She pressed her nails into the backs of her hands to remain calm and was only partly successful. “I won’t be treated like your broodmare.”
He shoved away his empty plate. “Then marry me so you won’t mistrust my motives.”
“I’ve no idea what your motives are, but I still mistrust them.” He’d never said he loved her, and it suddenly struck her as a damning omission. It was clear he wanted her and the baby as though they were treasures he could order from a high-end catalog. He was definitely his father’s son, even if he failed to recognize and acknowledge it.
“What did you do with your wedding ring?” he asked.
“Isn’t that off the subject? I put it in my jewelry box. I might need it for a shoot someday if I’m reduced to being a hand model in a detergent ad.”
A teasing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That’s not why you saved it.”
“It isn’t?” She picked up her fork for a bite of asparagus.
“No, you kept it because it means something to you. Even if you were my wife for only a week, it was the best week of my life.”
She’d loved it too and had to swallow hard to force back tears. She spoke in an anguished whisper. “That’s why your underhanded trick hurt me so badly, and you can’t undo it.”
“Why not? Let’s go back to the first dinner we had together. You were in your Goth disguise, and we were getting to know each other. I already had your purple bra draped over the lamp beside my bed, but you disappeared in a cab rather than let me take you home.”
She remembered that night well. “Even if I didn’t take you there, I didn’t lie about my condo.”
“No, but it struck me as odd you’d sleep with me if you didn’t want me to know where you lived.”
Rather than defend herself with a lame excuse, she picked up an olive and ate it slowly while she struggled for something believable. “I’m not sorry I slept with you that afternoon. Goth Girl is far more daring than I am.”
“I like you both. Let’s go back to your condo and finish the ice cream.”
Only a smear of scrambled eggs was left on her plate, the breadbasket was empty, and yet nothing had been settled. “If you’ll agree to just talk.”
“Of course. All night if I have to.”
The damn twinkle was back in his eyes, and she didn’t trust herself now.
He seated her at the dining table, made coffee and served the ice cream. “Let’s get back to the appointments with your doctor. Could you consider me a concerned friend rather than a despicable, conniving bastard who wanted to spy on you?”
She twirled her spoon in her ice cream. “I’ve never thought of you as despicable.”
“Thank you, that’s a point in my favor. I’ll go in the backdoor and meet you at the doctor’s office so we couldn’t be photographed together on the street. Would that help?”
She sat back in her chair, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “We’re avoiding the most obvious solution—we don’t have to have a baby we didn’t plan.”
He’d finished his ice cream and set the bowl aside. “I would never have suggested it, but since you have, I’ll tell you again that I want him or her. What’s your real worry, that having a child will ruin your spectacular figure, or the bother of a baby will keep you from working as much as you’d like?”
Deeply insulted by his softly voiced accusations, her expression turned fierce. “I’m really fond of these dishes, or I’d hurl my bowl at you. I’ve not once thought about my figure or modeling. My only concern is having you as the father.”
“But I’m not despicable at least. My father set such a poor example, I know what a good father ought to be. If I’m responsible enough to run a shipping line, you can count on me to handle whatever responsibilities you want to send my way. There’s no question about my ability to pay for whatever our child needs.”
“Your multitude of assets isn’t the issue, Alejandro. We were so close, and none of it was real. I don’t want to be fooled like that ever again. It
hurt much too badly.”
His voice turned soothing. “What if my attorney handled the child support, and a nanny came to pick up our child and returned him or her to you so you never had to see me?”
She regarded him with a skeptical glance. “You’d agree to that?”
“I suggested it, so yes, but it isn’t what I want for us, Ana. You’ve only known about the baby for a day. Please take more time to consider what you really want to do.”
When she looked at him, sweet memories betrayed her, and she could scarcely think at all. “My mother wanted more children, but my father died young, and she didn’t meet Claude until she was in her forties and thought it too late to begin another family. It would be easier for us both not to have a child. This might be my only chance though, and my mother would love to have a grandbaby.”