‘Also a good idea,’ he said.
She was pregnant.
With his baby.
If this had happened when they’d still been married, he would’ve been thrilled. He would still have been a student, so money would’ve been tight, but they would’ve managed.
Now, financially he was in a much better position. He’d inherited money from his father and invested it well; plus he’d been promoted rapidly at work. If Abigail wanted to stay at home with the baby, he could afford to support her.
Emotionally, they could still be poles apart. These last few days, he’d thought they’d grown closer. He’d known that he was still in love with the woman who’d stolen his heart when they’d been teenagers. He’d woken up with her in his arms this morning, and he’d felt happier than he had in years. Tonight was supposed to be about their future. About whether they were going to give each other a second chance and get back together.
Technically, she’d be the one giving him a second chance. He was the one who’d messed up.
But now the situation was different. She was expecting their baby. So there was only one thing they could do, and everything else would just have to fall into place from that. ‘OK. It’s obvious what we have to do. We’ll get married again,’ he said.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THAT WAS BRAD’S answer to their situation? A blithe ‘we’ll get married again’? No discussion, no finding out how she felt, no telling her how he felt? Abigail could barely believe what she was hearing. And this couldn’t have been further from the first time he’d asked her to marry him, when he’d promised to love her for the rest of time.
‘No,’ she said.
He frowned. ‘What do you mean, no?’
‘We haven’t discussed anything, Brad. Not how we feel about each other, not whether we actually want to keep seeing each other in the future, not the logistics with me living here and you living three hours away in London...’ She shook her head. ‘We can’t get married.’
‘It’s not as simple as just whether we want to see each other or not,’ he said. ‘The situation’s changed. We have a baby to consider now.’
‘And that’s why I can’t marry you,’ she said. ‘Last time we were married, your dad died and you didn’t cope with it. You pushed me away—and I let you do it, so it’s not all your fault and I’m not dumping the blame on you. But you froze me out, Brad. Next time we have to face something awful in our lives—and the chances are we will—what happens then? Will you freeze me and the baby out?’
He looked hurt. ‘I’m older, now. Wiser. I hope.’
‘You hope.’ She knew she was being unfair, maybe even cruel, but this was too important to be swept under the carpet. ‘But you can’t be sure.’
‘I talked to you after the lighthouse. And I told you things yesterday I’d never really talked about to anyone else.’
Which was a big thing for him, but it still wasn’t enough to allay her fears. And the only way she could think of now was to tell him straight. ‘What happens if it’s something really awful—God forbid, if something happens to your mum or to Ruby? Or you get made redundant, or...’ She blew out a breath. ‘There are all sorts of things that could get in the way. How do you know you’re not going to freeze me out again, next time things get tough?’
‘Because I’ll try harder, this time. I know where I messed up. I won’t repeat my mistakes.’
He might not intend to, but she could see the panic in his eyes. He might not be able to help himself. ‘If it was just me to consider, I might take the risk. But, as you said, we have a baby to think of now.’ She raked a hand through her hair. ‘I say “baby”. At this stage it’s just a handful of cells.’
He went white. ‘Are you suggesting...?’
‘A termination? No.’ She shook her head. ‘That’s not the answer for me. I’m keeping the baby. I know Mum and Dad will be there for me—your mum and Ruby will be there, too. I’ll have support as a single mum.’