Yet he wanted her.
The supposed gold digger.
The supposed fortune hunter.
The supposed woman who would do anything to get his attention.
She just didn’t understand it. But it didn’t matter anyway. Dear God, she couldn’t go through another marriage to a man who needed to possess her for the sake of possession. She wouldn’t be able to breathe again. Just thinking about it made her throat tighten. All she wanted was her independence.
But she had to think about it, in case she found herself weakening toward Flynn. She had to remember and be strong. She must never forget what Robert had done to her in the name of love. Never forget Robert wanting to know where she was every minute of the day, even when she was at work. Never forget the “suggestions” of what to wear, not just by Robert but his mother. Nor the criticism whenever she’d given an opinion, until she’d given no opinion at all.
She’d been young when she’d married, too young, really. And she’d been looking to fall in love when she’d met Robert. She’d missed her parents and had wanted someone to love her back.
But she’d chosen the wrong man, the wrong family, and by the time she’d discovered that, it had been too late. She’d married Robert Ford.
And his mother.
And Flynn wanted her to walk back into the fire? There was no way she would make that mistake again. No amount of sex, no matter how fantastic, would be enough to get her to marry him.
Thankfully Flynn had gone by the time she came out of the bathroom, and Danielle escaped for a stroll through the botanical gardens, appreciating the cooler lushness of the tropical surrounds in the steady heat of the day. But it did nothing to ease her mind, though she kept looking over her shoulder as she walked. She had the feeling someone was watching her, but she soon dismissed the thought. If Flynn were anywhere near her, she’d know about it. And then she spent the rest of Sunday at home on edge that Flynn would come back and put pressure on her to accept his proposal of marriage.
What nerve he had.
Not that she doubted for a moment she would give in, but she wasn’t really prepared to withstand him right now, not after their night of lovemaking. And she wouldn’t put it past him to use their sexual attraction to try and get a promise of marriage out of her, either.
She’d fought too hard to get to this point in her life, pregnant or not, and the last thing she wanted was to trap a man into marriage. She would be the one who’d be trapped…trapped by a man who obviously thought of women as useful for one thing only.
Thank heavens she was pregnant. The very thing that Mr. Flynn Donovan feared was the one thing that would save her from his clutches.
Her baby.
In the end he never came by, neither did Monica, and she had an uneventful day preparing her clothes for work and cleaning the apartment. Afterward she rearranged the furniture in the baby’s room, then sorted through the pile of baby clothes Angie’s friend had given her.
Her hands trembled as she lifted the little vests and jumpsuits. So tiny and sweet. She found it hard to imagine something so small would even fit into them. Even harder to believe she was carrying that baby inside her and in six months she would be holding her child in her arms. She’d tried to prepare but there was no doubt a baby would make a huge difference in her life.
Unfortunately she wasn’t prepared for a bombshell the next day at work. Ben Richmond, the Realtor who’d offered her the apartment, called her at the boutique midmorning while Angie was out doing some bank business.
“Danielle, do you think I could come and see you? It’s important.”
“What is it, Ben?” Something was wrong. She could tell by his tone.
“How about I come by in an hour? Does that suit you?”
“Yes,” she agreed, but once she hung up the telephone she worried about what the problem could be. Ben had been so guarded on the phone.
He was even less cheerful when he pushed open the door to the store and saw her standing beside a row of clothes. His gaze behind the horn-rimmed glasses immediately dropped to her stomach, then back up to her face. “I’m sorry to ask you this, Danielle, but are you pregnant?”
Danielle frowned. “Yes, but—”
He winced then shook his graying head. “So you’re having a baby?” he said, as if he still didn’t want to believe it.
Frowning, she glanced down at her black trousers and sleeveless, body-hugging, cream-colored top that gave no hint of the baby beneath her stomach. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
A momentary look of discomfort crossed his face. “I hate to tell you this, but the lease you signed said no children.” He held out his hands in a helpless gesture and shrugged. “I’m sorry, but there it is.”
“Wh-what?” Her legs threatened to buckle and she made her way to one of the chairs.
Ben shot her a sympathetic glance. “If it were up to me, I’d let you stay. Unfortunately your landlord called us this morning after receiving a complaint from one of the other tenants and that leaves us no choice.”
Danielle tried to take it all in. “Are you telling me I have to leave my apartment? My home?”
He gave an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry. We’re not going to kick you out tomorrow or anything.” His smile faded. “But the landlord is insisting that you leave as soon as possible. He sincerely apologizes but he has no choice, either.”
“But…but…I don’t remember that clause in my lease.” She’d been so grateful to be moving in she hadn’t read it thoroughly.
“It’s there, but I can’t let you take all the blame. I should have pointed it out. I just didn’t think about it because I knew you and Rob didn’t have any children. I didn’t realize you were already pregnant.”
Her fingers fluttered to her neck. “It took so long to find something suitable that I jumped at it without thinking.” Tears pricked her eyes. “Now I’ve got to find somewhere else to live.”
Ben looked worried. “Don’t upset yourself. I’ll help you. I’ve got a couple of places in mind not far from where you are now. You’ll like them, I promise.”
The thought of moving again filled her with dread. What if they couldn’t find somewhere suitable? She’d have to return to Monica’s.
“Are you all right?”