‘I believe you’ll find that in the UK, the mother has parental rights over the father,’ she said stiffly, not realising she was virtually admitting the baby was his.
Matt’s hands curled into fists in the pockets of his jacket. She was so bloody smug, he thought angrily. Talking to him about rights when she hadn’t even had the decency to tell him she was pregnant. Because if he’d had any lingering doubts about its parentage, she’d just removed them.
Sucking in a breath, he shrugged. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I’ll just wait until the child is born and I can prove that I’m the father. I believe there are Parental Responsibility Orders issued by your courts that might—’
Joanna held up a hand. ‘All right, all right,’ she broke in unsteadily. ‘It’s your baby. I’m not denying it.’
‘So why wasn’t I told?’ Matt asked.
‘I—’ Joanna hesitated, not wanting to continue but knowing she had to. ‘I tried. I rang your New York apartment early one morning, as soon as I knew for certain that I was pregnant. Some—some woman answered.’
‘What woman?’ Matt scowled. ‘Did you get her name?’
‘No, I didn’t get her name.’ Joanna gasped. ‘My God, have there been so many women staying in your apartment that you don’t even know who it was?’
‘Of course not.’ Matt expelled a weary breath. ‘It was probably Andy Reichert’s wife. He and his family are living in the apartment at present.’ He hesitated. ‘Or it could have been his daughter, I suppose.’
Joanna felt her face burning with unwelcome colour. ‘Well—well, I didn’t know that, did I? Anyway, whoever it was, she said you weren’t there. That I should ring back later.’
‘Did you give her your name?’
‘No.’ Joanna sighed.
‘Did you ring back later?’
‘No.’ Joanna bit her lip. ‘I was—upset. I really thought that—’
‘Yes, I can guess what you thought.’ Matt was finding it difficult to keep his temper. ‘How do you think I felt when my own sister had to give me some clue as to what was going on?’
‘Sophie?’ Joanna frowned. ‘So how did she find out?’
‘She saw you. She was working in London and thought she’d look you up.’
‘But she didn’t.’
‘Oh, she did, but you didn’t see her. Sophie has some discretion.’ He shook his head incredulously. ‘For God’s sake, Joanna, what could she have said to you?’
‘I don’t know.’ Joanna was on edge. ‘Maybe I’d have welcomed her advice.’
‘Her advice!’
Matt tamped down his anger with an effort. She knew better than anyone that they’d tried for years to have a baby. And now, when it had happened, she’d kept the news to herself, because she’d apparently believed he was having an affair.
If she hadn’t killed any feelings he might have had for her months ago, she’d certainly done a good job now. Yet he couldn’t deny her condition suited her. There was a quality about her, that famous pregnancy glow, he supposed, that surrounded her. She was wearing her hair longer, too, and the braid she wore curled sensuously about her breast.
He wondered if she was seeing anyone. Just because she was pregnant didn’t mean there wasn’t a man hanging around. Some men were attracted to pregnant women. And despite his own feelings towards her, he didn’t like the thought of another man in her bed.
Which was stupid, he chided himself. It wasn’t as if he’d been entirely celibate since their divorce. Okay, there’d only been that one occasion when he’d submitted to taking another woman to bed. But the fact was, although she’d been more than willing, he’d left without consummating the affair.
‘So what now?’ Matt asked tersely. ‘I’m assuming from your words that you’ve had some thoughts about the future.’
Joanna hesitated. ‘I’m keeping the baby, if that’s what you’re asking.’
‘It wasn’t. I would have thought that was a given.’ Matt frowned. ‘So, surely you aren’t planning on working until the baby is born. Dammit, Joanna, use some of the money I’ve deposited to your account in the past and give yourself a break.’
Joanna swallowed. Should she tell him she was going to stay with her mother and Lionel? And if she did, would he insist on speaking to them, too? The alternative was letting him think she was going to go on working, and who knew if he’d turn up again when she wasn’t here?
‘Well, I—’ she was beginning, when the outer door opened again and David breezed into the gallery.
He was obviously in a good mood; his face was flushed and she guessed he’d been successful in securing support for the exhibition. Not to mention a few gin and tonics over lunch, which accounted for his florid appearance.
His good humour vanished when he saw Matt, however.
‘Joanna?’ he said, the uncertainty evident in his tone. ‘I didn’t know you were expecting a visitor.’
‘I surprised her.’ Matt’s words overrode any attempt she might have made to explain. ‘As I was in England, I thought I’d check up on Joanna’s condition. It’s not every day your ex-wife finds she’s pregnant with your child after the divorce.’
David gave her a horrified look. ‘It’s his baby!’ he exclaimed, and Joanna wanted to groan in frustration. She’d deliberately not told David who the father was, letting him think it was someone she’d met after she’d returned from Miami.
Matt, meanwhile, was smiling smugly. ‘Of course it’s my baby,’ he said. ‘Why else do you think I’m here?’
Joanna schooled her features. Why was she surprised? All he was really interested in was claiming his child.
How naïve she’d been in thinking he might care about her.
‘So how long has he been here?’ David interrupted her unhappy train of thought with a question of his own. ‘He’s not going down to Cornwall with you, is he?’
SO MUCH FOR keeping her plans to herself, thought Joanna resignedly. For heaven’s sake, why couldn’t David have kept his mouth shut?
‘Of course not,’ she said now. ‘I had no idea Matt was in the country until he turned up. Why on earth would you think I’d ask him to do such a thing?’
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ David regarded the other man coldly. ‘As he’s the baby’s father, he probably thinks he has some rights.’
‘I do have some rights.’ Matt regarded him with equal contempt. ‘And now would you mind giving us a little privacy?’
David was belligerent. ‘If Joanna had wanted to see you, she’d have told me.’
‘Would she?’ Matt looked enquiringly at Joanna. ‘She apparently kept the baby’s father’s identity a secret.’
‘Probably because she was ashamed of getting involved with you again,’ retorted David angrily. He turned to Joanna. ‘Would you like me to throw him out?’
‘You’re singularly lacking in imagination if you think you could do such a thing,’ drawled Matt drily. ‘Give