Page 127 of Vacation Friends

She gasped, both hands protecting her belly now. “Why would I ever do that? A baby’s life is precious. This is your child we are talking about. My child.”

“Neither of us are in a good place to have a child right now. I think we both know that.”

He said the words so matter-of-factly. He sounded so convincing.

But her mind was made up.

“I can’t have an abortion,” she told him. “I won’t.”

He stood, his demeanor suddenly changing. No longer was he all hard lines. Instead, his eyes grew soft. Using the back of his hand, he stroked her cheek.

“Sweetie, you really need to think this through,” he murmured.

“I have thought it through, and I know I’ll never terminate this pregnancy.”

He glanced at her belly. For a moment, a shock of fear raced through her. She imagined Garrick taking matters into his own hands and ramming his fist into her gut to eliminate this pregnancy himself.

Then just as quickly as that thought occurred to her, the softness returned to his gaze again. “Then we’ll figure it out. Both of us. Okay?”

Relief swept through her.

She’d totally misread his reaction earlier, hadn’t she? He would get through this. They would get through this. Together.

That was the way couples went through life.

Maybe it would take him awhile to warm up to the idea, but they were having a child together. They would have a beautiful life as a family of three. She knew it in her gut.

Cecilia would stop working at the department store. Become a stay-at-home mom. Maybe some of the other wives here at the company could mentor her, show her how to become one of them. She would do whatever it took.

Whatever it took.

Cecilia hit End and lowered her cell phone.

Garrick wasn’t answering.

It had been two days since she’d gone into his office.

Two days since he asked for the abortion but changed his mind.

Two days since he assured her everything would be fine.

Nothing felt fine.

Why wasn’t he returning her calls? Sure, they had periods when they didn’t see each other. But they usually talked at least once a day.

But not since she told him about the baby.

The silence was driving her crazy.

She didn’t consider herself the obsessive type.

But she had to see him. Had to know they were okay.

She didn’t think she could be a single mom. Didn’t think she could support a baby on what she brought in from Balderston’s. And she definitely couldn’t afford childcare while she was working a minimum wage job. The bill for that would cost more than she even earned.

All those thoughts had been racing inside her for the past twenty-four hours if not longer.

All Garrick had to do was call her back, and he could reassure her that everything would be okay. That was all she needed. Was she asking too much?

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