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“Who’re you?” her mother asked.
Zoe couldn’t help but chuckle this time. She was asking herself the same thing. Was there another man like him? If there was, she’d never met him.
“I’m Gabe.”
“That’s right. Did you know that Zoe’s having a baby?” She looked at Zoe.
Gabe looked at her as well. “Yes, ma’am, I see that.”
“She’ll be a good mother. She’s a nurse, you know.” Her mother’s attention returned to her food.
“I do know.” He continued to watch Zoe. “I also think she’ll be a good mother.”
“Are you Zoe’s boyfriend?”
“Mom!”
Gabe’s eyes questioned her as if asking permission to answer. Was he wondering how much her mother knew? It was time to come clean. “Mom, Gabe is the baby’s father.”
Her mother studied him closely. “You will get married.” That wasn’t a question but a statement.
Embarrassment flooded Zoe. She couldn’t even look at Gabe. “Mom! You can’t go around telling men to marry me.”
Her mother ignored her and went back to eating. “This is good,” she said, not missing a beat. As if she hadn’t created a cloud of tension in the room.
It took a few minutes for Zoe to find the courage to even glance at Gabe. He seemed to have taken the exchange in his stride.
After their meal Zoe settled her mother in her room to watch TV and returned to find Gabe had cleaned up the table. “I’m sorry about that. I don’t expect you to marry me. I’ve never thought you should.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said in an even tone. “I put some coffee on. I hope you don’t mind. It’s been a long day.” He hung the washcloth up.
“I’m not surprised. You pretty much came in and made yourself at home.” She hadn’t meant to sound irritated, even though she was...a little.
A shocked look came over his face. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intent. I hadn’t eaten since early this morning, having looked at houses all day. Plus, I knew you didn’t feel well and I guess I just got carried away.”
Was she being too sensitive? He had her so out of sorts she’d not even thought about him, his needs. This situation couldn’t be any easier on him than it was on her. If she met him halfway then maybe it would be better. She could at least try. “Why don’t you go have a seat in the living room and I’ll bring you a cup of coffee. How do you like it?”
“Black is fine.”
With coffee in hand, she found Gabe sitting on the sofa, legs stretched out with his head back and his eyes closed. Was he asleep? Why did it seem so natural to have him in her home?
He quickly straightened when she set the mug on the table closest to him. He ran his hands through his wavy hair. “Thanks. I’d rather do two transplants back-to-back than look at houses all day.”
She settled in the chair facing him.
Gabe took a sip of his coffee.
“Did you find a place?” Was it nearby? Could she handle him being so close?
“I did. It’s out in Vernon Landing.”
Zoe breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t as local as she’d feared. The traffic alone would make him think twice before he just showed up. She wouldn’t allow that anyway. He was right—they needed to talk. They needed to at least agree on visitation guidelines before the baby was born.
“I’m glad you found something.” She couldn’t help but ask, “When will you be moving in?”
“Two weeks.”
Her heart did a thump-bump. “That soon.”
“Yeah. I’m to start my new position on the first of the month.”
Zoe had hoped for more time to adjust to the idea of him living nearby.
“I know this is going to be an adjustment,” he remarked as though he could read her mind. “Neither one of us planned how things have turned out.”
That was an understatement if Zoe had ever heard one. Her hand went to her belly.
“Zoe.”
She looked at him.
“I have no intention of taking the baby away from you. All I want is to be in his life. See him or her occasionally. Do my share financially.”
That declaration did make her feel better. He sounded sincere, not threatening. Having him help financially would be nice, especially since her mother was going to require ever more costly care as time went on. However, she wouldn’t let Gabe think for a moment he could do as he pleased where the baby was concerned. “You know, you can’t just show up here unannounced.”
He put his mug down, placing his arms on his knees with hands clasped between them, and leaned toward her. “I would never do that.”
“We’re going to have to set rules and guidelines. I’ll be raising him or her.” How matter-of-fact she sounded pleased her. She was in control of this discussion.
“Agreed. But big decisions like schools, medical care, moving out of town should be discussed with me.” Gabe’s dark expression warned of his unwillingness to negotiate.
“Moving?” That he had given the future that much thought startled her. She was going to have to make a change of living space soon.
His expression didn’t waver. “I won’t allow you to take him or her to the other side of the country to where it makes it hard to be a part of their life.”
She appreciated his rights as a father, but she wasn’t going to build her world around his wants. She started to say as much but he cut her off. “When I get settled, why don’t I get a lawyer to draw up an agreement? That way we’ll both know where we stand. You can make a list and I will too. Then we can compare and come to a satisfactory compromise.”
Zoe considered his suggestion with care. She had intended to tell him his role in their child’s life wasn’t to dictate how she would raise her child, but doing so would result in arguing about it. “All right. I can do that.”
Gabe stood. “Then I’d better go. I have a bit of a drive to the hotel.”
Zoe rose too and followed him to the door. “Uh, Gabe, before you go, could I ask you about something?”
He looked at her. “Sure.”
“I hate to ask you this before you even started your new job, but I have a patient, Mr. Luther. He’s medically fragile and his liver is failing. He could really use your expertise. He can be a difficult patient but he’s getting sicker and sicker...” She’d had other patients sicker than Mr. Luther, so why was she so concerned about him? He would end up being like the other men in her life and just pass through—but she still wanted the best for him.
“Email me his file and I’ll have a look.”
“Thank you.” Why did she believe Gabe would make it all right? It would be so easy to lean on him in her professional life as well as her personal one. But could she count on him always being there?
His gaze met hers, held. Heat built in her. That same effect he’d had on her during their night together was there, curling around her, tugging her closer to him. Gabe’s hand gently brushed a thread of hair away from her cheek. “You’re welcome. I should go. Take care of yourself. Please tell your mother I said ’bye. See you soon.”
That sounded like a promise. Zoe couldn’t help but wish for more even as she told herself that was the last thing she needed. She closed the door behind him. Something about Gabe made her want to ask him to stay longer. Yet she knew those feelings, if she acted on them, would only make matters worse.
CHAPTER THREE
GABE STEPPED INTO an empty conference room at the hospital and tapped Zoe’s number on his phone for the second time that day. A couple of days had passed before he’d allowed himself to call her, convincing himself he should check on her, the baby. He could have texted, but for some inexplicable reason he was eager to hear Zoe’s voice.
She’d sent the files as he had requested. He was still reviewing them, but he’d alre
ady decided to examine Mr. Luther as soon as possible. Why hadn’t Zoe at least called or texted him about the patient she was so concerned about?
After a number of rings there was still no answer. What was going on with her? Had something happened to the baby? To Zoe? Her mother?
He was thousands of miles away with no way of knowing. Why didn’t Zoe answer? He would try her one more time. If she didn’t pick up he’d call the police and have them stop by her place. Gabe touched the green icon and listened to three rings.
On the fourth a breathless voice said, “Hello?”
Relief flooded him, the tension ebbing away from his shoulders. “Zoe, I’ve been calling you all day.”
“Gabe, I don’t need this today.”
“What’s wrong?”
There was an exasperated sound on the other end, and then Zoe said, “Mother decided to cook bacon. She left the pan on the burner. The kitchen caught fire. I’m at the hospital right now.”
His gut felt like someone had it in their fist and was twisting it. “Is she all right? Are you?”
“They’re treating her for smoke inhalation. She’ll be in the hospital at least overnight. The fire alarm went off and one of the neighbors called the fire department. They got there quickly or it could have been much worse.” She paused. “I’m fine and the baby is too.”
