once sworn she’d have to be dying to ever ask her mom for anything, but right now that seemed the lesser of two evils.
“What doesn’t kill me will make me stronger, right?” she muttered.
Lame. So lame.
Still, she picked up the phone, drew in a deep breath and called the last number she had for her mother. It was entirely possible Deidre no longer lived in Florida. Who really knew with her?
She’d washed her hands of Kelly the minute Kelly graduated high school and all but shoved her out of the house so she could move in her latest boyfriend. She’d informed Kelly that she’d done her duty and devoted eighteen of the best years of her life—years she’d never get back—to raising a child she’d never intended to have.
Good luck, see you later, don’t ask me for anything else.
Yeah.
Kelly was about to hang up when her mother’s voice came over the line.
“Mom?” Kelly said hesitantly.
There was a long pause. “Kelly? Is that you?”
“Yeah, Mom it’s me. Look, I need your help. I need a place to stay. I’m … pregnant.”
There was an even longer pause this time. “Where’s that rich boyfriend of yours?”
“I’m not with him any longer,” Kelly said in a quiet voice. “I’m in Houston. I lost my job and I’m not well. The doctor is worried about the baby. I just need a place to stay for a little while. Until I get back on my feet.”
Her mother sighed. “I can’t help you, Kelly. Richard and I are busy and we just don’t have the space.”
Hurt crowded into her heart. She’d known this was pointless, but somehow she’d hoped … Quietly, she turned the phone off without saying anything else. What was there to say anyway?
Her mother had never been more than a resigned babysitter.
Kelly smoothed a hand over her belly. “I love you,” she whispered. “I’ll never begrudge a single moment I have with you.”
She leaned back in the recliner and stared up at the ceiling, hating the helplessness that gripped her. She closed her eyes in weary resignation. She was exhausted.
The next thing she knew she was being shaken awake. She yanked her eyes open to see Ryan standing over her, a plate and glass of water in his hands.
“I brought you Thai,” he said gruffly.
Her favorite. She was surprised he remembered. She struggled to sit upright and then took the plate and glass from him.
He pulled a chair from the kitchen and sat across from her as she ate. His scrutiny made her uncomfortable and so she focused on her food, not looking up.
“Ignoring me isn’t going to help.”
She paused, set her fork down and then leveled a stare at him. “What do you want, Ryan? I still don’t understand why you’re here. Or why you want me to go back to New York with you. Or why you care, period. You let me know in no uncertain terms that you wanted me as far out of your life as possible.”
“You’re pregnant. You need help. Isn’t that enough?”
“No, it’s not!”
His jaw tightened. “Let’s put it this way. You and I have a lot to work out, including whether or not you’re pregnant with my child. You need help that I can provide. You need someone to take care of you. You need top-notch medical care. I can give you all of those things.”
She thrust a hand into her hair and leaned back against the recliner. He immediately leaned forward, slipping from his chair and going to his knees in front of her. He touched her arm, tentatively, as if afraid she’d recoil.
“Come with me, Kelly. You know this has to be worked out between us. You have to think about the baby.”
She held up a hand, furious that he’d try to manipulate her with guilt. But he caught her hand and lowered it, and then ruthlessly pressed his advantage.
“You can’t work. The doctor said you have to rest or you risk the health of your child as well as your own. If you can’t accept my help for yourself, at least do it for your baby. Or is your pride more important than his or her welfare?”
“And what are we supposed to do when we get to New York, Ryan?”
“You’re going to rest and we’re going to figure out our future.”
Her stomach lurched. It sounded so ominous. Their future.
She was a fool to agree. She’d be a fool not to agree.
She was willing to swallow her pride and take the check. Shouldn’t she be willing to accept his help for her baby’s sake? For their baby’s sake?
“Kelly?”
“I’ll go,” she said in a low voice.
Triumph flashed in his eyes. “Then let’s get you packed and get the hell out of here.”
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