Kara Lennox – Good Husband Material (страница 7)

Josh smiled at her, trying to put her at ease. “Natalie. It’s good to see you again.” He meant that. Though they’d parted awkwardly, he wasn’t angry about it. She’d obviously been confused and overwhelmed. “Can I get you something to drink?”

She smiled tentatively. “Actually, if you have any water, I’m parched. It’s a scorcher out there.”

“I’ll get you a water,” Rachel said. “Mr. Carlson, anything for you?”

“I’ve got coffee, thanks.”

Rachel withdrew, and Josh stepped around his desk. “Would a hug be out of order?”

Instead of warming up to him, she took a step backward. “I can’t think when you get that close to me, Josh. And I need to think clearly right now.”

Josh felt the first real tendrils of concern. “Is something wrong?”

“Sort of. Well, not wrong, exactly. In fact, once I got over the shock I started to feel pleased about it. But I don’t know if you’ll agree.”

“Let’s sit over here.” Josh had a love seat and a couple of plush chairs in his office for more informal meetings. He led her to the love seat, snagged his cup of coffee from his desk and took one of the chairs for himself. Rachel returned with bottled water and a glass of ice for Natalie, then quietly departed.

Natalie busied herself opening the water and pouring. He could tell she was composing what she would say, and he let her. In his business he’d learned that silence was often more powerful than words.

She gulped down several swallows of water, then set the glass down with a clunk. “So, here’s the deal. Now, this came as a complete shock to me, because I really thought…I mean, given our history…”

Oh, God, was she ill? Did she need money for treatment? Was it her daughter, or her sister?

“Natalie, whatever the problem is, I’ll help you if I can.”

“I thought you’d be kind of mad at me after the way I acted at the reunion.”

He couldn’t help smiling. “Hey, when a woman gives you the best night of your life, it doesn’t tend to make you angry.”

She blushed and stared down at her lap. “I got a little freaky about it. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay. I don’t understand women’s emotions and I probably never will, but I accept that you must have had a good reason for hightailing it out of the Holiday Inn like your underwear was on fire.”

“No, that was the night before.” She grinned sheepishly and he returned the favor, but her smile fled almost immediately. “This isn’t easy.”

“Nat, this is me, Josh, remember? We used to tell each other everything.”

She nodded. “That night, at some point you commented that I’d filled out, that I looked more womanly.”

“I always thought you looked fantastic, but a few extra pounds did nothing but improve you.”

“Well, apparently the fact I was too skinny years ago was affecting my, um, fertility.”

She let that revelation sit for a minute between them until Josh figured it out for himself. “Oh, my God.”

She nodded. “Yeah.” Then she gnawed on her lower lip and waited for his reaction.

“You’re sure?”

She nodded again. “I’m eight weeks along. So far, everything’s fine.”

“You’re sure it’s mine?” The instant the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap them back, but it was too late.

“Josh! Of course. What, you think I’m running around sleeping with all the doctors at the hospital?”

“Sorry. But I don’t really know much about your current life. I mean, it’s been a lot of years. I wasn’t trying to shake off responsibility or anything like that. I was just making sure I had all the facts.”

Pregnant. Natalie was pregnant with his child. How they had both dreamed of this moment. For the five years of their marriage, they’d talked of it almost constantly, and worked at it so often that sex had gone from pure pleasure to a source of stress and fear. They’d both wanted children so badly. But he’d never dreamed this moment would come twenty years later.

“How could this happen?” he asked. “Could a few pounds make that big of a difference?”

“My doctor said it was a combination of things. Being underweight and stressed out affected my fertility. Having some actual curves and being relaxed fixed things. As for my age…it’s not unheard of for women to conceive in their forties. We were just…lucky.”

“Lucky?”

Her face tightened and her eyes flashed dangerously. “Well, yeah, lucky. Damned lucky. That’s how I feel about it. Blessed, really.” She softened. “The timing is awkward, but once the shock wore off I was excited and looking forward to it. Mary is almost as excited as me. She’s always wanted a sibling.

“But, Josh, if you’re not too pleased and want to pretend this never happened, I completely understand. I mean, you’ve raised your kids—they’re almost out of the nest. You’re probably thinking about other things—travel, buying a boat—and a new baby wouldn’t be in your plans. So I just want you to know that I’m not demanding or expecting anything from you. If you want to be a part of this baby’s life, that’s wonderful. But if you don’t—”

“Of course I do!” he exploded, not able to listen to any more. “I can’t believe you would think for a moment that I’d be content to wash my hands of responsibility and send you on your merry way.”

She pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “I’m sorry, Josh. No, I didn’t really expect that. You were always very responsible.”

Responsible. The word seemed almost like a curse. “I’m not just responsible. I love kids, and I’m a helluva good father. I’m going to be a good father to this kid, too, whether you like it or not.”

Natalie sat up straighter. “I wasn’t trying to deny—”

“But you were hoping. I happen to think a child needs two parents. I had to raise mine without a mother, and if they’re turning out okay it’s not because we didn’t go through some tough times.”

“Okay, Josh! I agree, two parents are best.”

“Yet you adopted as a single mother.” Once again, he realized he’d spoken unwisely. What was wrong with him? He didn’t normally blurt things out.

“Because one parent is better than a crowded orphanage,” she said indignantly.

Orphanage? Did they even have orphanages anymore? “Whoa, whoa, let’s back up. I wasn’t meaning to criticize. I’m sure you’re a fabulous mother to Mary. And you’re going to be a fabulous mother to our baby, too.”

She unruffled her feathers slightly. “I’m going to try my darnedest.”

“There’s a slight problem, you know. We live four hours apart.”

“We can work that out. Weekends, vacations—”

“I don’t want to be a vacation dad, or a summer dad. I want to be a part of this child’s life every day. I need that.”

“We’re going to have to make some compromises,” she said reasonably.

“Like hell. The solution is to live near each other. Preferably on the same street.”

“You just made partner,” she said. “You can’t exactly pick up stakes and move to Dallas. And I’m not—”

“It’s more logical for you to move,” he said smoothly. “You’re a nurse. Nurses are in high demand everywhere. With your experience, you can get a job at any hospital in Houston.”

“I can’t move!” she exploded, jumping to her feet. “I’ve got a home in Dallas. Family ties. Mary is in a school she loves, with friends she’s known her whole life.”

He wasn’t surprised at her outburst. He wouldn’t want to have to uproot his life or his kids’ lives, either. But she would get used to the idea. One thing Josh knew how to do was negotiate, and he had just the lever to negotiate Natalie exactly where she needed to be. “I can’t make you move, I guess. But in the end, I know you’ll do what’s best for our child.”

Chapter Four

Natalie steamed through the entire drive home. How dare Josh demand that she give up her life, drag Mary out of her school and away from her friends, and treat her job like it didn’t matter? She’d been doing him a favor, informing him about the baby and giving him carte blanche to participate as much or as little as he wanted in their baby’s life. She hadn’t even suggested the possibility of financial support, though he probably earned at least five times her salary.

All in all, she’d been very reasonable and generous. And how had he reacted? By ordering her to disrupt her entire life, pack everything up and move herself and Mary to Houston.

She’d lived in Houston before, during most of her marriage to Josh, and she hadn’t liked it. Too hot and humid. Cockroaches bigger than your foot. Of course, no place was that attractive when you had no money for air-conditioning. Maybe it would be different now….

No, no, no. That was inconceivable. She couldn’t ask Mary to change schools halfway through high school.

She was no happier by the time she arrived home. She was exhausted from making the four-hundred-mile round-trip all in one day—she’d decided not to stay overnight after her argument with Josh. She’d been too restless to sit in a hotel room, and shopping or looking up old friends had been out of the question given her mood.

Natalie was tired and cranky by the time she arrived home. Of course, she was tired and cranky a lot lately. That was the reason she’d gone to see Celia in the first place.

Celia had warned her to expect more of the same. Pregnancy could be a bit more taxing for her than for, say, a twenty-five-year-old.