The Fiancé He Can't Forget by Caroline Anderson Page B

and one for Matt. To give him later,’ he added hastily when she frowned.
    She nodded. ‘Thank you,’ she said again, and took the tissue from him to wipe the gloop off her tummy. She’d started to show already, she realised. No wonder her jeans were tight.
    Just eleven more days to go…
    â€˜You aren’t going to lose this baby, Amy,’ Ben said firmly, as if he’d read her mind. ‘I’m not going to let you.’
    â€˜You may not be able to stop it.’
    â€˜I’d like to scan your cervix weekly from now on. Matt seemed to think—’
    â€˜Have you been talking to him?’ she asked, horrified, but he shook his head.
    â€˜No. No, of course not. I promised I wouldn’t. This was years ago, the only time we’ve talked about it. It was right after you lost the baby, and he was distraught. He thought it was your cervix. He was talking about monitoring you much more closely for the next pregnancy.’
    She swung her legs down off the edge of the couch and stood up, straightening her clothes automatically. ‘What next pregnancy?’ she asked—fairly ridiculously, under the circumstances, she thought with a touch of hysteria, but if it hadn’t been for the wedding she wouldn’t have seen him again. ‘He walked away, Ben. I told him I couldn’t cope, that I needed time to get over it, and he walked away. He almost seemed relieved.’
    â€˜Amy, you’re wrong,’ he said, frowning, but she knew she wasn’t. He’d been cold, remote. He’d hardly talked to her. He’d grieved for the baby, but he hadn’t been able to support her, and he had rebuffed any attempt by her to support him.
    â€˜Ben, drop it. Please. You weren’t there, you didn’t see him. You can monitor me as closely as you like, but if it’s all the same with you I’ll take it one day at a time. I refuse to get my hopes up.’
    â€˜Because you feel guilty?’
    She stared at him. Did she? Was that the reason she’d been so slow to realise that she was pregnant, and so reluctant to recognise this child? Because she didn’t feel she deserved it? Because she’d gone for that walk with Matt the day before, and got overtired and then—?
    â€˜Ben, can we leave this?’ she asked a little desperately, shutting the memories away before they could swamp her.
    â€˜Sure. I’m sorry. Here, your photo.’ He handed her the little image in its white card mount, and she slipped it into her bag.
    â€˜I’d better get back to work. And—thank you, Ben. I really do appreciate all you’re doing for me.’
    â€˜Don’t mention it.’
    She was doing fine.
    There was nothing—nothing at all, from any test or examination—to indicate that she might lose this baby. Just as there hadn’t been last time.
    She put it out of her mind, and carried on as if nothing was any different. Apart from taking the usual precautions and supplements, she carried on as normal and tried not to think about it—or Matt—too much.
    She worked the day shift on Christmas Day, and in the end she went round to Ben and Daisy’s in the evening, just to eat. She didn’t stay long, though. Daisy was looking tired, and it was their last Christmas alone together, so she left them to it after they’d eaten, and went home and thought about Matt.
    Was he alone? It was all right for her, she’d had a great day at work, and she’d had a lovely dinner with Ben and Daisy. But Matt—who did he have?
    She could phone him. Say Happy Christmas, and tell him he was going to be a father.
    No. It was still too early, but she would tell him soon.
    She would.

CHAPTER FOUR
    H E STOOD on the pavement outside, staring at the front door of Daisy’s house and fighting indecision.
    Amy was in. He could see the light from the kitchen shining down the hall, and he saw a shadow move across as if