Chandra paced the great room floor at Julian’s cabin. Her heart thudded in her chest, her pulse raced and she felt light-headed.
When the front door swung open, Chandra nearly jumped out of her skin.
She should’ve heard Julian’s SUV pull up or the turn of the front door lock. But apparently, she hadn’t been able to hear anything over the thrum of the rushing blood that echoed in her ears.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Julian set a bag on the counter.
The smell of the meal from the King’s Finest Family Restaurant should have made her mouth water. Instead, she felt queasy. And now she knew why.
“Hey, you sure you’re okay?” Julian placed the back of his hand to her forehead. Then he tipped her chin and studied her face. “I was hoping you’d get some rest. But you seem—”
“Pregnant.” She cut him off. “Very, very pregnant. I don’t know how you could’ve known when I didn’t, but you were right. I had Naya stop at the drugstore before she dropped me here. I’ve taken two different pregnancy tests. They’re both positive.” Chandra could still hardly believe how her life, already in transition, had been turned upside down in a few hours.
“How are you—”
“I know this isn’t what either of us expected from this relationship... But I do want this baby.” Chandra placed a protective hand over her belly. “I realize fatherhood wasn’t on the agenda, so I’ll understand if you want to walk away. Keeping and raising the baby is my decision, and I’m prepared to deal with the consequences.”
Julian blinked and seemed to come out of his momentary daze. He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “I was going to ask how you’re feeling.”
“Oh.” She’d been sure he was asking how she’d planned to deal with the pregnancy. “I’m fine. Just stunned. We were both so careful. I honestly didn’t see this coming, and I swear I had no idea before I took that test this afternoon.”
“Chandra, I believe you.” Julian cupped her cheek, his reassuring gaze meeting hers. “And it’s okay to be a little frightened and overwhelmed by this.”
“Why would I be overwhelmed? I’ve managed business professionals most of my career, and I practically raised my brothers and sister. I’m more than capable of caring for this child.”
Chandra didn’t care that she sounded defensive. It was better than the alternative: being vulnerable and in a position to be hurt. Something she promised herself she’d never do again.
After all this time, the sting of Edward’s rejection and the humiliation of his betrayal were still lodged beneath her skin, like the insidious cockleburs that stuck to her clothing and pricked her tender flesh when she and her brothers played in the field as kids.
“I’ve delivered my fair share of babies during my residency. Doesn’t mean I’m not terrified at the thought of having a kid of my own. But we’ll get through this. Together. Because I’ll be there every step of the way.”
Her heart swelled at Julian’s heartfelt promise. Because despite her bravado, Chandra was definitely panicking. Julian recognized the vulnerability and fear in her eyes, and he’d stepped in to reassure her. Just as he’d done aboard the plane.
Julian was a genuinely good guy. Had he promised to be there for her and the baby strictly out of a sense of duty? If so, he’d undoubtedly come to resent that obligation. Eventually, he’d resent her and maybe even their child. And that was a thought she couldn’t bear.
Chandra pulled free of Julian’s embrace. A chill surrounded her immediately, despite the warm blaze of the fireplace.
“You’re here because you have to be, Julian. We both know you’re counting the days until you can return to Philadelphia. The last thing you want is a kid tying you to this place.” Chandra slipped her hand in his. “Don’t do this because you feel you have to, Julian. I can take care of this baby myself.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Julian wrapped her in a hug and kissed her forehead. “Maybe parenthood wasn’t part of either of our immediate plans, but I’m just as invested in this child as you are. So I’m not going anywhere, Chandra. If you’re in, I’m in. Got it?”
Chandra nodded, tears gliding down her cheeks. She wiped at them, embarrassed. Less than twenty-four hours into parenthood and she’d already been reduced to tears.
“Everything will be fine, sweetheart. I promise.”
When Julian’s firm lips met hers in a kiss, Chandra melted into him. She gripped the lapels of his jacket.
What had begun as a source of comfort quickly blossomed into a heated embrace that set her skin on fire and made her belly flutter.
Julian shrugged his coat onto the floor, and she tugged the hem of his shirt from his waist and fumbled with the buttons as they continued their heated kiss. She dropped his shirt to the floor, followed by her own. Julian unzipped her skirt and it pooled at her feet. He gripped her bottom tight, his hardened length pinned between them, then lifted her. Chandra wrapped her legs around his waist as he transported her to his bedroom. The place where, perhaps, they’d conceived this child.
The thought sent a chill up her spine, her body tingling with desire for this man who’d come to mean so much to her.
She would never have imagined they’d end up here: about to be parents. But as Julian set her on her feet, and they fumbled to finish undressing one another amid their increasingly urgent kisses, she couldn’t regret a single moment that had led them here.
They climbed into his bed, Julian’s hands roaming her bare skin. Their kisses escalating as the heat built between them until she felt as if she would combust.
When Julian reached for the drawer beside his bed, Chandra grabbed his wrist. “If you really haven’t been with anyone since we were together...”
“I haven’t,” he assured her.
“Then I don’t think we’ll be needing what’s in that drawer for a while.” She caressed his stubbled cheek and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
Julian’s eyes darkened, his mouth curving in a wicked grin. “No, I suppose we won’t.”
He made love to her. Worshipped the body that would soon swell and sag and be marked with even more stretch marks as it nurtured the baby they’d made.
Chandra had no idea what the future would bring. Maybe Julian would never look at her again with the passion and hunger she saw in his eyes now. But she would enjoy these moments and commit them to memory. His taste. The weight of his body on hers. The sensation of him filling her. And the tender moments as he held her afterward and assured her everything would be all right.