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“I’m pregnant, Ferd.”
“Yeah. I got that. Is it mine? Not that guy you’re shacking up with?”
“The baby is yours.”
“Who is he?”
Interesting. No asking about the baby or any details. Just a leap to who Nikolas was.
“Someone I met a few weeks ago. Someone who’s been helping me get on my feet here.”
Ferdy sneered. “Looks like he’s been doing more than that.”
She had no interest in riling him up any further, and the more she downplayed Nikolas the more she hoped Ferdy would believe her that no one knew why she’d run.
“In two weeks’ time?”
A leering grin split his face. “As I recall you and I moved pretty fast.”
She ignored the stab of revulsion at that reminder and continued on. “My mother talked about this place before she died. I thought I’d come check it out as a place to raise the baby.”
“What have you been doing in the meantime?”
“Working and driving my way across the country to get here.”
She could see him chew on that for a minute.
“I
didn’t want to be a burden or place the responsibility for the baby on you.”
“It’s my kid.”
“An unplanned kid.” If babies could hear what their parents said while they were in the womb, Nova prayed that hers would also innately understand her only goal was getting them both to safety. “I thought for a while what to do about it and then realized that I’d just leave. New York’s too expensive and that way we wouldn’t be in your way.”
“And that’s the only reason?”
She mustered up the most wide-eyed look she could manage. “Yeah, why? I didn’t want to burden you with it and I figured just leaving would be the cleanest break.”
“Clean?”
“Yeah, Ferd. No attachments and no responsibilities. Why?”
“Nothing. No reason.”
Nova saw the calculation race across his face, the mix of “what does she know, what doesn’t she know?” hardening his jaw. Digging down deep and praying there was something left inside of him that wasn’t completely evil and twisted, she moved quickly, leaning forward to hold her stomach.
“What’s wrong?”
“The baby. He’s been kicking like a madman and I’m not sure what’s wrong.”
Ferdy came closer, confusion filling his face. However he expected to manage this conversation, the talk of the baby and her reasons for leaving had obviously softened him.
Now she had to play it out.
Although she didn’t want to break eye contact, she bent again, willing him closer so she could get a better look at that glint of light she’d seen up on the mountain.
Twisted over, she added a few more moans for good measure and it was enough to get him closer. As he stepped physically close enough, she latched onto his free hand, squeezing hard. “Oh no!” Moaning harder, she added a little shriek. “I think my water broke.”
