Chapter Six #3
They weren’t in love. Yet she was certain he would push, try to bribe her, charm her, or do everything else he reasonably could to win her to his way of thinking.
If she did agree to something long-term, it would be a disaster.
She held marriage sacred, the vows were lifelong, the outcome of abiding love.
She would have none of that with Blake, whether they said “I do” or avoided a ceremony and simply shared a house.
When she broke the news to him, she should be ready for an onslaught of persuasion. She knew Blake was accustomed to getting his way and would not give up easily.
There had been fabulous sex between them, but not love. She thought about her parents and how deeply they loved each other and how it showed in a myriad of tiny ways day after day. That’s the kind of love Sierra wanted.
She felt hot tears sting. She had gotten herself into a situation that didn’t seem to have a happy solution. Maybe with time and a baby, she and Blake could fall in love.
Wiping her eyes, she stood and took a deep breath. Tears solved nothing. She called her doctor and made an appointment. Then she stared into space, trying to make a plan. How was she going to convince him he could be a great dad without having her in his life full-time?
She definitely did not want to give up her baby, so they would have to share custody. Blake was one-hundred percent alpha male, and he would not take no for an answer, so she needed to figure out how to deal with him.
If he did propose, would it be so bad to be married to him?
Again, she thought of her parents’ harmonious marriage, deeply grounded in love and care for each other. If she married Blake without love, they would never have that special union.
Maybe she was jumping to the wrong conclusions. She shouldn’t start imagining what he would do and making wild guesses.
She dreaded telling him and having to deal with a strong-willed, determined man who would be set on doing things she did not want to do. She wasn’t accustomed to having to deal with someone else on major decisions that affected her life.
When would she tell him? She wanted to wait until she was finished with his new wing.
She’d settle up with him and know she could walk away without doing any further work for him.
But she’d never be able to keep the secret while living on his ranch, working for him, seeing him every day.
She’d have to tell him sooner than that.
If they had a fight, a real battle over the future, she would just have to live with still seeing him and working with him.
She felt a little better because she had a plan of action—she’d see a doctor and have the pregnancy confirmed.
The second thing was to finish his new wing.
Then she’d tell him he was going to be a father.
Next week she was staying at the ranch, and Blake would be home from California.
Sierra knew with absolute certainty that when Blake learned the news, he would start planning their lives and their future.
This would be one dad who would not disappear.
She felt certain that, one way or another, Blake would be part of her life for the next twenty years or so.
He might not propose to her, but he would not ignore his child.
She ran her fingers across her forehead. She had a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. Sunday afternoon at two she would leave Kansas City for Texas.
She had told her parents, and they were as supportive as she had expected them to be.
She still needed to talk to her older brothers.
They were protective of their sisters in a very old-fashioned way, and she suspected they weren’t going to be happy with Blake unless she handled telling them carefully.
At least they were in Kansas and Blake was in Texas.
She would see Blake on Sunday—that knowledge kept her pulse beating faster.
Part of her was eager to see him, while another part of her wished she could put off seeing him for years.
She didn’t want to see him while keeping this secret and she didn’t want to have to break the news to him because it would turn his world upside down.
She debated what to wear, how to fix her hair and how much to pack. Finally, the next morning, she dressed in a red linen suit with a matching silk blouse and high-heeled pumps. She combed and clipped her hair up at the back of her head.
The commercial flight to Dallas seemed short. Blake was home and knew she was coming, so there was a plane waiting to fly her to the ranch.
All too soon, they landed at the ranch airstrip. As it taxied to a stop, her pulse beat faster, eagerness now intermingling with dread. She didn’t want to tell Blake. In the next few hours his entire future would change, and she didn’t think he would be happy about the prospect.
She placed her hand defensively against her stomach.
She’d had some time to get accustomed to the fact that she would become a parent.
At some point after the initial shock, joy had enveloped her.
She was going to have a baby. Another grandchild for her parents.
Her family would give her all the love and support she would need.