A Thanksgiving Dilemma (Excerpt Only) - BWWM Romance

Chapter 4 - Brian

Brian felt like he'd been slapped in the face.

Could it really be his baby lying in the hospital alone at this very moment? His child with... what was her name? Nicole? Deidre? He couldn't remember. But would it matter if he had? Had the woman even told him her real first name?

As far as he recalled, she'd been dodgy about personal details. He'd been the same way, considering the nature of their brief, casual acquaintance.

He recalled what she looked like—a lovely, leggy blonde he couldn't believe had actually gone through what she'd hinted at going through.

She told him she didn't want to spend New Year's alone and wanted one night of being treated like a lady, and he had no problem helping that amber-eyed girl through her complicated issues rebound-style.

Besides, she'd looked mournful. He'd really just wanted to help. But had he ended up making a baby with her? Had she tricked him somehow?

The look he'd seen in her eyes was sorrow—she didn't seem to be looking forward to a new year at all.

He figured that, like him, she'd gotten almost physically ill at the signs of celebration and jubilee everywhere, that her stomach had turned all day at the sight of stupid New Year's glasses and hats—was anything really going to change because the year had a different ending number?

He tried to think back and gather more clues. Had he told her where he lived? He couldn't imagine being so careless with a stranger—his home was his castle, and for the past six years, anyone who hadn't been around for more than two months didn't get to see it—which meant no one had.

The last time he let a stranger in his home for a romantic tryst, he'd awakened to having been robbed blind. The drink the woman had made for him had been drugged, and she'd managed to take off with what she wanted.

And now, here he was, possibly having been taken advantage of by a female once again. Would he ever learn?

His attention returned to the sad woman sitting next to him. "I need to find out for sure," he said, looking Karen in the eye.

She returned his look steadily. "I don't blame you—let's go," she said, springing from the couch and heading over to a coat rack.

Brian hesitated, and she seemed to read his hesitation. She looked him up and down with a challenging look, and when her voice came, it was different—not at all like the little lamb of before.

"Okay, you didn't give a shit about that baby until you thought it might be yours," she said, her voice firm and matter-of-fact. "I feel like, had she been left on your doorstep, you would've turned her in without a second thought." Then her voice softened again. "Meanwhile, all I have are second thoughts—that child grabbed my heart from the moment I saw her. You think I don't want to see how she's doing? I have to check on her!"

Brian knew there was no way he could stop her, and that he didn't want to. Despite being the one who came up with the theory that it was his child, at this point, Karen probably still felt like the baby was more hers than his.

She grabbed her handbag, and as they prepared to leave, Brian realized he was glad she was coming along; he needed the moral support.

* * *

"I wonder how long it'll take for them to know," he wondered aloud as they headed for the hospital in his car.

"You'll probably know pretty soon—I'm sure they want to place this child somewhere as soon as possible."

Panic raced through him at a speed he'd never felt—even after waking up and finding his place almost bare after getting conned.

He hadn't even thought about what would happen afterward if it turned out the baby was his. If they never found the mother, then he'd probably have the choice to give her up for adoption or keep her, and he couldn't imagine giving her up. He'd always wonder about her—if she was okay, if her foster or adoptive parents were being good to her—and he couldn't deal with that kind of stress.