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“You can vouch for my character, can’t you, Spike?”
The dog looked up, alert and attentive.
“Have I ever done you wrong?”
Spike growled at the idea.
“Of course not. You’d defend me to the death, wouldn’t you?”
A bark of assent.
“We know I’m the salt of the earth. And Nina should know, too. But if she’s gnawing at that old bone of contention all the time…It could be the answer, Spike.”
A darker growl.
“You’re right. She should know better. Thanks for helping me out, Spike. You’re a great source of inspiration.”
Understanding that the conversation was over and having given satisfaction, man’s best friend returned to feeding his own satisfaction. He knew there was more in a bone than there was on the surface.
Th
e idea of Nina shutting him out because she didn’t trust him to behave as a father should did not sit well with Jack. It was extremely offensive to him. If that was Nina’s belief, he had to set her straight. He could be as good a father as anyone else. Better. After all, he’d heard most of the complaints new parents made about each other, so he could work out how to circumvent them.
First thing tomorrow he’d call Maurice and arrange to have nappy-changing lessons from Ingrid. The criticism that fathers were inept or useless at such a task was not going to apply to him. As for Nina scoffing about him being an expert on babies, well, why couldn’t he become one? There had to be plenty of books on baby problems.
He’d much prefer Nina to be leaning on him for advice and support than shutting him out. In fact, the more she leaned on him, the more likely she was to want what he wanted. Once they could make love again, Jack was sure everything would be fine between them. The fabulous fusion of their bodies into one, the glorious sense of ecstatic fulfilment, the deep intimacy of sharing the excitement and the aftermath…Jack wanted all that very badly.
This kid thing was not going to beat him.
Or break them up.
Feeling much more cheerful about the situation, Jack cut off a big chunk of cheese, spread it with pickles and bit into it with relish. Tomorrow was another day. Tomorrow he would knock Nina’s worries about his fatherly fitness right on the head. She wouldn’t shut him out again. No, sir.
“Here comes your dad, kid,” he said out loud, enjoying the ring of it. “Here comes your dad.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE knock on the connecting door from the flat to the house had to be Sally’s. Nina smiled as she called, “Come in!” It was eight-thirty, the time Sally usually checked in with her each morning to discuss the business of the day. The return to routine gave Nina a comforting sense of normality and security. She needed it after the tumult of uncertainty Jack had stirred last night.
The door near the far corner of the living room opened, and Sally popped her head around, waggling her highly mobile eyebrows. “I’m not disturbing anything?”
Nina shook her head. “I’m all organised. Just washing up breakfast things. Have you got time for a cup of coffee?”
“If it’s no trouble.” Having been welcomed, Sally sailed in, looking sunnily superb in a wheat-gold suit. She perched on the stool by the kitchen counter, her bright hazel eyes alight with curiosity and interest. “How’s the babe this morning?”
“No problems so far. She only woke to be fed once during the night. I couldn’t ask for a more contented baby.”
“Let’s hope it lasts.”
For more reasons than one, Nina thought as she put the kettle on and spooned instant coffee into a mug for Sally. Jack might come to love a good baby, though babyhood was only the start of a long, trying journey with children. Would Jack last the distance?
She pushed the worry aside and gave Sally a warm smile. “Thanks for organising the nappy service for me.”
“Piece of cake.”
Nina waved at the coffee table. “And the lovely flowers. They’re perfect.”
“Oh, Jack bought those. I only put them in the bowl.” She gave Nina an arch look. “That guy is worth marrying, Nina. He cares a lot about you.”
