Page 8 of The Forgotten
“Never mind the sugar. Talk.”
Gabe finally looked at her, his eyes clouded with emotions she couldn’t decipher. He looked devastated, but at the same time there was a light in his gaze, and a faraway dreamy look that wasn’t completely alcohol infused.
“You know how the institute hosts guest speakers every year,” he began.
“Yes.” What did guest speakers have to do with this? Quinn wondered, but remained silent as she waited for him to continue.
“Five years ago, we had an expert on carbon-14 dating give several lectures. She was a lovely woman named Jenna McAllister, from St. Andrew’s. Her lectures were very well received.” Gabe paused, his gaze sliding toward the window where a grayish-white London sky was visible through the sheer curtains.
“Go on.”
“Jenna had recently lost her husband of twenty years. Brain tumor. She was so sad, and so desperate to find something to smile about. I offered to show her around London, since she hadn’t been in nearly a decade and wanted to see the sights.”
“Did you sleep with her?” Quinn asked, finally understanding where this was going.
“She invited me back to her hotel room for a glass of wine, and I just couldn’t say no. I liked her, mind, but she was mucholder than the women I normally found attractive, but I couldn’t bear to reject her.”
“So, you had pity sex with a woman old enough to be your mother?” Quinn asked. She tried not to sound judgmental but didn’t do a very good job of disguising the irritation in her voice.
“Hardly old enough to be my mother. She was forty-six.”
Quinn took a deep breath to calm her rising annoyance. Why was he telling her this? He’d had several relationships over the past eight years while she’d been involved with Luke, who’d also been involved in several relationships behind her back. It was all ancient history as far as she was concerned. Quinn never expected Gabe not to have a past, so why this sudden confession? Quinn bolted out of her chair as understanding dawned.
“Oh my God. She’s back in town, and you slept with her!” she cried, rounding on him. “That’s it, isn’t it?” Even as the words left her mouth, she was sorry. Gabe would never do such a thing. He was loyal and honest, not a complete wanker like Luke.
Gabe shook his head, his expression one of utter astonishment. Quinn’s accusation had done what the espresso failed to do, and he was now fully alert. “You really think I’d do that?”
“No. I’m sorry, Gabe. I just don’t understand why you’re telling me this.”
“The attorney from Scotland who represents Dr. McAllister called. Jenna and her mother died in a car crash on New Year’s Eve.”
“I’m terribly sorry,” Quinn mumbled, stunned by the news. She certainly hadn’t expected that. But why would this woman’s attorney be ringing Gabe?
“Did she leave you something in her will?”
“You could say that,” Gabe muttered. He looked like he was going to be sick.
“Out with it!” Quinn cried, unable to bear the suspense any longer.
“Quinn, Jenna had a four-year-old daughter. She named me as the father and stipulated that the child should live with me should anything happen to her. She had no other family besides her mother. Quinn, I never knew,” Gabe exclaimed. “I never saw her after that weekend. She sent me a holiday card every year, but she never mentioned a child. The lawyer said that she was afraid I might sue her for custody or visitation rights, and with her being in Scotland, she preferred to retain full control. She never had any children with her husband, which was something she regretted bitterly. This child was a gift she never expected.”
Quinn sank back into her chair, the meaning of Gabe’s words finally sinking in. “You have a daughter.”
“Yes, I do. Quinn, I’m so angry with Jenna for keeping the child a secret, and heartbroken that she is dead. And so overwhelmed with the desire to see my baby that I can barely think straight. I’m leaving for Scotland in the morning. I completely understand if you wish to call off our engagement,” he added miserably.
“Youare leaving for Scotland?” Quinn echoed. “No, my darling;weare leaving for Scotland. Do you really think that I would not support you in this and that I would see a child as an impediment to our marriage? Seriously, Gabe!”
Gabe walked over and put his arms around Quinn, burying his face in her neck. “I didn’t dare hope that you’d forgive me. Iknow it’s a lot to ask, but now that I know, I want to be her father more than anything in the world.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Quinn replied, kissing Gabe’s temple and trying not to breathe in the alcoholic fumes that came off him in waves. “We will go to Scotland and fetch this little girl, and then we will get married and be a proper family. Got it?” she asked with mock severity.
“Yes,” Gabe mumbled into her hair.
“Right. Now, go lie down for a bit; you look like you need it.”
“Won’t you lie down with me?” Gabe asked, smiling sheepishly. He looked so relieved that Quinn instantly regretted her earlier reaction.Poor man, she thought,he must have been really worried about telling me.
“Well, if I must, I must,” Quinn replied with a smile, “but don’t expect me to kiss you. You reek of booze.”
