Chapter 11
Layton’s phone buzzed again the next morning, and she stifled a groan as she glanced at the screen. One of her clients had left several voicemails yesterday and today, wanting to discuss a home. She’d canceled on another client for the weekend, saying it was an emergency, and the couple had been more than understanding. This guy had been extremely upset she left. He was undecided on homes, Layton already having shown him one property twice. Now he’d been calling and texting her nonstop.
Glancing at her sleeping daughter, she quietly snuck down the hallway into the living room. Layton was up early because of the time difference, but thankfully, all the travel had tired out Caroline.
Layton tried not to cringe as she caught her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a mess with dark circles under her eyes and crazy hair. Men somehow managed to look rumpled and sexy when they rolled out of bed, but Layton felt anything but that.
Gosh. If only Hudson could see her now.
Funny that he’d immediately popped into her mind. She certainly wasn’t going to be sleeping with him anytime soon. Even if they did somehow start dating—which they wouldn’t—she had a daughter. She wouldn’t be in Hawaii for a vacation anymore, she’d be working. Raising her child. Going through a pregnancy.
Tears smarted her eyes, and she sucked in a deep breath. First things first. She needed to figure out what was going on with her client.
Layton pushed the voicemail button, starting to listen to the messages. This guy loved to complain, so it wasn’t a total surprise, but she’d clearly said that she’d be out of town and unavailable.
“Ms. O’Connell,” he said in a clipped tone. “I’m hoping to see a home we visited previously. I think you’re familiar with the one. This matter is urgent, and I’d like access to it today. Please call me back immediately.”
She clicked on the next message, which had come an hour later.
“I trust you received my message earlier. I need to see the property in Arlington again. This can’t wait. Please call me as soon as possible.
There were three more messages, each getting increasingly irate. She was getting annoyed by the time she heard the last one.
“I left multiple messages yesterday and haven’t heard a word from you. This is unacceptable.” He started cursing, and she cringed. After listening to the rambling message, she finally deleted it. She’d contact him when she returned to Virginia. Layton had already told her clients she wasn’t available, so there wasn’t much more she could do.
She ran a hand through her messy hair and then wandered into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she smiled. It was fully stocked now, unlike a month ago. What’d she expect? Of course it was. Emersyn lived here now, and life had moved on. It was weird how Layton’s own life felt like it was at somewhat of a standstill. Things were changing whether she wanted them to or not, and that was a tough pill to swallow.
And the baby?
Her hands started trembling. She had no idea how Hudson would react.
She should text him now. Make sure they were still on for later. Hands trembling, she shot off a message.
Layton: Morning. We still on for later?
Hudson: Morning, princess. Of course.
Layton: Okay. I just wanted to make sure.
Hudson: You seem nervous. Promise I don’t bite.
Hudson: Unless you want me to. ;)
Layton laughed despite herself. Hudson had no idea she was about to turn his world upside down, but she did enjoy his humor. He probably wouldn’t find things so funny later on though.
Layton: No biting. Today.
God, why was she flirting with him? This wasn’t a date. He wasn’t her boyfriend. Something about Hudson soothed her, however, illogical as it was. As he’d said, they barely knew one another. From the moment he’d helped her on the beach, she knew she was safe with him.
Hudson: Then I promise to be good—unless you wear that sexy little sundress again… See you this afternoon, princess.
Ummm, no. She certainly wouldn’t be wearing that. In fact, she hadn’t even brought it with her. Frowning at the time, she knew she’d be anxious until the moment she saw him later. And then? Then life as they knew it would change forever.
***
Hudson shoved his hands in his pockets, striding down the block toward a crowded area of Waikiki Beach. Sunbathers gathered on the sand, surfers were catching waves, and tourists moved through the downtown city streets. A giggling group of teenage girls passed by, and he easily maneuvered around them. Scanning the area for Layton, he looked toward where they planned to meet. Hudson and his buddies usually preferred quieter stretches of beaches—kind of like where he’d taken Layton that night for beers. No doubt she wanted to be around a crowd now he thought wryly.
Not that he’d planned to maul her or something. He’d managed to keep his hands to himself yesterday, hadn’t he?
Moving around a slow group of tourists, his breath caught as he finally spotted her. Her long, blonde hair blew in the breeze, and she had dark sunglasses on. She hadn’t seen him yet, and he took in her strappy tank top and soft, cotton shorts. She was casually sexy, but Hudson figured he’d think she was sexy in anything. A sundress. Denim shorts. Those tiny little pink panties she’d worn that night.
Hell. He’d pocketed them on the beach and then been surprised to find them in his laundry a few days later. Hudson hadn’t meant to keep them as a souvenir, but something animalistic inside him thrilled at the idea of having that little scrap of fabric. Layton wasn’t his, but damn. The more time that passed, the more he wished she was.
Until she’d essentially dropped that bombshell yesterday, showing up on the beach with her daughter. She was alone now, as planned, and something about her seemed almost vulnerable with the way she stood. It bothered him that Layton didn’t want him to pick her up from Emersyn’s place. He’d offered once again earlier, and she’d once again declined. It felt almost ominous in some way, like she was drawing a line in the sand. She might want to see him today, but it wouldn’t be physical. He wouldn’t drop her off at the door and kiss her goodbye again.
Why would he? It had been a month. They weren’t anything to each other.
As he got within a few feet of her, Hudson finally let her know he was there. “Layton,” he said in a low voice.
She jumped but turned toward him, and he felt his heart thump in his chest. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips a pretty shade of pink. Fucking kissable, not that he’d be saying hello that way. He couldn’t see her eyes through the dark sunglasses but felt her looking at him. She had a nervous smile on her face. “Hudson. Hi.”
He cocked his head slightly, wondering why she seemed different than before. It felt like something about today really mattered, but he couldn’t pinpoint precisely what. Hudson and his teammates had learned to be both observant and intuitive in their line of work. It could literally mean life or death. He considered himself able to get a good read on people, to know their intentions, but at the moment, he couldn’t tell the first thing that Layton was thinking.
She wrapped her arms around herself, which drew his attention to the movement of her breasts. “You look nice,” Hudson said, his gaze scanning over her. Nice was an understatement. She looked fucking perfect, and he was kicking himself for not staying in touch. Emersyn lived here now. Of course, Layton would’ve been back at some point.
Clearly nervous, she shifted and clutched her hands in front of her. “Hey, it’s all right,” he said, wanting to soothe her. “You want to grab a beer?” He cocked his head toward a nearby bar. Music spilled out from inside, and conversations trailed through the air. What he really wanted was to get her alone—and not to have his wicked way with her either. He actually did want to talk. See where her head was at. Layton had been fun and flirty last month. Right now, she just looked worried.
“No,” she said softly. “I didn’t want to get together for a beer.”
“No?” He raised his eyebrows, wondering even more what this was about.
“Hudson. I wanted to talk.”
“Okay. Want to walk on the beach or something? Or grab an empty bench somewhere? If your ex is bothering you—”
“It’s not my ex,” she told him.
“So, what’s wrong?” he asked, hating the terrified look on her face. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and gripped her hand. It was so damn small in his own, but it felt right. They might not be together, but shit. He knew what it felt like to be inside her. To hear her sweet cries. He wasn’t some asshole off the street she’d just met. They had a history—brief as though it was.
Layton clung to him like he was her lifeline, and Hudson guided her over to an empty picnic table beneath some palm trees. His thumb ran over her smooth skin, so damn soft. Just like the rest of her. He helped Layton to sit down, and she slid off her sunglasses as he folded his big body onto the bench beside her. Tears filled her pretty blue eyes as she looked up at him, and those lips he loved began to tremble.
“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out.
A beat passed, and he blinked, certain that he’d heard her wrong. “Wait—what?”
“I’m pregnant,” she repeated, her voice growing stronger. “And it’s yours,” she added needlessly, as if there could be any other reason she’d want him here alone on the beach to talk.
He stared at her a moment, the world suddenly growing smaller and smaller as the sounds around him faded into the distance. He felt a little dizzy, actually. Woozy. He put his hand on the table to steady himself. He might be sitting down, but it felt like someone had just sucker punched him. Layton was looking at him, waiting for him to say something, but he would’ve been less surprised if she’d shot him with a stun gun. It was like his brain was short-circuiting, unable to process the news and form a coherent thought.
They’d used protection. He was always careful. Always. And despite being with various women over the years, since Hudson was a teenager, not once had a single woman uttered the words Layton just said.
“Wh—” He cut off, still staggered by the news. “You’re pregnant? Are you sure?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded, a few stray tears slipping down her cheeks. Hudson’s stomach dropped. He hated to see her cry, but she’d just shocked the hell out of him. She couldn’t be pregnant. It was one time. Once. With a condom.
“I’m sure. I know this must be a shock to you,” she said, wiping at the tears on her cheeks. “I was pretty surprised myself. Obviously, I do have a child, but I wasn’t planning—I wasn’t expecting….”
“When did you find out?” His voice was gruffer than he’d intended. Harder. She flinched slightly, interpreting his reaction as anger. Everything about this felt fucking wrong.
“Just before I came to Hawaii,” she said. “I’m six weeks along.”
“Six weeks? But that’s over a month! Why didn’t you tell me immediately?”
“I just found out!” she cried. Looking mortified, tears streamed down her flushed cheeks.
Hudson’s anger slid away, concern suddenly filling his features. “Layton,” he said in a choked voice.
She shook her head, swiping away the wetness on her face. “That’s how it works,” she said, suddenly looking annoyed. “Once you miss your period, you’re already one month pregnant. I was late, but given the stress I’ve been under, I wasn’t worried at first. I mean, that’s not completely unusual for me. But then I started feeling nauseous, different, and suddenly I just knew.”
“You knew.”
“I bought a pregnancy test, and the two pink lines confirmed it. Positive. I came here shortly after that. Dropped everything and booked a flight. When I saw you yesterday, I panicked. I couldn’t just tell you on the beach in front of everyone,” she said accusingly. “We hadn’t even seen each other or spoken since that night. Was I supposed to just shoot you a text out of the blue?”
Hudson had the decency to look sheepish. “You’re right, and I appreciate you telling me in person.”
“Exactly. And now that we’re alone, without my sister and all of your friends around, I’m telling you that I’m pregnant with your child.”
“This is…holy shit. I don’t know what this is.” He raised his hands to his head, adrenaline coursing through him. He wanted to beat the shit out of something. Go for a ten-mile run. Anything to burn off the adrenaline and anxiety coursing through him. If only he could turn back the clock. Rewind what they’d done.
One fucking night, and his entire life was suddenly shaken up.
Hudson rose, Layton looking at him in alarm. A cold sweat broke out over his skin, and he felt clammy. Jittery. Hudson was used to being a man in control. But nothing—no one—could stop the panic suddenly surging through him. His emotions were like a freight train, unstoppable in their power. “Layton. Holy hell. I wasn’t planning on ever being—”
“Don’t say it,” she said sharply, eyes like steel. “It takes two to tango,” she snapped, throwing his words from months ago back at him. “Guess you’re a better tango partner than you thought.” The sarcasm dripped from her voice. While she’d been upset moments ago, anger was rising to the surface.
“I can’t be a father, Layton. I didn’t even have a father growing up—just asshole foster parents who’d rather push a kid around. Shove him down rather than build him up. I lived with foster families who were in it for the money, not any sense of love. I don’t know the first thing about raising a child. I mean, we barely know each other. You have a daughter!” he said.
Layton threw her hands up in exasperation. “We had a one-night-stand, Hudson. A fling. Neither of us told each other our entire life story. It gutted me having to fly home a few days later after the night we’d shared, but that’s all it was supposed to be, right? No strings. No expectations. Just one night of hot sex.”
Hudson clenched his fists, trying to rein in his emotions. “Yeah. One night. And I wore a fucking condom. I didn’t think a night with you would change my life forever. I need to go,” he said, suddenly desperate to get away. “I can’t deal with this right now. I can’t be who you want me to be, Layton.”
He moved before he’d thought better of it, striding away from the gorgeous woman he’d been thinking about for the past month.
Away from her angry, hurt look.
Away from his baby’s mother.
Unable to stop himself, he cast one last look over his shoulder.
Layton didn’t come after him, but the expression on her face gutted him. She was pale. Shocked. The anger had disappeared, and Hudson knew he’d hurt her. Disappointed her. But he kept walking, hurrying faster to get away. Yeah, he’d upset someone he cared about, just like he’d disappointed every other fucking person in his life. Some things never changed.