Eclipse of the Heart - By Carly Carson Page 0,77

work at home, right?"

"Only if you want to risk losing this pregnancy."

Amanda stared as the news rolled around in her head with terrible finality. She had to choose between her job and her baby? Of course, that was no choice. The job would have to go, but as the door started closing, she railed one more time at the turn her life had taken. She wanted to work! She needed to work! Was that asking so much of the fates? How had her life fallen apart so completely?

As she watched the doctor typing away, a great weight settled on her chest. She was an unmarried, pregnant woman. Whatever independence she might have achieved without this catastrophe had disappeared like a will of the wisp. She was so dependent on others now that she couldn't even get home from the hospital on her own. How had this happened?

"By the way, doctor, how did I get pregnant while on the pill?" The question had been bothering her right from the beginning.

The doctor glanced up. "No birth control is one hundred percent effective."

"I thought that was because people were careless, lied, or didn't use it properly."

Dr. Vesser shrugged. "Those things are true. But there are also unexplained pregnancies. Were you on any antibiotics prior to becoming pregnant?"

Amanda gasped. The strep throat. Had that doomed her? She hesitated, suddenly unsure if she really wanted to know. But it had never been her way to hide her head in the sand.

"What if I was?"

"There's a possibility that antibiotics interfere with the pill," the doctor answered. "It's never been proven definitively."

Amanda closed her eyes as the news sank in. Could such a simple twist of fate have been her downfall?

The doctor patted the foot of the bed. "It's only for four months," she said. "The time will pass."

Easy for her to say. Amanda watched her go and then heaved a sigh. At this point, it didn't matter how she'd gotten pregnant, nor how helpless she was. She needed to call Rosie and get herself home and situated.

Rosie was the only one who knew yet. Besides Logan, of course. But she'd do anything short of a miscarriage to avoid calling him.

However, the very next day, when she was on the phone to HR, learning about short-term disability, her doorbell rang.

Instinct told her exactly who it was. He hadn't given up. He'd only retreated to wait for his opportunity to pounce.

"I'll call you back," she said to the clerk at HR.

She made her way to the door, hoping it wasn't some kind of official legal summons waiting for her. A custody lawsuit always loomed in the back of her mind.

The peephole showed her Logan standing outside, tall and handsome, looking crisp in a charcoal gray suit, blue and white striped shirt, and yellow tie. Her heart stuttered.

"Good morning," he said when she cracked the door. "May I come in?"

Silently, she removed the chain and opened the door. Why had she gotten pregnant with such a persistent man?

"How are you feeling," he asked, herding her subtly toward the sofa.

"Good," she said, a hint of defiance in her tone. He couldn't prove otherwise.

As always, she'd underestimated him.

He didn't sit next to her on the sofa, choosing instead the upholstered chair.

"You should put your legs up." He set his briefcase on the coffee table.

The first twinge of alarm zinged through her. "Why are you here?"

"I heard you won't be able to work." He met her gaze. "Of course, the company will approve short-term disability for you. That's not why I'm here."

"Why, then?" She swung her legs up, feeling ungainly and unlovely. The apartment was cold and she'd dressed in worn out sweats. Not the kind of outfit any woman would voluntarily wear in the presence of a man like Logan Winter.

He leaned forward. "I have a proposal for you." He pulled a set of keys out of his briefcase and dangled them in his long fingers. "A place for you to stay."

"I have a place to stay."

"You told me this was a six-month sublet." He glanced around the apartment. "When your mom and sister returned, you were planning to figure out new living arrangements."

"I still plan to do that."

"While on bed rest?" He raised his eyebrows.

"How did you hear about—" She waved her hand, but the question was pointless. He always knew everything.

"I did, and that's all that matters." He leaned forward, the keys clanking a bit with a sound like a cell door closing.

"Thanks for the offer." The words hurt