The Heir Affair. Cat Schield

with her keys until Kyle pulled the ring from her clumsy fingers and slid the correct one home. His body brushed hers, awakening her longing to be held in his arms, and she was a split second from throwing herself against his chest when he took a deliberate step away from her.

      “After you.”

      Melody bit back a miserable groan. “Thanks.”

      Knowing it would be dark when she returned, Melody had left the lights burning in the living room. The heavy scent of roses hit her as soon as she entered. An enormous bouquet of fat red blooms occupied the center of her dining table. The arrangement had appeared at the studio the prior afternoon. She’d been thrilled as she’d read the accompanying card.

      I’m thankful for you.

      There’d been no signature and Melody hadn’t recognized the handwriting. This hadn’t surprised her. She suspected the order had been phoned in and the florist had written the message. But when she’d studied the card and the roses, she wasn’t sure Kyle had sent them.

      And now, as he helped Melody out of her coat, Kyle didn’t seem to notice the flowers. Which left her wondering if Hunter had sent them. If so, that was going to complicate things between her and Kyle.

      “Do you want something to drink?” She indicated the kitchen, but Kyle didn’t spare it a glance as he shook his head.

      He seemed glued to the floor in the space between her living and dining rooms. Melody wondered what it would take to get him to sit down.

      “Who are those from?” Kyle had at last noticed the roses.

      “I’d hoped they were from you.”

      “I didn’t send them.” If Kyle noticed her rueful tone, he gave no indication. He moved toward the table. “Wasn’t there a card?”

      “Yes, but it wasn’t signed.”

      “Are they from Hunter?”

      “Sending me roses was never his style.”

      “Things change.” His lips tightened. “Did you call and ask him?”

      “No.”

      Melody had left the card on the table beside the crystal vase. Kyle picked it up and read the message.

      “‘I’m thankful for you’?” He shot her a frown. “What does that mean?”

      Irritation rose at his sharp tone. She thought it was pretty obvious. “It’s Thanksgiving. Maybe someone thought it was a timely message.”

      “Someone?”

      “I don’t know where the roses came from,” she snapped, wishing Kyle would stop talking about the stupid flowers. She needed to tell him that she was pregnant, but had lost control of the conversation.

      “You’re sure?” He reread the card. “This seems awfully personal for it to have been written by a stranger. Did you ask Trent or Savannah if they sent the flowers?”

      “Yes. They didn’t send them.”

      “Red roses are a romantic gesture,” Kyle murmured to himself, tapping the card against his knuckles. He frowned at the plump red buds. “It seems like something a man in love would send.”

      Which was why she’d wished Kyle had sent them. Of course, despite being together for nine months and the fact that he’d invited her to move in with him, Kyle had never actually come out and said he loved her. He’d always been a cool customer when it came to women. The one who decided when it started and when it ended.

      It was this tendency that had made her hesitate before choosing him over Hunter. She’d been worried about stepping from one relationship where she didn’t feel safe and secure into another similar situation. Even so, in the end she’d following her instincts and taken a leap of faith. And despite their current problems, she still wouldn’t say she’d been wrong.

      “Why didn’t you call Hunter and ask him?” Kyle asked, watching her through narrowed eyes as if waiting for her to slip up.

      A thousand times in the last five months she’d regretted hanging out with Hunter in that New York City nightclub and then leaving at the same time he had. The whole thing had been innocent enough. There had been a crush of people outside the club and he’d grabbed her hand to avoid being separated as they’d run to the limo that had been waiting at the curb. Unfortunately, the media was obsessed with Hunter’s love life and had blown up the incident, speculating that Hunter and Melody had reunited.

      “Can you please forget about Hunter for two seconds.” Melody didn’t want Kyle’s thoughts taking him there.

      Since she’d run into Hunter in New York, Kyle had mentioned several times that she might have unfinished business with the DJ. That couldn’t be farther from the case, but there were things she’d had in common with Hunter, like them both being in the music business, that she didn’t share with Kyle.

      Melody set her hand on his arm to bring his attention to her. “I have something I need to tell you.”

      When his hazel eyes shifted her way, she released the breath she’d been holding. It was long past time she got this off her chest, but now that the time had come, saying the words out loud was way harder than any speech she’d prepared in her head.

      “Earlier I said things are complicated.”

      Cool eyes watched her from a face made of granite and Melody longed to be anywhere but here. Given Kyle’s family background, he wasn’t exactly emotive. He played his cards close to his chest. She had absolutely no idea how he was going to react to what she had to say. She could only hope the anticipation was worse than the outcome.

      “I’m pregnant.”

      Kyle’s flat expression vanished. Instead, he looked like the floor had dropped from beneath his feet. “Pregnant?”

      “Yes. I know it’s a shock...”

      They hadn’t anticipated this. The topic had never even come up. Nor had marriage or anything having to do with the future. Their relationship had been new and untested. They’d both committed to taking things one day at a time.

      “You’re having a baby.” His gaze went past her shoulder and roved around the room as if he was in search of something to help him understand. Like a lodestone, the vase of red roses snagged his notice once more. His body went rigid. “And the father?”

      Melody shook her head and took a step back. Had she heard him right? “What do you mean?”

      “The father.” Kyle flung out his hand in the direction of the flowers as if they explained everything. “Do you know who it is?”

       Two

      At his question, Melody blinked several times in rapid succession and then just stared at him in shock. As the impact of what he’d asked sunk in, Kyle realized he’d just made a huge mistake. His heart clenched in misery. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but that was all he seemed capable of these days.

      “What I meant was...” he began, but she was having none of it.

      “You’re the father,” Melody said, her voice raw with disappointment and anguish. “How could you think anything else?”

      “The flowers.” He slashed his gaze toward them, unable to face the judgment in Melody’s eyes. “It’s the exact thing Hunter sent you last year when he was trying to get you to reconsider picking me over him.”

      “Hunter and I are friends.” Her stiff tone brooked no argument. “Nothing more.”

      “The same could’ve been said about us before we got together,” he reminded her.

      For several seconds she stared at him in silence as her chest rose and fell in response to the