Page 13 of Surgeon's Surprise Baby
“Sometimes I get the feeling you wish you hadn’t told me about Sophie.”
“Do you want the truth?”
“Yes.”Or maybe he didn’t.
They pulled up to her place and Ryan got out to help her with the baby and all the other stuff that was apparently necessary when one went out with an infant.Once inside, Aria put the baby to bed since she’d fallen asleep in the car.
“I’m not going to like this, am I?”he asked after one look at her face.
“You said you wanted the truth.I told you before I had no idea how you’d react to my pregnancy and having the baby.You were—are—notorious for never staying long in one place.When you left it seemed to me it was easy for you.As easy as if we’d had a one-night stand or at most a brief fling and you didn’t care if you ever saw me again.”
A brief fling?They were together almost two years.Longer than he’d ever stayed in one place since getting out of the army.“It wasn’t easy.Leaving you was one of the hardest things I ever did.And I cared very much that I’d never see you again.”
“Right.Which is why I never heard a word from you once you left.”
She made him sound like a selfish shit.Hell, he was a selfish shit.But she wasn’t as blameless as she seemed to think.
“It wasn’t like you were open with your feelings.Hell, I didn’t know whether you loved me, liked me, or could take or leave me.”
“Do you think I’d have slept with you, practically lived with you if you meant nothing to me?”
He shrugged, aware it would piss her off.“I think you liked the sex.But that was the only thing I was certain about.”
She stared at him with her mouth open.“That is the meanest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“It’s not mean.It’s the truth.There’s nothing wrong with liking the sex.Hell, I liked it too.”More than liked it.He’d been damn near addicted to her.“I was explaining why I didn’t think you cared when I left town.You always held back a part of yourself.”
“Me, hold back?As if you didn’t?”Her voice had risen with her questions but then she lowered it.“I wasn’t about to beg you to stay.I’d been prepared from the first for you to leave.In fact, I was surprised you stayed as long as you did.”
He paced the room, coming to stand in front of her.“If that’s how you felt why did you even tell me about Sophie?Much less move to Marietta?”
She hesitated.“You deserved a chance to know your daughter.”
“You said that before.No other reason?”She was holding something back.He was sure of it.But he had no clue what it was.
“Isn’t that enough?”
“No.What else?”
“You don’t need to know more.You know you’re her father.It’s up to you what you do about that.”
“I want to be part of her life.”
“Good.We’ll figure out some kind of schedule so you can see her every week.”
“Once a week isn’t going to be enough.”
“Look, I’m trying to be accommodating but you’re making it hard.”
Accommodating, his ass.“Why?Because I want to see my daughter more than once a week?”
“You don’t even know how she’s going to fit into your schedule.You should figure that out before you start making demands.”
Ryan squeezed the bridge of his nose.“I don’t want to fight with you.I just want to be with my daughter.Is that so bad?”
She sighed.“No.I’ll need help once the greenhouse is finished.And I’ll need to take her someplace when they do some of the work on the house.I’ll know more once they get started tomorrow.”
“Just let me know when you need a place to go.There’s no reason you and Sophie can’t stay at my apartment when you need to, regardless of whether I’m there or not.”
