Page 5 of Twenty Years Later

"Aww, that's such a cute age."

His eyes lit up. "She's the light of my life."

That totally made my heart leap. I imagined this giant man holding his baby girl, and my insides melted. And I'm sure he had a beautiful wife to complete his beautiful family. "I bet she's adorable and has you wrapped around her little finger."

He busted out laughing at that. "Definitely."

For a moment, we didn't say anything. And I didn't want to ask about his wife. But I felt so awkward because he had asked me to be his date tonight, right?

Thinking back, had he literally used the word "date" earlier? I had been so shocked by running into him, I couldn't even remember.

"So you're probably wondering about a wife..." he said.

I nodded, amazed again at him guessing my thoughts.

His chest rose and fell in a big sigh. "She left soon after Gabby was born."

I gasped. Then feeling bad, I covered my mouth with my hand. "That's... wow, I'm so sorry to hear that."

His lips compressed together, he gave a small nod. "Thanks. She just—she just didn't have any maternal feelings."

My mind whirled. But wasn't it post-partum? Surely, she would change her mind once all her hormones settled down. I couldn't remember how long that took really.

"You're probably thinking post-partum depression," he continued. "But it was more than that."

I stared at him, still not sure what to say in an effort to not soundtoocurious. This conversation had taken a seriously intense turn with both of us discussing our previous partners so quickly. But life could be cruel. And apparently, we had both experienced some awful events in the years since high school.

"This might be TMI," he said. "But I've known you since I was fourteen, right?"

"True." I smiled, remembering freshman year when I had first seen him in our English Honors class.

"So I didn't get married until a few years ago." He looked out the window briefly before returning his gaze to me again. "I really wanted a wife and a family, and I just got tired of waiting, you know?"

I nodded.

"But I picked the wrong person," he said in a low voice.

I couldn't believe he was confiding in me like this. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Thank you." His eyes were filled with regret, making me wish I could hug him. "In the end, we weren't meant to be, unfortunately, and having a child only made things worse."

"That... I don't know what to say really," I admitted. "Just I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Thanks. I truly appreciate that." He smiled softly. "But it's not all doom and gloom. I have amazing parents who help me out and take care of my baby girl, especially since work is so busy."

"It's so nice to have parents like that. I have that too. Thank God."

He inclined his head in agreement. "Definitely. Glad you have that too."

There was a moment of hesitation, and I was dying to know what he did for a living, even though I already had a feeling. "So, Alex, let me guess... you said you work a lot. I would bet the farm that you're a doctor."

Letting out a laugh, his amused eyes met mine. "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. Maybe the fact that you were incredibly smart and got into Harvard."

"Well, yeah, you guessed it. But can you guess whatkindof doctor?" He tilted his head, awaiting my answer.

"Hmm, let me think. Gynecologist?"

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