murmur and rustle of patients.
After making the necessary arrangements with Eva, she and Cole used a staff
exit. Sneaking around like kids, Stacy thought.
Outside, the mild air reminded her that it was almost June.
“I’m due in February,” she blurted as they walked. “It’s funny—I have to
consider everything from a new perspective. Like Christmas...I’ll be too big to
fly to Utah.”
Cole accompanied her into the parking structure. “Why would you
fly to Utah?”
They knew so little about each other. “That’s where my parents
live now. They moved there to be with my sister and her family.”
“Aha.”
“Any more questions?” Stacy pressed the button for the garage
elevator.
Cole cleared his throat. “Who’s Harper?”
“My roommate.”
When the elevator arrived, he got in with her.
“No bike today?” Stacy asked.
“Yes, but I’ll see you to your car.” The elevator gave a small
lurch as it started. He put his arm around her waist and gripped the side bar
with his free hand to steady them. “Did that hurt?”
She buried her face in his shoulder to smother a giggle. “I’m
not that fragile.”
“This roommate of yours, is she the helpful type?” Cole asked.
“If you suffered a complication, would she know what to do?”
“She’s an obstetrical nurse,” Stacy assured him.
“Good choice,” he said, as if she’d chosen her roommate
specifically for that reason.
On the second floor, the elevator shuddered to a halt. Cole
kept hold of her until they were safely on solid concrete.
They stopped by her car. As she dug in her purse for her keys,
he said, “You don’t have to deal with this situation alone. We should get
married.”
Stacy dropped her purse. Keys, Life Savers, tissues, a wallet
and a phone spilled out. Thank goodness for the distraction, because it gave her
time to gather her thoughts.
What on earth was she supposed to say to that?
Chapter Six
By the time Stacy had stuffed most of her possessions
back into her purse, several facts had sorted themselves out in her brain.
She didn’t want a marriage that was doomed from the start. She
and Andrew had walked down the aisle madly in love, and look how that had turned
out. How much less of a shot would a marriage have with a man motivated
primarily by obligation?
She didn’t harbor any illusions about a baby cementing the
bond. Adorable as little ones might be, sleepless nights and crying jags took a
toll. She’d seen how Harper and her late husband, Sean, had struggled to adjust
after Mia’s birth. Fortunately, a deep love for each other and a solid
commitment had brought them close again before he died in an off-roading
accident.
A baby deserved devoted parents, not a couple united by a
drunken mistake. A real home, like the one Stacy had grown up in.
“I didn’t put that very well.” Cole handed her a lipstick tube
he’d plucked from behind a tire. “If you’d like a more romantic proposal, I
could arrange that.”
As Stacy took the lipstick, her fingertips brushed his and the
scent of his soap and aftershave teased her senses. She was tempted to smooth
back his thick, brown hair, but that might give him the wrong impression.
“You’re a good, kind man and a great surgeon.” Despite feeling
breathless, she pressed on. “But, don’t think of this as our baby, Cole. In
fact, it would be better if no one other than Adrienne and Eva knew you were the
father.”
“And let them believe...?” He stopped.
“That I had a one-night stand? So I did,” she said. “Okay, if
anyone—I’m not naming any names, but possibly Rod—makes any rude remarks, you
have my permission to put them in their place. As my friend and colleague. Not
as anything else.”
He was watching her closely. “That’s a no, then?”
“It is,” she confirmed. “It’s best for both our sakes. I have
friends who’ll be there for me.”
“I’d like to be there for you, too,” Cole said.
A temptation to give in to him
After making the necessary arrangements with Eva, she and Cole used a staff
exit. Sneaking around like kids, Stacy thought.
Outside, the mild air reminded her that it was almost June.
“I’m due in February,” she blurted as they walked. “It’s funny—I have to
consider everything from a new perspective. Like Christmas...I’ll be too big to
fly to Utah.”
Cole accompanied her into the parking structure. “Why would you
fly to Utah?”
They knew so little about each other. “That’s where my parents
live now. They moved there to be with my sister and her family.”
“Aha.”
“Any more questions?” Stacy pressed the button for the garage
elevator.
Cole cleared his throat. “Who’s Harper?”
“My roommate.”
When the elevator arrived, he got in with her.
“No bike today?” Stacy asked.
“Yes, but I’ll see you to your car.” The elevator gave a small
lurch as it started. He put his arm around her waist and gripped the side bar
with his free hand to steady them. “Did that hurt?”
She buried her face in his shoulder to smother a giggle. “I’m
not that fragile.”
“This roommate of yours, is she the helpful type?” Cole asked.
“If you suffered a complication, would she know what to do?”
“She’s an obstetrical nurse,” Stacy assured him.
“Good choice,” he said, as if she’d chosen her roommate
specifically for that reason.
On the second floor, the elevator shuddered to a halt. Cole
kept hold of her until they were safely on solid concrete.
They stopped by her car. As she dug in her purse for her keys,
he said, “You don’t have to deal with this situation alone. We should get
married.”
Stacy dropped her purse. Keys, Life Savers, tissues, a wallet
and a phone spilled out. Thank goodness for the distraction, because it gave her
time to gather her thoughts.
What on earth was she supposed to say to that?
Chapter Six
By the time Stacy had stuffed most of her possessions
back into her purse, several facts had sorted themselves out in her brain.
She didn’t want a marriage that was doomed from the start. She
and Andrew had walked down the aisle madly in love, and look how that had turned
out. How much less of a shot would a marriage have with a man motivated
primarily by obligation?
She didn’t harbor any illusions about a baby cementing the
bond. Adorable as little ones might be, sleepless nights and crying jags took a
toll. She’d seen how Harper and her late husband, Sean, had struggled to adjust
after Mia’s birth. Fortunately, a deep love for each other and a solid
commitment had brought them close again before he died in an off-roading
accident.
A baby deserved devoted parents, not a couple united by a
drunken mistake. A real home, like the one Stacy had grown up in.
“I didn’t put that very well.” Cole handed her a lipstick tube
he’d plucked from behind a tire. “If you’d like a more romantic proposal, I
could arrange that.”
As Stacy took the lipstick, her fingertips brushed his and the
scent of his soap and aftershave teased her senses. She was tempted to smooth
back his thick, brown hair, but that might give him the wrong impression.
“You’re a good, kind man and a great surgeon.” Despite feeling
breathless, she pressed on. “But, don’t think of this as our baby, Cole. In
fact, it would be better if no one other than Adrienne and Eva knew you were the
father.”
“And let them believe...?” He stopped.
“That I had a one-night stand? So I did,” she said. “Okay, if
anyone—I’m not naming any names, but possibly Rod—makes any rude remarks, you
have my permission to put them in their place. As my friend and colleague. Not
as anything else.”
He was watching her closely. “That’s a no, then?”
“It is,” she confirmed. “It’s best for both our sakes. I have
friends who’ll be there for me.”
“I’d like to be there for you, too,” Cole said.
A temptation to give in to him
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