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Jordan wondered if she’d seen them together. “She’s fine.”
The orchestra started to play and again Molly lowered her lashes. “David and I had better find our seats. It was nice to see you again.”
His hands remained in his pockets and hardened into fists as he made another desperate effort not to behave like an idiot. “Nice to see you, too,” he murmured.
“I hope you enjoy the play,” she added softly and turned away from him.
He waited until his wife and Dr. Stern had disappeared from his line of vision before he returned to his seat. The play was exceptionally well performed, but it couldn’t hold Jordan’s attention. He doubted that anything could have.
Somehow, through the course of the evening, he managed to say all the right things, comment on the play, even laugh at a joke Lesley made. At intermission he slipped away on the pretext of making a call, but in reality he stood in a corner and waited, hoping for another glimpse of Molly.
He didn’t find her again in the crowded lobby. Disappointed, he went back to his seat. The strength of his feelings for her frightened him. The last time they were together they’d come within a heartbeat of making love. He wanted her,neededher, nestled against him in sleep. He wanted to watch her wake up and smile that dulcet smile of hers when she found him looking down at her. He wanted her to raise her arms to him and welcome him into her heart.
How Jordan managed to sit through the remainder of the play, he didn’t know. A hundred times, possiblymore, he considered seeking Molly out and insisting she leave with him, right then and there.
He drove Lesley home, feeling guilty because he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. As always, she was warm and generous and understanding.
Jordan had never viewed himself as an obstinate man, but he had no other way of accounting for the length of their separation. He should have approached her earlier. Now it might be too late; he might have lost her to another man. The thought flashed through his mind, torturing him with the unknown.
There was only one way to find out.
He’d ask.
* * *
Two days later, Jordan walked into Ian Houghton’s home office and shook hands with his father-in-law.
“Please, sit down.” Ian gestured toward the high-back leather chair across from his desk. “To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?”
Ian was always the gentleman, but Jordan knew the old man well enough to recognize the glee in his eyes. Ian had been waiting for this day.
Jordan couldn’t see any reason not to cut to the chase. “I want Molly back. Is it too late?”
“Too late?” Ian repeated. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Molly that, not me.”
“I saw her Saturday night.”
“She was with David?”
Jordan nodded. He almost commented on how beautiful she’d looked, but knew if he did he’d be playing right into Ian’s hands. His father-in-law already had the advantage, and Jordan wasn’t willing to add to it.
“Has she been seeing a lot of him?”
Ian toyed with a gold pen. “Not to my knowledge, but my daughter doesn’t discuss these things with me.”
Jordan was disappointed. He’d hoped Ian could tell him more about Molly’s relationship with the other man. If he was too late and she was in love with David, he’d have to make his peace with that. But if he stood a chance with her again, even a small one, he’d do everything he could to make their marriage work.
“What about the baby?” Ian asked. “From what Molly said, you don’t want anything to do with the child.”
Jordan didn’t respond. He didn’t have an answer to give the older man. He rubbed his face and relaxed against the leather cushion. “I don’t know.”
Ian was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “Did you come here looking for advice?”
“No,” Jordan said stiffly, then realized his pride hadn’t served him well thus far. “But if you want to offer me some, I’ll listen.”
Ian raised his eyebrows and grinned. “I suggest you make up your mind about the baby before you approach Molly. What you’ve got here, son, is a package deal. Nothing on this earth will ever separate my daughter from her child. Not even you, and God knows she loves you.”
That tidbit of information should have encouraged Jordan, but it didn’t.
