baby’s health as much as humanly possible. The rest, and the bulk of the baby’s life, rested in God’s hands but she was more than willing to do anything she could to help. She wasn’t going to simply dig her heels in out of spite. If the man knew of someone who could help in a crisis, she’d beg him for the assistance.
Damon wanted to fight her on this, but he knew that there were limits to what he could force her to do. And her compromise on the doctor was probably a good one. He didn’t want to force her to see a medical professional she didn’t feel comfortable talking with. If there was a problem, he wanted her to know she could talk openly and freely with whoever was examining her. Their baby’s life might depend on her ability to be comfortable with her care giver.
With a deep breath, he decided to accept her offer, as long as she didn’t do anything to stop this pregnancy. He could be there for every doctor’s visit and one of his body guards could shadow her all other times to make sure she didn’t visit a clinic that could stop this pregnancy. “I’ll agree to that with a few conditions.”
Her anger dissipated and wariness took its place. “What conditions?” she asked, nervous about anything he might demand. She thought back to the night they’d first met. She’d put conditions on just having a drink together so she was wary of anything he might put out there now when a baby was the issue.
“You move in with me immediately. I want to be a part of this pregnancy and I want to…” he started to tell her that he wanted to make sure she didn’t do anything to harm his child, but he stopped and said, “ensure the health of the child as much as possible. I can do that better if you’re in the same residence.” He watched her face and saw her reaction, knew that she was going to deny him. “Second, we marry next Saturday. I want this child to have my name. I want the legal right to raise this child. And last, I come to every doctor’s appointment. You’re not cutting me out of anything.” The last was to ensure that he could be a part of this baby’s life from the beginning as well as to see it grow and form. He knew he could have his guards follow her around to make sure she didn’t visit a doctor for an abortion, but they wouldn’t be allowed into the examining rooms of any reputable doctor’s office. So he had to stipulate that he had some rights.
Gabby was so stunned by his demands she had trouble processing them in her mind. Her eyes were wide and her jaw slack as she thought through all that he’d said. She walked out of the bedroom, uncaring if he followed her or stayed. She needed tea. And a few moments to think.
Marry him? But he didn’t love her. Did she love him? A marriage without love….well, she’d seen that it didn’t work firsthand.
She filled the kettle with water and put it on a burner to heat, her mind going through thousands of problems with all that he suggested. Oh, not the issue that he wanted to be there for every doctor’s visits. She loved that idea. There were women in the world who had to go through the whole pregnancy by themselves, their men thinking that their job was done once conception was accomplished. The realization that he genuinely wanted to be a witness to the growth of their baby was wonderful news.
While the water heated up, she sat at her small kitchen table and stared at the wall, her mind going through all the pros and cons of his conditions. Not that she would give in on her compromise about the doctor of her choice, but she was willing to listen and hear him out, consider his suggestions with an open mind.
As she sifted through the problems, she came to one absolute realization. No, they couldn’t marry, she told herself. She couldn’t marry a man who didn’t love her. She also accepted that she felt something powerful for this man, but she couldn’t name it love. She barely knew him, had no understanding of who he was as a man and a person, only as a lover. Their one weekend together, not even a whole weekend, had been fun