An Heir For Her Enemy (Bossy Bachelors #3)

14. Delaney

CHAPTER 14

DELANEY

D elaney woke early on the morning of the authentication appointment. She yawned, stretched, and rolled out of bed, only to be hit with a wave of nausea so overpowering that it took all her power to dash to the bathroom before she was sick. She knelt on the cool tile floor and moaned. She’d been feeling a little under the weather the past few days, especially in the mornings, when she’d only been able to manage herbal tea instead of her usual coffee, and she’d been tired. But this was much, much worse.

She pushed herself to her feet and went the sink, where she cupped water in her hand and swished it in her mouth. She must have gotten some kind of food poisoning, although that was surprising. The last restaurant where she’d eaten had been the beautiful Basilico e Formaggio by the Colosseum, and Delaney sincerely doubted that she’d eaten something dodgy there.

Perhaps Logan was also having a bad morning with the stomach flu. At least she had gotten up early enough to be ready in time.

She took a shower and dried off, but before she could get dressed, another wave of nausea hit, and she rushed to the toilet. This was going to be a difficult day. Delaney washed her face and mouth again, then went to the bed and lay down on her side, taking deep, calming breaths. It was incredibly annoying to have the stomach flu on her one and only trip to Rome. It would make the authentication appointment much more challenging — and probably put a damper on their celebratory meal.

Delaney waited for another wave of nausea to come, but surprisingly, she felt a little better. Maybe there had just been something she’d needed to get out of her system. She cautiously drank a glass of water and nibbled on a few of the crackers she’d brought as airplane snacks. Things seemed to be coming together.

With time to spare before the appointment, she put her pajamas back on instead of dressing in her formal clothes. She planned to relax on her bed until it was time to go and didn’t want to get anything wrinkled. Then she crawled back into bed with her e-reader, determined to take it easy until she needed to get ready for breakfast with Logan.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to eat, but some tea would do her good, at least.

Delaney did her best to focus on her book, but her mind kept wandering. She wasn’t sure what she’d eaten that could have gotten her so sick. Since she was feeling better now, she wouldn’t bring it up with Logan. There was nothing less attractive than the stomach flu.

Although in the past, when Delaney had had the stomach flu, nothing had made it better for at least a few hours, and she felt surprisingly good now. Strange.

That wasn’t the only strange thing, either. The last few days, Delaney had felt woozy in the mornings more than once, though she’d always felt better after tea and a little food. She’d also been tired. Until now, it had been easy to blame both the light nausea in the mornings and the tiredness on jet lag and new food, but today’s bout of illness didn’t match with that.

Delaney looked up from her book, her eyes widening. There was another explanation, although it was so ridiculous as to be almost unbelievable. After all, she and Logan had only spent one night together, and it had been weeks ago…

Weeks ago. Delaney counted back to the night she and Logan had slept together. It had been about a month, and she’d had her period about two weeks before that… so, she hadn’t had her period in six weeks. She’d slept with Logan right around the middle of her cycle, and, although they’d used protection, accidents did happen.

Delaney had never been one of those women who could set their watches by their periods, but the coincidence seemed too great to forget about. What was she supposed to do now? She needed to go meet Logan for breakfast soon and go to the authentication appointment. Even if she had time, she wasn’t sure where to look for a pregnancy test in Rome.

But she needed to know. Now that the possibility was on the table, she couldn’t wait another minute.

Delaney took a deep breath, then reached for the hotel’s phone with shaking fingers. She dialed reception and, to her immense relief, a woman answered. “ Buongiorno .”

“Um, English, please?” Delaney asked, wishing she could say something in Italian.

“Of course. How may I help you this morning?”

“It’s a… sensitive matter.” Delaney winced.

“That is no problem. We have a very good confidentiality policy here.”

“Right. Um, I need a pregnancy test, please. Room five-one-two.”

“I’ll bring it to you in a few moments.” The woman still sounded pleasant and professional, which was reassuring. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, that’s all. Thank you.”

“No problem.” The woman hung up, and Delaney put the phone down. She didn’t know how long she had to wait — would the pleasant receptionist go buy a test somewhere, or did they have a selection on stock for cases like this? Delaney had no idea. Either way, the wait would be too long. She wasn’t sure how she’d get through the next minutes.

Delaney tapped her fingers against the edge of the bed, a swirl of questions bombarding her. If she really was pregnant, she couldn’t imagine how her life would change. She had always wanted to be a mother, but she’d never imagined becoming one like this. She was on the brink of finally achieving her dream of opening a gallery, but it would be so much more difficult to do so as a single mother.

Because, if the test came back positive, Delaney would surely be a single mother. Logan had been pleasant and even expressed an interest in some kind of connection with her, albeit it more friendship than romance, but he would never want to be involved with a baby. That much was clear. Babies sidetracked careers and complicated relationships. That was the opposite of what Logan wanted.

“Calm down,” Delaney told herself out loud. She hadn’t even gotten the test yet. There was no point in speculating about something that might not even be happening. Maybe the test would be negative, and she would slip easily back into her life in New York with nothing but a fridge magnet and a book of Roman pictures purchased the day before to remind her of Logan and this trip.

A knock at the door startled Delaney so much that she nearly fell out of bed. She got up and hurried to the door, where a young Italian woman in black slacks and a white button-up stood. She was holding a brown paper bag.

“Good morning,” she said pleasantly. “We spoke on the phone. I have your delivery.”

“Thank you very much.” Delaney pressed a twenty-euro note into the woman’s hand as a tip. She had no idea if it was a fair price, but she was so grateful that she would happily have paid triple.

“Have a nice day.” The woman turned and walked away. Delaney quickly went back into her room and shut the door behind her. Then she locked the door and slid the safety chain into place, feeling more than a little like a femme fatale planning an elaborate mission.

Quickly, she crossed to the bathroom. Inside, she laid the paper bag on the counter and slowly drew out a small pink box. Unfamiliar Italian words were written on the front, but even Delaney would have known it was a pregnancy test from the picture of a round-bellied woman on the front. Delaney glanced down at her own flat stomach and gently rested a hand there. She didn’t look pregnant. At least not yet.

Taking another deep breath, she fished a plastic stick and a set of instructions out of the box. It seemed fairly self-explanatory, but she still used her phone to translate the Italian instructions. She wasn’t going to take any chances here.

Once Delaney was sure she knew what to do, she sat down to take the test. Yet despite all the water she’d drunk, she couldn’t seem to pee. It was probably nerves. She got up, drank another full glass, and tried again. Success.

According to the instructions, she needed to wait two minutes before checking the test. She laid the plastic stick on the bathroom counter and turned away, not wanting to catch a glimpse before time was up. Then she set a timer on her phone.

Two minutes.

What if she was going to be a mother?

One minute, fifty seconds.

What would Logan say?

One minute, forty seconds.

What would her parents say?

One minute, thirty seconds.

Could she be a mother, anyway? She hadn’t been around babies that much.

One minute, twenty seconds.

Would she still be able to open her gallery?

One minute, ten seconds.

Could she have a baby in her small studio apartment?

One minute, even.

What if the test was negative?

Fifty seconds.

That would be for the best, right?

Forty seconds.

So why did she half-wish that it would be positive?

Thirty seconds.

A baby with her and Logan’s features would be adorable.

Twenty seconds.

But she couldn’t raise a baby!

Ten seconds.

Neither could Logan.

Beep, beep, beep.

Delaney turned off the alarm and turned slowly back to the counter, her heart in her throat. She looked down at the test and saw, as clear as day, a small plus sign in the viewing window. She was pregnant.

In that moment, all her worries fell away. She wasn’t sure how to raise a baby. Her career plans would have to change. Logan wouldn’t take it well. But none of that mattered.

The only thing that mattered was the baby. Her baby. She felt an instant wave of connection and protectiveness that was completely unexpected. Just like that, Delaney knew that she would do anything for her child. Anything at all. Nothing and no one, not her career, not even Logan, mattered as much as her baby.

Delaney lowered a hand to her stomach again.

“Hello in there,” she whispered. Her lips curved into a smile. This was completely unexpected. She would never have planned to have a child here and now. Yet it was also unbelievably perfect. The moment stretched as Delaney stood in the hotel bathroom, her hand on her stomach, almost in tears with happiness.

A knock on the door shattered the moment. Delaney gave a little jump. Who was there?

She hurried to the door, undid the chain, and opened it. Her eyes widened as she saw who was standing on the other side. It was the only person she wanted to see right now — and the last person she wanted to talk to.

“Logan!”

“Delaney?” He looked anxious and confused. “Listen. I know you’re feeling upset about last night, and I wanted to apologize.”

“Last night?” Delaney was so focused on the pregnancy she’d just discovered that Logan’s words felt like a complete non sequitur.

“Yes, last night.” He nodded. “I should never have kissed you. It’s best that we keep things professional, and I broke that. It won’t happen again.”

“It’s all right.” Delaney returned to her real life with a crash. “I kissed you, too. But I agree — it is best that we keep things professional.” As professional as we can be while I’m carrying your child.

Eventually, she would need to tell Logan about the baby — he deserved to know that he was going to be a father. But now wasn’t the time or place for baby news.

“So, you aren’t upset?” Logan’s brows furrowed over his gray eyes.

“No. It’s okay.”

“Then… what happened? Why didn’t you come to breakfast?”

Delaney let out an involuntary gasp. “Breakfast! Oh, no, what time is it?”

“Time to leave. We have to go, right now.” Now that he knew she wasn’t upset, Logan was starting to look more than a little annoyed. He cut himself off, though. “As long as you’re all right. You look a little pale.”

“Thanks.” Delaney sighed. “I just feel a bit under the weather. But I’m fine. I’ll get ready right away.” She turned, leaving the door open, and hurried to the dresser where she’d hung her outfit for the day. Her hair was a mess and she wasn’t wearing makeup, but clothes were the most important. She filled her arms with the skirt and jacket she’d chosen then turned to see that Logan had come in. Her eyes widened as he made a right turn — directly into the bathroom. A warning caught in Delaney’s throat, but it was too late.

Delaney dropped the clothes she’d just gathered and raced into the bathroom after Logan. He was standing by the counter, his mouth slightly open. In front of him lay the positive pregnancy test, still face up.

“Logan…” Delaney began. She could explain — she needed to explain. This wasn’t how he should have found out, but she could still make things right.

Logan turned to her, very slowly. His gray eyes were blank now and his face was pale. He looked like he’d just seen a ghost. Delaney’s explanations petered to nothing as Logan fixed her with that intense gaze. The moment stretched as they just looked at each other.