Page 12 of Bound by Their Christmas Baby

He paled visibly beneath his tan. ‘You… I presumed to apologise, or make up excuses.’

‘No. I mean yes to the apology thing, but mainly, Gabe, I needed to tell you about Raf.’

‘You’re saying you didn’t keep him from me intentionally?’

‘Are you serious? Do you really think I’d do something so immoral?’

His eyes locked onto hers and she sighed.

‘I guess you do think me capable of that. But Gabe, I would never, ever keep someone from their child. He’s your son. I had no intention of doing this alone. That’s why I went to Rome…’

‘Rome.’ His eyes swept shut, anguish on his features. ‘You knew you were pregnant then? You came to tell me?’

‘Yes!’ Pique at his reaction darkened her expression. ‘And you had me dragged out like some kind of criminal.’

‘Madre di Dio, Abigail. I didn’t know.’

‘Yes, well,’ she said stiffly. ‘If you’d given me a minute of your time, you’d have seen for yourself the evidence of my condition.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I was six months along.’

‘And they just dragged you out of the building?’

‘Well, they told me in no uncertain terms to go before the police arrived,’ she conceded.

‘I asked them to do that,’ he admitted darkly. ‘I didn’t want to see you. I was so angry you’d come.’

‘I know.’ She lifted her chin, defiance radiating from her slender frame. ‘But don’t you dare accuse me of intentionally keeping Raf from you.’

He shook his head, as if to clear the memory. ‘I cannot believe I have a son.’

What could Abby say to that? It was the truth. She waited for something—perhaps an apology. A commendation of how well she’d done? An admission that she’d tried to do the right thing, to tell him the truth?

And got instead: ‘And you’re raising him here? Like this?’

Her spine straightened and she squared her shoulders. ‘What’s wrong with it?’ she said.

‘It is a hovel.’ He glared at her. ‘How can you live like this?’

Her jaw dropped. His assessment wasn’t wrong but how dare he?

‘It’s fine,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘And I’ll find something better before he’s big enough to notice. For now, this is fine,’ she amended.

‘This isn’t fine for a pack of rabid dogs, let alone my son.’

She stared at him as though he’d called her the worst name in the book. ‘I’m aware that it’s not ideal. I’m not blind. But it’s the best I could do at short notice and with very limited means.’

A muscle in his jaw throbbed and Abby stared at it, fascinated by the pulse point there. ‘So when your father discovered you were pregnant with my child, he turned you out of his home?’

She winced. ‘It was more complex than that. I mean, it proved that I’d lied about that night. That I’d let him down.’

‘Let him down?’ Gabe repeated incredulously. ‘Dio! He is unbelievable.’

‘I know that,’ she said. ‘I never thought he’d react like this. I mean, I thought he’d be angry, but not…’

‘To remove all financial support from his pregnant daughter, just because he hates me?’ Something in Gabe shifted and he was very still, his expression faraway, as though completely consumed by unpleasant thoughts.

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