Delivering His Gifts (Mountain Men of Liberty #10)- K.C. Crowne Page 0,31
going to say in my head.
Mason, before I tell you what I’m about to say, I want to make it clear that I still don’t want a relationship with you. Nothing will change between us, and you are under no obligation to do anything for us.
Yes, I had a big speech before I even told him the news. I needed to be sure he understood all of it before all the emotions that came with such an announcement.
I took a few deep breaths and counted to ten. I was still frozen in place.
I heard footsteps, and a second later, Mason was in the hallway. He gave me a funny look and asked, “Is everything okay?”
Instead of saying yes, my mouth got ahead of me. “I’m pregnant.” My big speech was forgotten. The words came flying from my mouth. “Shit, I didn’t want to say it like that. Let’s back up—”
“You’re pregnant?” Mason interrupted. He braced himself against the wall.
“Before we get ahead of ourselves, let me be clear. This doesn’t mean—”
“It’s my baby?” he asked, his face blanched.
“Yes,” I said meekly. “I’m sure of it. I haven’t been with another man since my ex, and that was, God, at least four years ago, if not five.”
“I need to sit down.”
He walked back into the living room, and I found it in me to walk at last. My entire body felt numb, and it was like my feet had a mind of their own.
Mason collapsed into the chair, leaving the sofa for me. I took a seat, clasping my hands in my lap. All those words I had prepared ahead of time were gone. My brain was blank, and I couldn’t think of anything to say.
“I’m going to be a father,” Mason murmured, though it was clearly not a question directed at me, more of a statement to himself.
“You are,” I said softly. Finally, I began piecing together everything I had wanted to say to him. “But let me be clear - this doesn’t mean we have to be in a relationship. Crap, that’s not— what I mean is—”
Mason looked at me, and something shifted in his face. His features tightened. “I’m not going to disappear on you, Danielle. If that’s what you’re afraid of, I’m not going to leave you alone to care for your—” he swallowed hard and finished “—for our baby.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about at all. I know I can handle being a single mother again, Mason. It’s that…” I needed to tell him the truth. That I didn’t want to be tied to another man, that I didn’t trust myself with him. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, or maybe it was something else, but sitting that close to him did things to my body that I wasn’t proud of. Telling him I didn’t want to be with him would be an outright lie, and I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Even though I knew I should. I hardly knew him.
But he was the father of my child. One way or another, I would have to get used to him being involved in our lives.
I didn’t even realize I was crying at first. So many emotions swirled inside me, and it all came out at once. And once the tears started flowing, I couldn’t stop them.
“Hey there,” Mason said gently, moving from the chair over to the couch. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“I don’t know if it will be,” I said, allowing him to wrap his arms around my shoulder. I fell into him, my face buried in his shirt. Damn, he smelled so good. A musky, manly scent that only caused me to grow even wetter. Being this close to him and feeling the strong muscles beneath his shirt didn’t help either. Talk about a mix of emotions.
I knew I should be worried about what this would mean. I knew Greg wouldn’t take too kindly to me being pregnant by another man, and it would likely cause some backlash. It would be even worse if I stayed with Mason or allowed Mason to be in our lives.
But I couldn’t bring myself to push him away.
His strong arms around me felt safe and warm. His soft voice spoke to me, soothing me in ways no man ever had. “It’s gonna be okay,” he kept repeating. And I wanted to believe him.
I did believe him, in fact. That was the problem. I knew I shouldn’t, but I did.