see through it to what laid beneath. “I apologize for being shell-shocked earlier today,” he continued, drawing his eyes back to mine. “But…” He raked his fingers through his brown hair as he blew out a breath. “I’m going to need you to go over everything one more time.”
My lips parted, exhaustion weighing my entire body. “Okay,” I said the word like I spoke to one of my classes for five-year-olds. “First, we had an ice-breaker drink.” I raised my hands to illustrate my story and ticked off one finger. “Then, we started laughing at each other’s jokes.” I ticked off another finger. “Then we had two more drinks.” Another finger. “Then those drinks tasted so good we thought it would be a good idea to have a couple more.”
I swallowed hard—I didn’t regret the outcome of those drinks, but I did regret not remembering what it was like to have him between my legs. I mean, my God, he looked like a good time, the best time, the once-in-a-lifetime can’t stop shaking from all the orgasms time. And I couldn’t remember it.
“In summary,” I continued. “Drinks. Two pink lines. One baby.” I narrowed my gaze at him. “Wait, you’re a twin.” I remembered how kind his twin Nathan Nobel and his fiancé had been when we’d all gone to Vegas. My stomach dropped. “It better be one baby!”
Nixon paced the small space of sidewalk before me as he rubbed the back of his neck. He stopped suddenly, his gaze intently on mine. “Are you sure it’s mine?”
I clenched my teeth together.
“Have you been to a doctor? Where is your proof?” Panic and anger coated his tone as he continued to spew questions so fast I didn’t even have a chance to respond. “Have you told the press?”
I gaped at him, exhaustion forgotten and replaced by adrenaline. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I snapped and stepped into his space. “I told you I didn’t want anything from you,” I said, shaking my head. “God, I assumed you’d want to know that in less than nine months, you’ll have a child.”
The muscles in his biceps rippled as he shoved his hands into his pockets, the uncertainty, doubt, anger, and panic all churning in those damn eyes of his.
I studied him a bit longer, taking a minute to breathe deeply. What kind of people had he dealt with in his past to cause this sort of reaction?
“Look,” I said, blowing out another breath. I took a step backward, calming that anger inside me. “I meant what I said. I don’t want a thing from you. The last thing I need or want is money or material things. They’ve never meant anything to me.” I shrugged, benefits of being raised on the road. “You can sign over your rights to me,” I said. “If that makes you feel better.” Something heavy sank on my chest for the baby at the thought that its father would want nothing to do with it.
The words seemed to sink in because Nixon shifted slightly, the tension in his muscular shoulders loosening a fraction.
“I know that being together for twenty-four hours doesn’t give us a history, Nixon,” I continued when he hadn’t bothered to respond. “But you’re the only man I’ve slept with in over a year, so, yes, it’s yours. And as long as you don’t ever ask that question again, I can forget the other questions.”
Nixon nodded rapidly like I might’ve broken him.
I gave him a saddened once-over—when I found out, I’d been scared, sure, but mostly excited. He clearly was leaning toward suspicion and paranoia.
A soft night breeze rose more chills on my skin, grounding me to the present. “So, I’m going to go,” I said, pointing toward the direction of my apartment. It was only a few blocks down the road, thankfully. “Nice knowing you, Nixon.” I smacked his hard chest, perhaps a bit harder than necessary, and walked past him toward home.
“Wait,” he called after me, and I paused. “Can I have your number?”
I snorted a laugh, glancing upward as if the stars would make sense of what my life had become.
My long-time celebrity crush—Raleigh Raptor Quarterback, Nixon Noble—was asking for my number.
And I was having his goddamn baby.
What kind of romantic comedy had I fallen into?
“Sure,” I said, holding out my palm. He dropped his phone into my hand, and I quickly added myself as a contact. I gave him my cell too and waited for him to do the same. “Are