.
‘What matters is if I like him or not, I think, Nico.’
The faintest of smiles touched his lips. ‘You always like them, Marianna...for a week or two.’
‘This one is different.’
‘Is he?’
Yes. He was the father of her unborn child.
‘THE FOOD HERE is superb,’ Marianna told Ryan, staring at the arancini balls the waitress set in front of her. Very carefully she drew the scent into her lungs and then gave up a silent thanks when her stomach didn’t rebel.
It didn’t mean she had an appetite, though. When Ryan didn’t pick up his cutlery to sample his fettuccine, she figured he wasn’t all that hungry either. She leaned back and folded her hands in her lap. ‘So...it wasn’t food you wanted after all.’
‘I wanted to talk to you...privately.’
Daniella, the maître d’, had taken one look at Marianna’s face and seated them in the most secluded corner of the restaurant. Marianna was glad now that she had. ‘Well...talk.’
He picked up his fork and tested each tine with his index finger. He made as if to stab at a mushroom, but he set the fork down again and shuffled back in his seat. Marianna had no interest in making the way easy for him, but his continuing silence started to stretch her nerves thin.
‘I did an Internet search on you last night.’
His gaze speared to hers.
‘I know you’re some hotshot consultant who comes in and saves companies who are on the brink of bankruptcy. I know you’re worth a lot of money.’ She shook her head. Her idea of him being some free and easy gypsy type must’ve had him laughing up his sleeve. She suspected her hope that he would love their child would prove just as ridiculous. ‘So let’s clear this up right now. I do not want your money. I have no intention whatsoever of making any claim on it. No doubt you’ve come prepared with papers you’ve had your lawyers draw up.’
The darkness in his eyes throbbed between them. Marianna swallowed. ‘C’mon, then.’ She beckoned with both hands. ‘Pull them out and let me sign them. Then, perhaps, we can enjoy our meal before going our separate ways.’
‘You think that’s why I’m here?’
She arranged her serviette in her lap and then folded her hands on the table. ‘Isn’t it?’
He reached out as if to take her hand, but pulled back to rub his nape instead. Marianna pulled her hands into her lap and glanced away. Looking at him... It was too hard. It hurt all of the sore places inside her.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t react well yesterday. Your news blind-sided me. I was...stunned. In shock.’
That was one way of putting it.
‘At the time I didn’t consider how hard it must’ve been for you to deal with the news all on your own. I’m sorry.’
His apology surprised her.
She grimaced. She hadn’t exactly broached the subject of her pregnancy gently, had she? She’d shot the news at him like a torpedo...and she’d expected him to deal with that with grace? Her brothers would blame it on her flair for the dramatic. The truth of the matter was she’d taken one look at the stranger who’d confronted her yesterday and had panicked.
He had another think coming, though, if he expected her to apologise for that! She seized her cutlery and sliced off a sliver of food, lifting it towards her mouth.
‘What I’m trying to say, Marianna, is that I have no intention of abandoning my child.’
She dropped her knife and fork back to her plate, the morsel untouched. Her heart pounded. ‘And what if you have no say in that?’ He’d said he didn’t want a baby. Ever. She wasn’t letting a man like that anywhere near her child.
He turned grey. ‘Please don’t prevent me from being a part of my child’s life. I know I behaved badly yesterday and I know I’m not what you thought I was, but then you’re not what I thought you were either.’
That arrow found its mark.
He leaned towards her, his eyes ablaze. ‘I know what it’s like to feel unwanted by one’s parents.’
Something inside her stilled, and then started to ache at the pain he tried to mask in the depths of his eyes.
‘I have no intention of letting a child of mine feel rejected like that.’
Yesterday, before their unfortunate meeting, she’d expected him to be a part of their child’s life...regardless of anything else that might or might not happen between them. She passed a hand across her eyes and tried to still the sudden pounding of her heart. ‘How do you think this can work?’
He captured her hand and forced her to look at him. The sincerity in his face caught at her. ‘Marianna, I will do anything you ask of me. Anything except...’ He swallowed.
‘Except?’
‘Walk away from our child. Or...’
‘Or?’
‘Marry you.’
She reclaimed her hand and glared. ‘Who mentioned anything about marriage?’
‘I didn’t say I thought that’s what you wanted. I—’
‘Good! Because I don’t! We don’t even know each other!’ A fact that was becoming increasingly clear. ‘What kind of antiquated notions do you think I harbour?’
‘Don’t fly off the handle.’ He glared right back at her. ‘I thought it wise to make myself and my intentions clear. Your brothers seem very traditional and—’
‘They’re protective, not stupid! They wouldn’t want me marrying some man just because I’m pregnant. For heaven’s sake, women get pregnant all the time—single women. No one expects them to get married any more. No one thinks it’s shameful or a scandal.’
He leaned towards her, his eyes intent. ‘So your brothers haven’t been pressuring you about the baby?’
‘What are you talking about?’
He eyed her warily. ‘Don’t fly off the handle again.’
Her hands clenched. ‘Do not tell me what to do.’
His eyes narrowed, turning cold and hard, and Marianna had to suppress a shiver, but she held her ground. He folded his arms and eased back. ‘I was concerned your brothers might’ve been pressuring you to keep the baby when you didn’t want to. Or, alternatively, pressuring you to give it away when you wanted to keep it.’
‘They’ve been nothing but supportive.’ She’d screwed up, again, but she had their support. They might think her a total write-off, but she would always have their support.
But if they were pressuring her, had Ryan meant to intervene on her behalf? The idea intrigued her.
She moistened her lips. ‘What do you mean to pressure me to do?’
‘It seems to me I have very little say in the matter.’ He picked up his fork again, put it down. ‘It’s your body and your life that will be most immediately impacted. I’ll support you in whatever decisions you make. If there’s anything practical I can do, I hope you’ll let me know.’
He made her feel like a spoilt child.
‘Correct me if I’m wrong, but yesterday I was under the impression that you meant to keep the baby.’ He frowned, looking not altogether pleased. ‘Have you changed your mind?’
She shook her head. An unplanned pregnancy hadn’t been part of her life plan, but... She’d