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“Something strong,” I said as I took a seat on one of the stools.
He opened a bottle of whiskey and poured. “How is she doing?”
“Abby, you mean?” I blinked. “I’ve been in such a tizzy, I never really asked her.”
“Well, that was pretty daft of you.” He handed me the small glass.
“God, it was, wasn’t it?” I downed the liquid in one shot and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “I barely said a word to her on the way home because I was in utter shock.”
“Perhaps you should stop back at the inn on your way to London tonight and check on her.”
“You’re right.” I tugged on my hair. “Not to mention, it hadn’t been a good day for us before this.”
“Why?”
I let out a long breath. “I tried to manipulate a situation. I wanted to protect her, but it backfired.”
Leo leaned his elbows against the counter. “What did you do?”
“I told Alistair Jones to stay the fuck away from her.”
Leo bent his head back in laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Yeah. You don’t like her. Not atall. That’s very clear.”
I ignored his comment. “She and I argued quite a bit about it. She doesn’t like me controlling who she interacts with. But I did it for her own good. He’s a prick.”
“Actually, you’re right. I know of him. Heisa prick. But are you sure you didn’t have an ulterior motive? Perhaps on a subconscious level you want to keepallguys away from her?”
“The woman is carrying my and Britney’s child. Isn’t that enough of a reason to protect her from opportunistic snakes?”
“I suppose. But sheisyour type. And you didn’t know she was pregnant earlier when you acted out.”
He had a point.
“Also…I saw you on the security camera leaving quite late the night you came to pick up the Fiat,” he added. “You mean to tell me there’s absolutelynothingthere?”
“There isn’t.” I felt my eye twitch, as it sometimes did when I wasn’t completely honest. “But it wouldn’t matter if there were. She’s the last person on Earth I would pursue. End of story.”
“Obvious conflict of interest aside, what if she weren’t the surrogate? How would you feel about her?”
“What’s the point of even considering that?”
“I think it’s relevant, actually.”
I stared at him for a moment and decided to entertain his question. “She’s funny. Witty. I’m comfortable around her. I like her as a person, and most of all, I respect her. Current situation aside, that’s enough of a reason to spare her the misery of getting involved with a fucked-up man.”
“You’re not fucked up just because you’re still a bit broken over losing your wife. You might never get over Britney. She’s part of you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t move on and live. She’d want you to. You know that. She told you so.”
My heart was full enough today without the direction this conversation was headed. “You can spare me the lecture. We’ve had this discussion many times.”
He smacked me on the back. “You know what I think you should do?”
“What?”
“Stop talking to me and get the hell out of here. Go find out if Abby’s alright. You think you’re in shock? She’s the one who has to carry a baby for the next nine months. Wrap your head around that.”
