“Why didn’t you tell me Vana worked for
you?”
“I’m sorry about that.” He’d thought of all
the ways he would apologize if he ever had the chance, but all of his carefully
planned speeches disappeared when he finally needed the words to make her
understand. “I should have told you, but the truth is, I was scared.”
“Scared of what?” she asked, frowning.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t believe there
was nothing going on between us, especially since Vana had made it so obvious
she wasn’t ready to give up.”
“I don’t know that I would have believed
it,” she admitted. “Vana’s a beautiful woman. Any man would be tempted.”
“I wasn’t.” He turned into the hospital
parking lot, reaching out his window to snag a parking stub.
“Not even a little?”
“No way.” He pulled up to the front, intent
on helping her inside before he found a parking spot. At worst, he’d get a
ticket. That he could live with, but he couldn’t live with something happening
to their baby. “The first time I saw you, it was over for me. I knew you were
the one, the only one, I wanted.”
Elle’s eyes filled with a fresh wave of
tears. “I should have given you a chance to explain about Vana. I’m sorry I
overreacted.”
“I probably would have done the same thing
in your position.” He’d had a lot of time to think about his mistakes over the
past few months, and he’d come to the conclusion he was completely to blame for
the breakdown of their relationship. “We can talk about this later. Let’s get
you inside now.”
***
Elle clutched Caleb’s hand as they waited
for the doctor. They’d told her she had a sprained ankle and would need to use
crutches for a while, but her biggest concern was the baby. The techs had
performed tests to check on the status of her pregnancy, to determine if the
fall had harmed her baby, and they were waiting for the doctor to tell them
their fate. Would they still be parents?
“Try not to worry,” Caleb said, kissing her
clenched fist. “I’m sure everything’s fine. I watched the technician’s face
when she did the ultrasound. She didn’t seem concerned.”
“Of course she wasn’t concerned,” Elle spit
out. “It’s not her baby. Why would she care?” She winced when she realized how
nasty she was being to a man who was clearly committed to standing by her no
matter the outcome. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “I’m just
grateful you’re talking to me. This is progress.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Ricky.”
Caleb had owned his part in the demise of their relationship. It was her turn
to do the same.
“Why didn’t you?”
She didn’t see any anger in his eyes, only
concern. “I knew you’d worry if I was out on the road while Ricky was out to
get me.”
“I could have come with you.”
Elle thought about the spouses of the
musicians she’d toured with. They’d dropped everything to be by their partner’s
side, and she was overwhelmed to think that Caleb would have done the same for
her. “You have a business to run. I couldn’t have asked you to do that.”
“I would have been a hell of a lot happier
than I was here, hating myself because I’d let the best thing in my life slip
away.” He lowered his head. “I’ve never felt like such a failure.”
She ran a hand over his hair as she tried
to imagine what she’d done to deserve another chance with this incredible man.
“For what it’s worth, I was just as miserable without you.”
He looked up. “I saw the video clips of your
concerts online. You didn’t look too broken up about us.”
“That’s an act.” She never thought she’d
admit that to him, but it was the right time for a full confession. Whether she
was still carrying his baby or not, she wanted a future with Caleb. “For those
few hours every day, I felt like me. The rest of the time, I felt like a
zombie, just going through the motions and trying to get through another day
without you. It was hell.”
He leaned forward, gently kissing her lips.
“I love you so much. Don’t ever leave me like that again. Promise me.”
She smiled through her tears. “I promise.”
“From now on, you go on the road, and I’m
going with you.”
“What about your business?” She couldn’t
ask him to make that kind of sacrifice for her. He’d invested years in building
his company, and she knew it was a great source of pride for him.
“It’s time to think about restructuring,”
he said, placing a hand over her stomach. “Especially now.”
She watched his hand move gently over her
stomach. “What does that mean?”
“I talked about my desire to make some
changes when we were in the Keys. Now I have reason to.”
“You can’t mean—”
“You’re Elle Morgan,” he said, smiling.
“It’s not like your world can stop turning because we’re having a baby. You
still need to make music, record, tour. It’s what you do. It’s who you are.”
Elle cried in earnest. She’d never expected
to meet a man who not only got her, but believed in her and supported her.
“Hey,” he whispered, wrapping his arm
around the back of her neck as he touched his forehead to hers. “Why are you
crying?”
“I just can’t believe you’re willing to put
your life on hold for us.”
“You are my world, Elle.” He kissed away
her tears. “You and this baby you’re carrying. I’ve proven myself in the
corporate world. I’ve built a company I’m proud of. I’ve taken care of my
parents. Now it’s time for me to take care of you and
our
family.”
Elle was torn between her overwhelming love
for this man and her debilitating fear over what might happen if the doctor
told them she’d lost the baby. Before her fear could develop into full-blown
hysteria, the doctor stepped into the room.
“I hear you had a little fall tonight,
Elle,” he said, skimming the chart the nurse had left at the foot of her bed.
“Yes, I did. I’m dying to know,” she said,
wringing her hands. “Is the baby okay?”
He looked from Caleb to Elle before
smiling. “Everything looks just fine. No cause for concern. You were wise to
come in, though. Can never be too careful about these things.”
Elle exhaled loudly, tipping her head back
to say a silent prayer of gratitude. “Thank you. You have no idea how happy I
am to hear that.”
The doctor smiled at Caleb. “I don’t
believe we’ve met. I’m Dr. Sanchez.”
“Caleb Wright,” he said, offering his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, doctor.”
Elle said, “Caleb’s the baby’s father, Dr.
Sanchez.”
The doctor smiled broadly. “I’m glad to see
you’ll have support during your pregnancy.”
Dr. Sanchez’s office had been her first
stop when she returned to town. Given their long-standing doctor/patient
relationship, he’d strongly encouraged her to tell the baby’s father as soon as
possible.
“Thank you again for putting our minds at
ease.” She reached for Caleb’s hand. “We’ll both sleep a lot easier tonight.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Just call the office
if you have any questions before your next appointment.”
“Thank you,” they said in unison as he
walked out.
“Well, I guess I should be getting you
home,” Caleb said, reaching for his phone and keys on the bedside table.
“About that,” Elle said, feeling a little
shy about her proposition. “Maybe we could… uh…”
“What?” Caleb asked, looking amused.
“Spend the night together?”
He laughed as he ruffled her hair. “When I
suggested I take you home, whose home did you think I was talking about? Mine.
Correction, ours.”
As much as Elle loved him and wanted to be
with him, she wasn’t sure she was ready to move into his house. She valued her
privacy and independence.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said.
“No more secrets. We have to be totally upfront with each other if this is
going to work.”
As concerned as she was about offending
him, Elle knew Caleb was right. She had to come clean about what she was
thinking. “I want to be with you, and I have missed you so much, but…”
“You need your own space. I get that.”
Elle hadn’t expected him to finish her
thought, but she was glad he’d said it. “It won’t be forever, just until I get
used to the idea…” She gestured between them. “Of us being a real couple.”
He looked torn between amusement and
concern. “Did you think I was going to slip a ring on your finger and drag you
off to City Hall against your will?”
“No,” Elle said, embarrassed that she may
have been jumping to conclusions. “Of course not. I just wanted to—”
“Set the record straight.” He laughed when
she scowled at him.
“Stop doing that!”
“Doing what?”
“Finishing my sentences.”
“Okay,” he said, holding up his hands.
“I’ll try not to do it again, but you don’t make it easy. What you’re thinking
and feeling is written all over your face.”
“Really?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“Then what am I thinking right now?”
“You’re wondering how it’s possible for me
to know you so well.”
“Yes.” She wondered if the pregnancy
hormones were why she felt so emotional.
“You’re scared,” he said, stroking her
hand. “You want a future with me, but you don’t want to lose the identity
you’ve worked so hard to build.”
“Right again.”
“It’s okay to be scared,” he said, looking
into her eyes. “I’m scared too.”
“What are you afraid of?” She watched his
eyes drift to the black ultrasound screen.
“I’m on the verge of having everything I’ve
ever wanted,” Caleb said. “I’ve already lost you once. I don’t ever want to go
through that again.”
Elle laughed as she reached for him. “I
thought I was the paranoid, irrational one in this relationship?”
“Don’t think you have the market cornered.”
He sat on the bed beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m allowed
to feel anxious sometimes too. I’ve never had so much to lose.” He placed his
hand over her stomach. “I can’t screw this up.”
“You won’t,” Elle said, placing her hand
over his. “We’ll figure it out together.”
“You know I’ll probably want to rush you,”
he said, kissing the crown of her head. “Not because I’m trying to control you.
Just because I love you so damn much and can’t wait to make you my wife.”
Elle tipped her head up to kiss him. She
needed to reassure herself this wasn’t a dream. “I want that too. I just need a
little time to get used to things.”
“The way I see it, we have about six
months, give or take.” When she didn’t respond, he said, “Call me
old-fashioned, but I want to be married before the baby is born.”
“I didn’t get a chance to give you my
answer before I left town.”
“What do you mean?”
She suspected he was just playing with her,
drawing it out to torture her, but she could play that game too. “You asked me
to marry you. Remember?”
“Oh that. I’d almost forgotten.”
She smacked his chest. “You did not.”
“You’re right, I didn’t. I’ve been dying to
know what you would have said.” When she remained silent, he rolled his hand,
encouraging her to talk. “Well? What were you going to say?”
“What makes you think I’d made up my mind?”
she asked, tongue in cheek. “I may still be pondering it.”
“You knew,” he said, drawing back to look
at her. “You knew this was right from the very beginning. Just like I did. You
felt it.”
“Yeah, I did.” She smiled when she saw
relief wash over him.
“Then you were going to say yes?”
“Yes.”
“If I were to ask you now—”
She flattened her fingers over his lips.
“Don’t.” He looked shattered until she said, “I want to be surprised the next
time you ask me. I want to commit every single second of it to memory because I
know it’ll be one of the happiest moments of my life.”
He glided his fingertip over her cheek.
“You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
He closed his arms around her. “I just want
you to have everything you deserve, sweetheart.”
“I already do.” She suspected family was at
the forefront of his mind, so she decided to tell him that she’d reached out to
her mother. “When I left here back before the tour started, I went back home—to
my hometown, where I grew up.”
“You did?” He looked surprised. “What made
you do that?”
“I had a talk with Tori that got me
thinking about my adoptive parents. I was feeling pretty lost when I left here.
I didn’t know where to go or who to turn to, so I wound up on the doorstep of
the woman who raised me.”
“And?”