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‘You’re worried about him?’ Miranda felt a vicious stab of fear. ‘Why? What’s happened?’
Christy frowned. ‘You’ve happened. He’s in love with you and I gather it isn’t reciprocated. He’s thoroughly miserable. Crotchety and short-tempered, thoroughly unlike our easygoing Jake. ‘
Miranda bit her lip. ‘I know he thinks he’s in love with me, but—’
‘If you’re suggesting that Jake doesn’t know his own mind, maybe you don’t understand him as well as you think you do. I could help you out there.’ Christy dipped her hand into the basket and helped herself to one of her own scones. ‘Jake knows exactly what he wants in life and he’s never wrong. He doesn’t change his mind about things. He knew almost from day one that he wanted to be an obstetrician and he was right. It’s the perfect specialty for him. And it’s the same with women. He doesn’t fall in love easily.’
‘He was in love with you.’
‘Yes.’ Christy’s voice was calm as she split the scone with a knife and spread each half with butter. ‘I think he was, for a short while. And that’s one of the biggest compliments I’ve ever been paid because Jake doesn’t fall in love easily so when he does, it’s a really big thing. And he’s in love with you.’
‘Maybe he is.’ Miranda sat down on the nearest chair. ‘But I’m having another man’s baby.’
‘I know about that.’ Christy put half the scone on a plate and pushed it towards her. ‘Eat. Jake’s worried that you’re not eating enough so I said I’d take charge of your calorie intake between now and delivery.’
Miranda smiled. ‘No one has ever fussed over me before the way he does.’
‘No?’ Christy’s eyes were gentle. ‘Then make the most of it. Grab it while you can. He wants the baby, Miranda. He wants the baby as much as he wants you, can’t you believe that?’
‘I believe that he thinks that’s the case.’ Miranda stared at the scone on her plate. ‘But people don’t know how they’re going to react. The baby isn’t his. Nothing can ever change that.’
‘And he doesn’t want to. Jake is the most balanced, levelheaded guy you could ever hope to meet. Have you ever seen him panic?’
‘No. No I haven’t. He’s always Mr Super Cool.’
Christy nodded. ‘He’s a guy who knows who he is and knows what he wants. And he wants you and the baby. Think about it. Think about what you might be turning down.’
‘What if, two years from now, he’s tired of having a lively toddler around the house?’
Christy looked at her for a long moment and then stood up, a sad smile on her face. ‘If you have to ask me that question, you obviously don’t know Jake at all,’ she said softly as she picked up her coat. ‘He’s a good man. A hell of a catch, frankly. You should remember that. Of all the women he’s ever dated, you’re the one he wants. Wow. Be flattered. And now I need to get going because it’s snowing again and Alessandro worries about me when the roads are bad. Don’t get up. You look tired. Eat your scone and I’ll see myself out.’
Miranda sat in the kitchen, staring out of the window as the snow fell and darkness closed in. Jake had phoned earlier to say that he was going down to A and E to deal with an emergency and he was likely to be very late. And she missed him. Even in such a short time she’d become used to the life they’d led. She’d enjoyed their routine of working together and living together. Now it was just the living and soon it wouldn’t even be that because she intended to move into a new flat in the next two weeks.
Outside the wind whistled around the house and she couldn’t stop thinking about everything that Christy had said about Jake. Phrases kept running through her head.
‘A hell of a catch.’
‘You’re the one he wants.’
And he was the one she wanted, too.
And suddenly she knew that Christy was right. Jake was nothing like her father and nothing like Peter. He was strong and sexy, kind and tough, all at the same time. And she was crazy about him.
And Christy was right—he did know what he wanted out of life.
And he wanted her and the baby, so why was she turning down the chance of happiness when she was madly in love with him? When she knew he’d make a wonderful partner?
A slow warmth spread through her and she smiled. She was going to talk to him. As soon as he came home from work. She was going to tell him that she’d changed her mind. That she wanted him to adopt the baby. That she wanted them to be a family.
Wanting to look her best, she washed and dried her hair, changed into a loose, comfortable dress and made herself a drink.
But there was still no sign of Jake. And she was desperate to talk to him. Suddenly it seemed imperative that he know how she felt.
Feeling jumpy and restless, she stood up and paced around the kitchen and then moved into the living room. She was standing there, staring at the photograph of Jake rolling in the snow with his two nephews, when the first pain hit her.
She gave a cry of shock and clutched at her abdomen, winded by the pain and unable to move. Gradually it eased and she inched her way towards the sofa, trying to talk rationally to herself.
She wasn’t due for another month. These were just more Braxton-Hicks’ contractions, signs that her body was preparing for labour. She’d felt them before, although never with such severity. The pain would fade and then everything would be fine.
