ing home. Her two suitcases were already packed in her truck, ready to go. There was only one thing left on her to-do list.
Tell Santiago Velazquez he was going to be a father.
But now, she suddenly wasn’t sure she could do it. Even seeing him in the ballroom, from a distance, had knocked her for a loop. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she shouldn’t stay...
Santiago pushed through the door. When he saw her sitting in his chair, his glare was like a blast of heat, his tall, powerful body barely contained by the well-cut suit. “What the hell are you doing here?”
After all these months, this was how he greeted her? She stiffened in the chair, folding her arms over her belly. “Good to see you, too.”
Closing the door behind him, Santiago pierced her with his hard, black eyes and said dangerously, “I asked you a question. What are you doing here, Belle? I think I made it very clear that I never wanted to see you again.”
“You did.”
Santiago moved closer in the shadows of the study. “Why did you trick my butler into letting you in, telling him there was an emergency?”
“It wasn’t a trick. It’s true.”
“An emergency. Really.” His lips twisted scornfully. “Let me guess. After all these months, you’re realized you can’t live without me, and you’re here to declare eternal love.”
She flinched at the cold derision in his voice.
“God help any woman who truly loved you.” She took a deep breath, then glared back at him. “Don’t worry. I hate you plenty. More than ever.”
A strange expression flashed across his features, then he gave her a cold smile. “Fantastic. So why did you interrupt my party?”
He was glaring at her with such hatred. How could she possibly tell him she was pregnant with his baby? “I came to tell you... I’m leaving New York....”
“That’s your emergency?” He gave an incredulous laugh. “One more thing to celebrate today, on top of closing a business deal.”
Her hackles rose. “Let me finish!”
“So do it, then.” He folded his arms, looking down at her as if he were king of the mountain and she was just a peasant in the dirt. “And let me get back to my guests.”
She took a deep breath.
“I’m pregnant.”
Her small voice reverberated in the silence of the study. His black eyes widened in almost comical shock.
“What?”
Slowly, she rose from the chair, dropping her arms to her sides so he could see her baby bump beneath her pregnancy-swollen breasts and oversized T-shirt. For a moment, he didn’t speak, and she held her breath, afraid to meet his gaze. Some stupid part of her still hoped against hope that he would surprise her. That he would suddenly change back to that warm, irresistible man she’d seen so briefly that cold January night. That he’d gather her into his arms and kiss her joyfully at the news.
Those hopes were quickly dashed.
“Pregnant?”
She risked a look at him. His jaw was hard, his eyes dark with rage.
“Yes,” she choked out.
She never expected what he did next.
Pulling her close, he put his large, broad hands over her cotton T-shirt, to feel the unmistakable swell of her pregnant belly.
He dropped his hands as if he’d been burned. “You said it was medically impossible.”
“I thought it was...”