Читать книгу Introducing Daddy - Alaina Hawthorne - Страница 11

Adam hit the brakes, and the car fishtailed dangerously. As they slid into the outside lane, a rain-dappled half-ton pickup drifted into Evie’s peripheral vision, and she cringed in anticipation. Just in time the driver swerved and avoided them, but his horn blared—almost in Evie’s ear it seemed—and she clutched at the dashboard to brace herself. “What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?”

Adam didn’t answer, but his knuckles stood out white against his dark skin as he deftly brought the car back under control and maneuvered across the lanes. Nearly expressionless he coasted into the next parking lot they came to without ever saying a word. Evie knew he was dangerously angry.

When the car came to a stop he turned to face her. “What did you say to me?”

“I said, ‘Have you lost your mind?”’

“Don’t be cute, Evie. What the hell is going on?”

She swallowed and looked around. They were just blocks from the shop, and she knew it would only take a few minutes to walk home. At this point she didn’t give a damn if she had to walk in the rain. “I don’t want to stop here.” She popped her seat belt and reached for the door handle. “If you’re not going to—”

She wasn’t even aware that he’d moved until his hand clamped down around her wrist. His expression never changed. “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on. What about a baby? Whose baby?”

Evie didn’t bother to struggle, instead she faced him square on. “Her name is Juliette, and I’m adopting her. Her mother is—was—my roommate. Don’t worry, Adam, she’s not your responsibility. Nothing is going to stand in the way of your career.”

“Wait a minute. Did you say her mother was…”?

“Yes.” Evie made a point of looking down at her wrist, not only because she wanted him to let go, she also knew she couldn’t look him in the face—not now, not with what she had to say next. “Her name was Marlene Hitchcock,” she said softly. “Marlene’s dead.”