An Heir For Her Enemy (Bossy Bachelors #3)

16. Delaney

CHAPTER 16

DELANEY

D elaney stared at Logan, who looked back at her warily. It seemed that the last thing he wanted to do was acknowledge the proverbial elephant in the room — or, rather, the baby in the womb. Delaney couldn’t wait any longer, though. She’d understood the logic of waiting until they’d finished the authentication appointment. She understood why he hadn’t wanted to talk in the crowded waiting room or in the car when they were running late. But it was time to talk now.

Logan didn’t say anything, though. He just looked at her.

“Well?” Delaney’s tone was a bit sharper than she’d intended. “We both saw the test.”

Still, Logan didn’t say anything. He folded his hands in his lap and took a breath, but still didn’t speak.

“I’m pregnant!” That had come out far too loudly, but if the pilot overheard that Delaney was expecting a baby, so be it. Maybe he’d have something to say, even if Logan didn’t. “And to answer your first question, the baby is yours.”

“I knew that,” Logan said, his voice low and calm. Delaney waited for a beat, but he didn’t continue.

“Okay, so I’m pregnant, and the child is yours.” Delaney made a circle with her hand in a “what’s next?” gesture. “Don’t you have anything you’d like to say about that?”

Logan let out another sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “What do you want me to say, Delaney? It isn’t like we’re a couple. And even if we were, this wouldn’t be the right time to have a child.”

“Well, we are having a child.” Delaney gestured to her abdomen. “Whether this is the right time or not, that’s happening. I’m going to be a mother, and you’re going to be a father. The only question now is what we’re going to do about it.”

“Look.” Logan leaned forward in his chair. “I never wanted to be a father. This is a very important time in my career, so even if I wanted to, I couldn’t very well play house.”

“I’m not asking you to.” Delaney didn’t care how sharp her tone was now. Logan deserved every cutting barb that she could make. “No one is asking you to start going to parent-teacher conferences or changing diapers.”

“Then what are you asking?”

“I don’t know!” Delaney threw her hands up. “I’m asking for some reaction. Some acknowledgment of what’s happening to both of us. Is it really too much to ask?”

“Okay, okay. I get that this must be difficult for you, too. What I’m trying to say is that there isn’t much I can offer you, unfortunately.”

Delaney felt his words like a barb in her heart. She’d always known that Logan didn’t want a serious relationship. Even she hadn’t been looking for one, but things had changed. Hadn’t they? She had started to fall for him, despite the walls she’d tried to keep up. Yet Logan clearly didn’t feel the same way.

“So, that’s it then?” Delaney struggled to keep her voice from breaking.

“Of course, I’m going to support you and the baby. I’ll take care of you both financially. But as you know, a child and a family aren’t part of my plans. I’m sorry, Delaney.”

Delaney took a deep breath. If she were being honest with herself, this was the best thing she could have hoped for. Logan was never going to be the kind of guy who proposed just because he’d gotten her pregnant. And she wouldn’t have wanted that, anyway. She hadn’t wanted any of this. The night she’d spent with Logan had been wonderful, and she was excited about becoming a mother, but coming to Rome had been a mistake. She’d let herself fall for him all over again — and he was walking away, all over again.

“That seems like the least you could do.”

“I know. Truly, Delaney, I’m ready to give you anything you need. I can help you buy a house, send regular payments, give funding for your gallery, anything.”

But your heart is off-limits. Somehow, Logan’s list of things he was willing to pay for made Delaney feel even worse. Somehow, she’d become one of those women in a novel who needed to be paid off so that she’d stay away.

“I won’t turn down your offer of child support.” Delaney took a deep breath. “But everything else, I’ll do on my own. I’ve built the life I have from nothing, and I’ll do the same now. I don’t want your pity.”

“Pity?” Logan shook his head. “Never. I know that you’re capable of anything you set your mind to. And I know you’ll be a wonderful mother. I just know that I wouldn’t be a wonderful father — or a good partner to you. It might be hard to understand, but I’m trying to do the best thing for all of us by keeping my distance.”

“I understand more than you think.” Delaney folded her arms. “I understand that you’re scared. You think that if you step away from the work of your company for even an hour or let yourself care about something, or someone, else, everything will fall apart. I know you’re scared of letting yourself fall in love. And hey, maybe you’re right. I don’t know. All I know is that you’re too afraid to find out.”

“Maybe I am scared.” Logan shrugged. “But this is my choice. I’ll support you financially, but this is it for us. It has to be.”

“Understood. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to rest. Creating a human from scratch requires a lot of energy, and I don’t have any more time for this.”

“Delaney—”

But Delaney wasn’t listening anymore. She grabbed her headphones from her small carry-on bag, which sat next to her seat, and put them in her ears. She turned on the first playlist that popped up, which turned out to be a completely incongruent mix of heavy metal, and turned away from Logan towards the window. If he tried to talk to her anymore, she didn’t hear it.

Delaney wasn’t sure what she’d expected from Logan. Maybe, at the very least, she’d wanted him to acknowledge that there was something between them, even if it wasn’t something they could act on right now. She’d wanted him to tell her that she was special. She wanted him to act like it was a hard decision to step away from her and their baby.

Of course, though, Logan had reacted like he always did. It was eerily familiar to the no-nonsense, businesslike way he’d walked out after the night they’d spent together. His distance made Delaney’s heart ache all the more. Had she imagined that there was something between them? Had that kiss the night before been an attempt to sleep with her again, not an expression of any deeper feeling?

Delaney hazarded a look at Logan and saw that he had his laptop out and was typing away as though nothing was wrong. Perhaps, for him, nothing was.

But then she remembered how he’d looked at her the night before, in the seconds before he’d leaned in to kiss her. She remembered his expression when they’d sat at the restaurant and laughed together. Logan might not be willing to admit it now, but the time they’d spent together had meant something to him, too.

It was a cold comfort, but it was a comfort nonetheless. At least she’d be able to tell her baby that its parents had cared for each other.

Delaney didn’t think she’d be able to sleep, but she woke with a start to the plane bumping down on the runway in New York. Little sleep last night, the stress of the morning, and the exhaustion of early pregnancy must have caught up with her. She rubbed her eyes and took out her earbuds, which were still playing the heavy metal playlist. She did her best not to groan. It wasn’t her favorite kind of music and her head hurt now.

In the seat across from her, Logan had put away his laptop and was already gathering his things. The moment the plane rolled to a stop, he got to his feet and made his way to the door. Delaney felt a stab of panic — after everything, was he still going to walk away without saying goodbye? — but at the door he paused and looked back at her.

“I wish you well, Delaney. Expect the first of your child-support checks by tomorrow.” He hesitated. “You’re going to make an amazing mother. I wish that I could be around to see it.”

Delaney wanted to remind him that it was his choice not to be around, but she didn’t. She just nodded.

“Thank you. Goodbye, Logan.”

“Goodbye, Delaney. There’s a driver outside who will take you home.”

Then he walked down the steps and disappeared. Delaney sat for another moment, then slowly got to her feet and gathered her bag. This was it. Her time with Logan was over. Her heart squeezed with sadness, but she forced herself to be calm. She shouldn’t have expected anything different.

Just as Logan had promised, a driver was waiting for her outside the plane. He hurried to help Delaney with her bags.

“How ya doing, ma’am?” he asked as he loaded her bag into the trunk. Delaney smiled despite herself at his American twang, as familiar and comfortable as her favorite children’s books or the ice cream she always chose.

“Not too bad, thanks.”

“Glad to hear it. Do I have your destination right?” He read off Delaney’s address, and she nodded.

“That’s the one.”

As they drove through the countryside around the private airport, then into the hustle and bustle of New York City, Delaney stared out the window. Everything looked so different from the scenery in Rome, yet it still reminded her of Logan. The families walking with their children, the gleaming buildings, even the businessmen in suits brought back memories of time she’d spent with Logan.

They arrived at her apartment and Delaney leaned forward between the seats with a tip for the driver.

“Oh, no need, ma’am. Your boyfriend already paid.”

“My boyfriend?”

“Oh. Was he not your boyfriend?” The driver’s ears turned slightly red. “Apologies — I assumed.”

“That’s all right. Thank you for the drive.” She pressed the tip into the man’s hand, then climbed the stairs to her apartment. The studio felt small and dark after the beautiful suite in Rome, but it was home.

Delaney dropped her bag and sank onto her bed. How was she going to raise a child in this tiny place? Logan had offered to help, but she wasn’t sure her pride would let her take money from him. Yet there wasn’t even space in here for a crib, much less whatever else babies needed.

It felt strange to be home. It was as though Logan and the trip to Rome had never happened. Yet there was indelible proof that they had — the baby Delaney was carrying. She rested a hand on her stomach. Despite how badly everything had turned out, she couldn’t regret a second of it, because it had brought her this baby. Delaney would be the best parent she could be. She would play the role of mother and father to this child, and hopefully, it would be enough.

Despite her nap on the plane, Delaney was exhausted. She drank some water, then lay down and, before she knew it, she was asleep again.