Page 60 of Strictly Business

He sent her a shaky smile. ‘Come on, this is an emergency, Alice.’

‘But are you sure you want to do this? It – it’s not as if our lives are at risk like they were in the plane.’

He slipped his arm around her shoulders. ‘My darling girl, the little life you’re carrying is just as precious.’

Shepherding her forward, he said, ‘Trust me, Alice. I promise I’ll take care of you.’

Still she hesitated, but then she looked up at the blaze of fierce love in Liam’s eyes and she understood with a burst of clarity that however hard this might be for him, Liam wanted to drive her, he needed to do this.

His courage enkindled her inner faith. Yes, of course she would trust him. She’d seen how competently he’d landed an aircraft in an emergency. She was quite certain that Liam Conway was a master of every enterprise he undertook.

And she realised with a rush of confidence that from this moment on and in every way she would trust this man – on this short car journey, and with the rest of her life.

With her baby’s life.

She felt calm as she smiled up at him, and as they shared his umbrella on the journey to the car. They’d made this baby together and together they’d do everything to protect it.

Her sense of calm deepened as Liam slid into position behind the steering wheel. And then, as he adjusted the seat to accommodate his long legs and turned on the ignition, she knew he would be just fine.

Liam died a thousand deaths at the hospital.

He’d been okay while he was driving. The woman he loved had needed his help, their tiny, helpless baby needed him – and that was enough. He’d driven the car safely through driving rain and across the city without mishap.

But although he was grateful that he hadn’t let Alice down, it wasn’t a moment for triumph. Now he was watching a hospital orderly wheel her to an examination room. Down a long corridor. Away from him.

He caught a last glimpse of her pale frightened face and then she was gone. And he was seized by a black, harrowing loneliness greater than any he’d ever experienced.

Oh, dear God, how could he stand this? Why had he kissed Alice so wildly? Was it possible that her problem might somehow be his fault? Alice couldn’t lose her baby. He couldn’t be responsible for another death. No, please, no. Not again.

His throat tightened over what felt like a sharp rock. Alice meant more to him than she could possibly guess. In the short time he’d known her, she had succeeded where his hard work, his business success and his efforts to help Julia and Jack had failed. Nothing else could push away the darkness and heal the hurt inside him. Alice had. That old chestnut about love lighting up your life was damn right.

As for her baby.Theirbaby. That fourteen centimetre being with eyelashes and eyebrows and tastebuds had already captured his heart completely.

Thrusting his hands deep into his pockets, Liam paced the polished floor. He walked to a window and looked out into the bleak grey yard. On the far side of the car park palm trees bowed to the wind, their heavy fronds waving haplessly as rain lashed at them. Flowers, pink, yellow and red, and heavy with rain, had fallen from the hibiscus bushes that lined the drive and they lay sodden and battered on the bitumen.

The sight depressed him and he moved to a stand of colourful magazines and flicked through one or two, taking in nothing.

He paced again, thinking wretchedly about Alice, alone in there with those medical people. What was happening? What were they doing to her? Was she frightened?

This was worse than all the times he’d worried about Julia.

‘Mr Conway?’

He turned at the voice. A nurse seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

‘Yes?’ Liam felt cold all over.

She smiled. What didthatmean? He couldn’t tell if it was a smile that signalled good news or sympathy. His heart pounded.

‘Dr O’Brien wants to take some ultrasound pictures of the baby and Alice would like you to be with her.’

‘Right.’ The single word jammed in his throat.

‘It’s this way,’ the nurse said, heading back down the corridor.

‘Thank you.’ Hurrying after her, he considered asking her if there was a problem, but they arrived at their destination too quickly.

‘She’s in here,’ the nurse said, taking a sudden turn to the left.

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