Page 13 of A Baby Changes Everything

"You have paid vacation days you probably haven't used. I'm sure we can work something out to combine what's owed to you so that you can take the time off."

"I can't just walk away from everything here, Drew."

"It's only for six weeks."

"Oh, so, now, it'sonlysix weeks. When it was justyougoing, six weeks was alongtime."

A grin twinkled in his eyes. "I exaggerated."

Hope was tempted.Reallytempted. To get away. Forget about everything for a while. Rest, regroup, rejuvenate.

But she couldn’t. Not in good conscience. Leaving with Drew and avoiding her obligations would be irresponsible. Besides, the rumor mill would run amok. “Can you imagine what our coworkers, let alone Dr. Wakefield, will think if I turn my back on everything here and go home with you for six weeks?”

"Probably the same thing they're going to think when you start to show."

Shit! Definitely no argument there. "But they wouldn't automatically know you’re the father.”

"I'm not going to lie to anybody about being the father of this baby, Hope."

Of course not. And Hope couldn't blame him. In fact, if anything, his tenacity made her respect him even more.

"Besides, I already told my grandfather I was bringing you with me."

Shocked, Hope leaned forward. "You did what?" Asking her to come home with him had surprised her enough, but confessing he'd informed his grandfather he was bringing her before even asking her, well, that completely threw Hope for a loop.

And to tell the truth, she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it.

Drew shrugged his mile-wide shoulders. "What was I supposed to do, Hope? He's pleading with me, pulling out all the stops—guilting and shaming me about not going back as often as I should. My whole family's there, and I always have a reason why I can't go home, even for the holidays."

"What's that got to do with me?"

“Because this time, you’re the reason for me to stay here.”

“Because of the baby.” Why else? Still, her heart leapt a little at his response.

"Yes,” Drew admitted. “But also because ofyou."

His words snatched the breath right out of her lungs. Speechless, Hope just shook her head and stared wide-eyed at Drew. She was completely thunderstruck. Flabbergasted. And so incredibly touched.

Damn him!

"I owe it to my family to come home, but I won't go and leave you here alone for the first holidays without your father."

A vise-like grip tightened Hope’s chest. She couldn't let him do this. She couldn't be the reason he didn't spend the holidays with his family. "I won't be alone. I have friends. People I've known my entire life. I'll be fine."

Even as the last three words left her mouth, Hope knew they were a lie. As much as she hated to admit it, she wouldn't be fine. Not only would she miss her father like crazy, but she'd also miss Drew more than she was ready to admit.

To him, at least.

"MaybeIwon't be fine," Drew responded, his gaze intense as he linked his fingers atop the table and leaned forward. "What will it take for you to agree to come home with me for the holidays, Hope? Name it. I'll do anything."

Wow. Hope certainly hadn’t expected those words to come out of his mouth. Or the tingly warmth radiating through every cell in her body as a result. Part of her realized it would be a relief of sorts to go with Drew. But the other, more rational part remembered all the responsibilities she'd leave behind as if she didn't have a care in the world.

Yet, Drew did have a point. The holidays, especially the first ones, would be beyond brutal without Sam. Although he loved all the holidays, Christmas was her father's absolute favorite.

Each year, on the day after Thanksgiving, they'd trudge through the woods to find the perfect tree. Once they dragged it home and set it up, Sam would haul out the boxes of decorations they'd accumulated over the years. They'd spend the rest of the day and most of the evening decorating the entire house while singing along, mostly off-key, to the Christmas songs playing on the ancient stereo her father had refused to upgrade. He insisted vinyl recordings were much better than anything digitized.

With Sam, the holidays were a magical time. And it had little to do with wrapped gifts under the tree. Hope never cared about material things. Instead, what she cherished most was sharing the wonder, excitement, and joy of the season with her father.

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