Wanted by Her Lost Love - By Maya Banks Page 0,17
pissed. At me. She acts like I’ve wronged her. I don’t get it. She hasn’t said whose baby it is. She hasn’t denied that it’s my child but neither has she confirmed that it’s mine.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that she doesn’t know?” Cam asked dryly.
Ryan scowled and then pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers.
“Sorry, man, it had to be said. If she was sleeping with you and your brother plus God knows who else, she probably doesn’t have a clue who the baby daddy is.”
“God, stop with the snark. You’re giving me a headache. Kelly isn’t some whore.”
“I never said she was.”
“You implied it.”
“Look, you’re getting pissed at the wrong person here. I’m just asking—as a friend—whether you’ve lost your everloving mind. But then again, I thought you were insane for hiring an investigator to find her. Well, you found her and now you have to deal with the fallout. I’ll tell you just what I told Rafael when he was faced with similar issues. Call your lawyer. Get paternity testing done.”
“I don’t want it to come to that,” Ryan said quietly. “Damn it, I just want to know what went wrong.” He broke off and shook his head. This was a pointless conversation to be having. Cam was an unforgiving bastard on his best day. As soon as he heard what Kelly had done, he’d basically written her off. Cam might be a hard-ass but he was a loyal hard-ass.
Cam was silent for a moment. “Look man, I’m sorry. I get that this has you tied in knots. Personally, I think you ought to go out, have a few drinks and get laid. Come off that self-imposed celibacy stint you’ve been on since you threw her out. But I know you won’t so I won’t go there.”
Ryan laughed and shook his head.
“Dev wants to talk to you a minute so hang on.”
“See ya,” Ryan muttered to empty air.
A second later, Dev came on the phone.
“I won’t repeat all Cam has said other than to ditto everything. What I wanted to tell you is that I’ll be out of pocket for a while.”
“Oh? Eloping with Ashley?”
Dev muttered a not-so-nice directive and Ryan chuckled.
“No, there’s an issue with the construction and we’ve already suffered so many delays on this project that I don’t want to risk any more. I’m going down there myself. It’ll be quicker than conference calls and playing phone tag.”
Ryan frowned and then leaned back in his chair. “How soon were you planning to leave?”
“Day after tomorrow. I’d go sooner, but I can’t. And Cam is going to be out of the country starting tomorrow and I can’t very well ask Rafe to leave his honeymoon.”
“Ah. So really you and Cam were calling to see if I’d do it.”
“Well, yeah, but after hearing what’s on your plate, I’ll go. I can break away after tomorrow.”
Ryan thought a moment and then made a split-second decision. “No, I’ll go.”
“Whoa. Wait a minute. I thought you had Kelly with you. A pregnant Kelly.”
“Yeah, I do. I’ll take her with me. It’ll be perfect. It’ll give us time away from… It’ll give us some time alone to sort things out.”
Ryan could hear Dev sigh all the way through the phone.
“You honestly want her back? After everything that’s happened?”
Ryan gripped the phone and stared out his window. “I don’t know yet. I need some answers before I make that kind of decision. But if she’s pregnant with my baby, I’m not letting her go again.”
“Okay, you go. I’ll email you all the issues. Just keep me posted and let me know if you have problems. I can be there at a moment’s notice.”
“Will do. Look, I know you and Cam think I’m nuts, but I appreciate you having my back.”
Dev’s dry response was immediate. “Yeah, you’re nuts. But whatever makes you happy, man.”
Ryan hung up and stared at the phone for a long moment before summoning Jansen. He gave him a list of instructions, starting with the need for Kelly to see an obstetrician immediately. She’d need a doctor’s clearance to travel, but if the doctor gave the okay, he planned for them to spend a few days alone. And maybe they could start putting the pieces back together.
Then he started a shopping list, ignoring Jansen’s grimace. Kelly needed outfitting from head to toe.
Five
Kelly sat cross-legged on her bed, staring into empty space. She couldn’t stay here. She’d been stupid to think that she could exist in an