Chapter Five
Where was Nick? Beth looked at her watch yet again and saw it was now after ten. He should have been here no later than six. Dinner had long since grown cold, but she’d left everything on the table, too pissed off to clean up. She had planned on telling the big jerk about the pregnancy tonight, but now all she wanted to do was yell and scream at him—and, God help her, she also wanted to sit down and cry.
For someone who claimed to want nothing from Nick, you certainly are overreacting at being stood up. With a groan of disgust, she went to the bedroom to get ready for bed. Already she seemed to tire much more easily than she normally did.
She awoke with a jolt. The room was spinning and her stomach was churning. She jumped out of bed and dove for the bathroom, where she once again lost the contents of her stomach. Since she had barely eaten anything earlier, it ended up being a lot of dry heaving after the initial sickness.
She was lying on the bathroom floor, too tired and weak to make it back to bed, when she heard someone stumbling around in the bedroom. She heard a crash and a loud curse. She relaxed, recognizing Nick’s voice. He knocked on the bathroom door and slurred a loud, “Princess, you in there?”
Before she could answer, the door burst open and Nick blinked several times while his eyes tried to adjust to the bright light. “What’re you doing on the floor, princess?” Nick asked, obviously confused. “Oh, shit, baby. Are you sick again?”
Disgusted and still pissed off at him, she snapped, “Can’t get anything past you, Einstein, can I? How about giving me some privacy, Nick, and then you can have the bathroom to hose all the booze off since you reek of it.”
Nick seemed to be deep in thought over her suggestion. “Are you finished being sick?”
“Yes, I’m okay now. I just need a minute to make it back to bed.” She swayed on her feet as she tried to stand up too fast. Nick was by her side in an instant. Despite her protests, he swung her up in his arms effortlessly and walked into the bedroom to deposit her on the bed. Without saying a word, he went to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water and a wet cloth. She sat quietly while he cleaned her face and held the glass to her lips.
For someone who had been slurring his words a few minutes ago, Nick seemed to have sobered up fast. “You need to go to the doctor tomorrow, baby. This is two nights in a row that you have been sick.”
“I’m fine, Nick. I’m sure it will pass.” Wrinkling her nose at the smell of liquor on his breath, she said, “Why don’t you go home and sleep it off?”
“I’m not leaving you here sick. But I will go shower since it offends you so much.”
Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “Where were you tonight?”
“What do you care, princess? Did you have an itch that you needed scratched? Because I know that’s the only reason you ever want me around.”
Beth saw red. Was he actually complaining about having sex with her now? She wanted to hit him with something. Instead of physically assaulting him though, she hit him where she knew it would hurt him the most. “No, you ass. I’d just rather the father of my baby not wrap his car around a tree because he is stupid enough to drive while drunk!”
Nick gave her a smug smile and said, “I took a cab so get off your high horse.” He stood up and walked into the bathroom.
Beth sat in the bed, stunned. He had made no comment at all about the first part of her sentence. Was he so drunk that he hadn’t understood what she said? She finally worked up the nerve to tell him and this was it? No shock? No nothing?
Suddenly the bathroom door flew open and Nick stood there with no shirt on and just his pants riding low on his hips. She could hear the shower running. His face was white and his eyes were wild. “What did you just say?” he whispered.
“Um, that I didn’t want you to drive while you were drunk?” Beth hedged.
“No, before that,” Nick responded quietly.
“I didn’t want the father of my baby to wrap his car around a tree.” Beth closed her eyes when she saw the reaction on his face that she had expected when she first delivered her bombshell.
She heard Nick clear his throat and then, “I’ll be right back.”
He was back about ten minutes later having obviously showered. He had pulled on a pair of lounge pants that he kept at her place to wear in the evenings. He looked stone-cold sober as he settled in a chair near her bed.
Beth was starting to get unnerved as he continued to stare at her. Finally realizing that he was waiting for her to say something, she cleared her throat and tried to think of where to begin. “I’m pregnant and it’s yours.” Smooth, Beth, real smooth. You couldn’t start with a flowery speech? I think he already knows you’re pregnant and that he’s the father. “I . . . I just found out. I was going to tell you tonight, but you didn’t come home.”