brace myself for his reaction, my stomach tightening.
Damon blows out a breath, his large hands flexing over the steering wheel until his knuckles turn white, then he spreads them wide open. The man has beautiful hands. Long, lean fingers and perfectly trimmed nails.
“Really?” I open my mouth to answer, but he shakes his head before I can. “Don’t answer that.”
I’ve had six months to get comfortable with the fact that I’m going to have a baby out of wedlock with a man who picks up a different woman every night of the week. At first, I thought, why couldn’t I get knocked up by a guy like Miles Cavanaugh or Cooper Rice if it had to be a football player? But only Damon causes my heart to beat uncontrollably every time I see him. Even after our one-night stand, every time I saw him on TV or pulled up an image on the computer, I had the same physical reaction. Sitting next to him now, I feel the same way.
I wait and give him time to wrap his head around the news.
“To hear it… it makes it real, you know?” His normally upbeat and playful voice is low and rough.
“Funny, the kicking made it real for me.” I give him a wan smile.
He stares at my stomach protruding from my open jacket. I place my hand over the swell as if I’m protecting our little bean.
His lips thin, and he inhales a deep breath. “Hopefully you won’t fault me for wanting a paternity test.”
I shake my head. “Of course not. I have a doctor’s appointment next week. I’ll gladly ask how we go about getting one.” I knew the day he found out, a paternity test would be a priority. I’m sure I’m not the first woman to tell him he’s going to be a father.
“It’s not that I don’t think… I mean, you don’t seem like the type… or at least you didn’t seem to be.”
“Someone who would lie about something like that?” I arch an eyebrow.
He can’t really say I’m not the type of woman to sleep with a virtual stranger because that’s exactly what I did. Even if it was the first and last time.
“Yeah.” He nods.
Silence descends on us once again, and I decide that I need to break it and explain myself. I’m the only one in the world who knows he is definitely the father of this baby, unless there’s such a thing as immaculate conception.
I turn in my seat to face him, although he’s looking out his windshield toward the woods. “I should have tried harder to tell you, and I’m sorry for that. I’ve had all this time to prepare for the baby, and you haven’t. That’s not fair. Early on, I went to your apartment. Took the train down and an Uber over there, but when my car pulled up to the curb across from your building, you were outside with Miles and Cooper and a couple other women. I recognized the one from the day we met. I was hoping to approach you alone, but I didn’t have a choice. While I was gathering my courage, another car double-parked, and you went over to open the door. This woman with an amazing body in a small bikini and a see-through cover-up practically jumped into your arms. Your hands were…” I shake my head, not needing to discuss all the insecurities in my head at the moment. Especially since I was nauseated and felt like a slob from all the changes my body was going through.
His head rocks back as if he remembers exactly who and when I mean. I’m surprised, honestly. The rumors about him suggest she’d be one of a long line of girls to grace his bed.
“Anyway, you guys filed into the SUV and took off. I told myself I’d come back another day, but the Grizzlies kept getting closer to the championship. You were playing so great. I didn’t want to mess with your head and have you blame this little one for ruining your chance to win the championship. I promised myself I’d wait until the season was over, then tell you.” I press my lips together, nervous for his reaction.
His forehead wrinkles. “But you didn’t send the text?”
“No. I mean, I watched the championship, saw you and the other captains accepting the trophy, Miles’s declaration to Bryce on stage, but I would never have told you over a text. So when you started texting me out of the blue, asking me questions, and giving away that you knew about the pregnancy, I didn’t understand. I was scared.”
I thought Damon was the type of guy who doesn’t think about his words, just spits them out as soon as the thoughts form, but again, the vehicle is quiet while he seems to assess everything I said. Guess now it’s my turn to stare at the woods.
“Thank you.”
I look at him from the corner of my eye. Why the heck is he thanking me? “Sorry?”
“You’re right. My season would’ve gone to shit. I’m not sure I love that you kept it from me, but my head would’ve been all over the place.” His gaze goes to my stomach. “I want you to know if the baby is mine, I take care of my responsibilities. I’m not going to just leave you or send you a check. I’ll help you raise the baby.”
I didn’t know how he was going to feel about this. Whether he’d try to throw cash at me to keep me quiet and make me go away. The more the baby grew in my stomach, the more I hoped that he would step up. I want my baby to have a father in his or her life.
“Well, first things first. Let’s get the paternity test, then we can go from there,” I say.
He gets a sour look on his face. “I don’t think you’re lying, but my dad will kill me if I don’t get one done. Once we get the paternity test back, we’ll need to talk about a few things.”
“I don’t want anything from you, Damon.”
His fair eyebrows rise to his hairline. “You want to raise the baby by yourself?”
His jaw clenches, and if I’m honest, his reaction to this entire situation surprises me. Of course the funny good-time guy isn’t here, but he so quickly seems… invested. Maybe I should have expected it, but I didn’t.
