“What’s this?”

Blake caught her elbow and encouraged her to sit. A serene smile met the corners of his mouth as he took the chair opposite her. “Pregnant women in their first trimester usually start their day off with bland food in order to settle their stomachs.” He reported the facts that Samantha had already learned the hard way as if he were reading from a textbook.

“And where did you learn this?”

“Last night, when you slept, I used my phone for something other than looking up the latest market numbers. I brought coffee, decaf, but the articles I read said you probably wouldn’t want it.” He pushed the one glass of milk on the tray toward her. “But milk is a must for you and the baby.”

With the word baby, Samantha felt tears sting her eyes again. So far, she’d only really looked at what was happening as a pregnancy. An event that changed everything. “This is so sweet.”

“That’s me, Mr. Sweet.”

“Blake—” she started.

“Wait.” He grasped her hand and bent down beside her. “We have a lot to talk about, but right now let’s hold off. You need to eat and I could really use a shower.” His thumb stroked the inside of her wrist as he spoke.

“But—”

He placed a finger over her lips. “Shhh…”

Samantha nodded, conceding to hold off their impending conversation.

Blake smiled and stood. But before he left the room, he placed his lips to hers for a tender kiss.

Maybe everything would work out.

An hour later, they both sat on the chaise lounge chairs on the back veranda overlooking the ocean. Blake wore tan shorts and a simple cotton shirt that stretched over his taut chest. The marine layer was far off the coast, giving the sun the opportunity to shine and the temperature to reach the high seventies.

Admittedly, Blake’s idea of breakfast worked wonders, except for the coffee, which Samantha switched to herbal tea and now sat sipping from a warm mug.

Since leaving their bedroom, neither had said one word about the baby. But now the silence stretched between them as vast as the ocean.

“So?” Samantha heard Blake say.

“So.”

A nervous smile played on her lips. Her hands twisted in her lap. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.” It was the one thing she really needed to know Blake understood. The whole reason he’d gone to her to find him a temporary bride was to eliminate a woman wiggling into his life permanently. And here she’d gone and done exactly that. Even if they ended their marriage after a year, a child would be there forever.

Permanent.

“You’ve already said that.”

“I need you to believe me.”

“Look at me, Samantha.”

She hesitated before bringing her eyes to his. There she found a soft gaze and an easy smile. The same one he’d worn when she’d exited the shower. “I never thought for a minute you’d planned, wanted, or expected to be carrying my child.”

A deep-suffering sigh escaped her lips. She spread her fingers over her thighs and forced some of the tension away. “Good. That’s good.”

Glancing back at the ocean, Blake said, “Did you suspect you were pregnant for long?”

Samantha shook her head. “No. I had no idea.” She told him about her doctor visit, about how she’d learned of the pregnancy.

“And the doctor said condoms failed two percent of the time?”

“Yeah. I assumed that statistic was for complacent teens, not intelligent adults.”

They mused over that for a few minutes, this time the silence was a comfort and not a rock in the road.

When Samantha glanced back over at Blake, his face had twisted into a painful expression. “What are you thinking?”

He shook his head. “I’m trying to find a way to ask you something.”

“Just ask.”

“But what if you give me an answer I don’t want to hear?”

Wow, his honesty humbled her. For a brief moment, Blake appeared to her a man vulnerable to hurt and pain just like anyone else. Instead of that thought making him a lesser person, it made him all the more loveable.

She swallowed with the thought of love swimming in her head. Where had that come from? Damn, this pregnancy thing was already seeping into her emotions and making her a little crazy.

“If you want an answer, you’ll have to risk the question. One thing you can count on with me is honesty.”

The grey of his eyes met hers. “Do you want to keep the baby?”

Her heart kicked in her chest. “Do you want me to give it up? An abortion?” Her insides started to coil on themselves but she couldn’t read Blake’s expression and didn’t know what he was thinking? Was he just asking to find out where her mind was, or did he want to remove the pregnancy and go on as they were?

“I’ll answer your questions after you answer mine.”

That was fair. “I never considered anything other than having the baby.”

Blake’s shoulders slumped in. Was that relief, or resolve? “Blake?”

He smiled. “I’m happy to hear that.”

“Are you?”

“I am. I know this is all happening fast. It isn’t anything like either of us thought it would be, but…”

“But?”

Blake pushed himself off the chaise and started to pace. “This is the way I see it. We’re not kids. Ten years ago my thoughts would have been different, yours too, I think.” He waited for her nod to continue. “When two people, who are not kids, find themselves pregnant they go ahead and have the baby. The bonus here is that we’re already married.”