See Jane Love - By Debby Conrad Page 0,48

Dropping her coat and purse on the black leather sectional, she walked to one of the windows and stared out at Central Park. “You must make pretty good tips to afford a place like this.” She spun around to face him, expecting him to laugh at her joke.

But Gabe wasn’t laughing, nor was he smiling. “I do all right. Can I get you something to drink?” he asked, shrugging out of his jacket.

“No, but thanks,” she said, making herself comfortable on the sectional. It was obvious he didn’t think his living quarters were any of her business. She took another glance around. Not only was it fancy, but neat and tidy, too. Maybe he was subletting the place, or maybe the apartment belonged to a lady friend, possibly his lover. Quickly, she pushed the last thought from her mind. “Alex and Sara send their love.”

He snorted and sat down on the other end of the sectional. “Do they know you’re here?”

“Yes. I told Sara yesterday that I was coming to New York and that I planned to stop in and say hi to you. That’s how I got your address. I flew in this morning. I checked in at a hotel, and then I took a quick peek at the city. This is my first time in New York.” She knew she was rambling, but she didn’t care. She had every right to be nervous.

“So, you’re here on business, or pleasure?”

“A little of both,” she said, plucking a magazine from the glass coffee table and flipping through it. A naked woman stared back at her from one of the pages. Janie quickly closed it and set it aside.

A brief smile touched his lips. “Sorry about that.”

Shrugging, she said, “That’s okay. I understand. You’re a bachelor. It’s perfectly normal for a bachelor to like that sort of . . .” She glanced at the magazine, then looked up at him. “You are still a bachelor, aren’t you?”

“Last I checked.” She smiled with relief. But her smile quickly faltered when Gabe asked, “So, is your visit to me business, or pleasure?”

“A little of both,” she said again, then blurted, “I’m going to have a baby. We’re going to have a baby.”

Gabe didn’t so much as blink. He couldn’t blink, couldn’t move. He’d never been so stunned in all his life. A baby. Janie was going to have his baby. He half anticipated, half dreaded the idea. Was he ready for this?

Sitting motionless for what seemed like forever, his gaze drifted over her again. He’d already checked her out thoroughly downstairs in the lobby. Even through the baby blue sweater, he’d noticed her breasts were slightly larger. But he’d assumed she was back to her old tricks and had stuffed them with tissues. And though her waistline hadn’t looked as trim as he remembered, he’d simply contributed it to the bulky sweater.

She crossed her shapely legs, then uncrossed them, while searching his face. “Say something,” she told him. “Anything. Yell at me if it will make you feel better.”

Narrowing his eyes, he asked, “Why would I want to yell at you?”

“I don’t know. I just thought . . . I don’t know what I thought,” she said on a sigh.

Torn by conflicting emotions, he looked at her for a long time, then asked softly, “Do you want this baby, Janie?”

“Yes. God, yes. I have to admit, at first I was a little frightened and unsure of the whole thing. But, yes, I want him. Her. I don’t care which.”

He smiled, feeling relieved.

“So, you’re not angry?”

“No,” he said firmly. “I’m not angry. Scared? You’d better believe it.”

“Me, too. But we’ll be fine. The baby and me,” she clarified. “I didn’t come here to ask for anything. I mean, I don’t expect anything from you. I just wanted you to know.”

He watched as she fidgeted with her hands in her lap, tugged at her black skirt and then toyed with her hair before getting to her feet. “Well, that’s all I came to say.” She grabbed her coat and purse, clutched them tightly with both hands and started to move toward the door.

Gabe sprang to his feet and blocked her path. “Whoa,” he said, taking her by the upper arms and staring down at her. “Not so fast.”

Janie blinked up at him and moistened her lips.

“So, you’re just going to drop this on me, and then walk out of here?”

Swallowing, she said, “I don’t know what else to say.”

“What about us?” he asked, mixed feelings