Could I? Since I didn’t particularly want to talk, I allowed myself to be dragged to Ruby’s floor. From there, I had solid enough footing to walk myself to her suite. I assured my men I was fine—I’d just gotten lightheaded for a moment—and then I swooped into Ruby’s room with enough vigor that the gladiators themselves would’ve been impressed.
I was barely inside before I flopped down on the couch. “What is happening?” I threw my arm over my face and whined like a twelve-year-old looking for Taylor Swift tickets.
“You fainted like the women you look down upon.”
I moved my arm enough to glare at her from beneath it. “I don’t look down upon women. In fact, if you want to know the truth, I happen to worship women.”
“You worship the fact that women give you sex. That’s not the same thing as worshipping a woman.”
I didn’t like her tone. “You can’t be pregnant,” was what I said instead. “It’s just impossible. You said you were on the shot.”
“That’s exactly what I brought up with my doctor.” She sat in the chair across from me, her face carefully neutral.
“What are you thinking?” I demanded.
“I’m not sure what I’m thinking. What are you thinking?”
“That whoever sold you that shot should be sued. I mean … if you take a shot so you don’t get pregnant, you shouldn’t get pregnant. That should be a law or something.”
A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. She was starting to get her color back. “I’ll take that under advisement.”
I stared at her, trying to get a feeling for what was going through her head. “What are we going to do?” I asked finally.
“Well, since I’m thirty-five, I think I’m going to go through with it. This might be my only chance and … I mean … I think I’m going to go through with it.” That was all she said. She didn’t expand in the least.
“What does that mean for me?” I didn’t want to bethatjerk. I couldn’t help myself from wondering, however. My life as I knew it was starting to flash in front of my eyes. Did they even allow babies in strip clubs?
She shrugged, noncommittal. “You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Meaning what?”
“Meaning that you don’t have to be involved.”
The simple statement was like a slap on a naked cheek. “You don’t want me involved?”
“I didn’t say that. It’s just … well … if you don’t want to be involved, I’m not going to ask that of you. It’s not as if we planned this. We’re not a couple. We had one drunken, stupid night together. That doesn’t have to change your life if you don’t want it to change your life.”
“But you want it to change your life?” That did not fit the picture of the Ruby I knew.
She shrugged. “Honestly, I’ve been at loose ends for months now. I’ve been searching for something. When it was confirmed at the doctor’s office today, I didn’t panic like I thought I would. Instead, I felt okay about it.”
“You felt okay about it?” I didn’t get that. “You need to feel a little more than okay with it if you’re going to raise a child.”
“How would you know?” Her countenance turned dark. “You don’t have a basis for reference.”
“No, but I wouldn’t want my parents to just be okay with me.”
“Which is why I only want you involved if you want to be involved.” She was matter of fact, almost painfully pragmatic. “You should think about it,” she said as she stood. “It’s not something you should make a snap decision about.”
“You’ve known for exactly two hours, and you’ve already made your decision.” Why I was being so belligerent about this was a mystery to me. I just knew that I was worked up, and when I was worked up, I felt the need to argue. Ruby was currently my only option for a solid argument.
“It’s different for me.” She shook her dark head. “I’m thirty-five. If I want a child, I don’t have a lot of time. This child kind of fell into my lap. Or my uterus I guess.” Her shoulders hopped. “I can raise this child alone. Nobody has to know that you’re the father. I just wanted to give you the option to be involved … in case that’s what you want.”
“Who are you going to tell them is the father?”
“I won’t tell them. I’ll just say it was a one-night stand and he doesn’t want to be involved. They don’t have to know.”
I didn’t like that idea. “But … they’ll assume whoever knocked you up is a jerk.”
