Page 95 of Surprise Baby for Mr. Fischer
“If it protected our baby, then yes.” I forced the words out of my mouth, a bitter taste on my tongue. I hated having to choose between Lincoln and protecting our child the best way I knew how.
Dad blew out a breath. “Yes, your job is to protect your child, but if you’re miserable missing her father, don’t you think she’ll see that and possibly hurt worse? How do you think she would feel knowing that her very existence drove her parents apart?”
I inhaled painfully. “It’s not her fault, though,” I protested.
“No, but what if that’s howshesees it?” He wouldn’t let me look away.
I hadn’t thought about how my decision would affect my daughter. My immediate concern had been stopping the press from getting to her and destroying her self-esteem. Was I doing the same by denying Lincoln and me a chance to be together?
Dad shifted in front of me and took my hands. “I don’t want to see you make a mistake by choosing the fear of the unknown as a reason not to trust Lincoln with your heart.”
My throat grew a painful lump as I fought back tears.Is that what I was doing?Was my rejection of Lincoln stemming from something deeper than my fear of the media dragging me through the mud?
“No relationship is perfect, but that doesn’t change the heart. Life with your mom hasn’t been easy, but my love for her transcends all of the messy stuff.”
“You two are perfect for each other,” I whispered.
“We are.” Dad gave me a besotted grin. “Although, if your mother had her way, we might not have had the chance to see our love story play out.”
I drew my head back, my brows snapping together, and stared at Dad in disbelief. “What do you mean?”
“She tried to run from me after her MS diagnosis. Said she couldn’t burden me with it, especially knowing I’d always wanted a big family. Your mother was afraid I’d grow to resent her as her body weakened, and I had to take on more responsibility at home and with our children.”
“Butyoudidn’t let her go.” I might have been the one to tell Lincoln it was over, but he’d also chosen to stay away.
“Harper, he can’t fight your insecurities. He can’t predict the future. I bet he feels powerless right now.” Dad drew a hand down his beard. “It took time for me to convince your mother I was in it for the long haul no matter how uncertain things looked. That’s really why we started on the road trip after we got married.”
I sniffed and hugged my body.
“Do you think he left because he didn’t want to be with you, or because he was trying to respect your wishes?”
Lincoln had said he wanted to be with me. Over and over again, he’d said it. And as much as I tried to pretend that he was a liar to protect my own heart, deep down I knew he’d been nothing but honest with me. “Respect my wishes.” In every way possible, Lincoln had showed me how much he cared.
“You need to make a decision and face what terrifies you the most, Harper. Otherwise, if you wait too long, it might be too late. I don’t regret staying by your mother’s side. We made a conscious choice to face all of life’s uncertainties together. Now you need to ask yourself if you love him enough that you’re willing to shove your fears aside and do the work to be with him.”
Dad was right. I was letting Lincoln’s job and the success that went along with it decide our future. I was allowing the past to dictate my future. And I was done letting that happen.
In that moment I realized what I had to do. “Dad, do you still have that friend who works on the Morning Show?”
His eyes crinkled, and his blue eyes sparkled with pride. “I do.”
“I have a plan to get Lincoln back. I’ll need your help.”
Fear lodged itself in my throat, but I knew I was making the right choice for myself and our child. I had to do what I most despised to show Lincoln I was committed to our relationship.
***
AS I PACED ON THE WINGSof the set and waited for them to call on me, I fought back nausea.
“Harper, honey. You need to try and relax. Getting worked up isn’t good for you or the baby,” Mom admonished in a gentle tone.
“I know.” It had been over a month since I’d last seen Lincoln and I missed him with every fiber of my being. “What if he doesn’t show?” I worried my hands.
“Your sisters are handling it.” She sounded confident that nothing would go wrong.
“But he thinks he’s coming for my doctor’s appointment. He could refuse to go with them. What if he’s mad he took time away from the film for this?”
“What if heismad or if hedoesn’tcome? Will you decide not to go through with this?” She wheeled in front of my path, waiting for my response.
