“It’s a selfish request. You’ve already been there for your grandfather and grandmother in their final days. It can’t be easy to see a loved one die. I may not rank as a loved one, but I hope you’ll grant an old man’s last request.”
She couldn’t fight the tears. Indeed, she couldn’t deny him his last request. It wasn’t such a hardship for her to live with him, share his meals, have conversations, and be there for a man her grandfather had admired for much of his life. Her grandfather would have appreciated and been proud of her gesture.
“I’ll move in with you, George. You were my grandfather’s oldest and, although he’d never cop to it, his dearest friend. You did corporate battle and admired each other for your skills. We’ll be the best of friends to the end.”
She picked up her wine glass, which, like Emma’s, was filled with fruit punch, and lifted it to George’s. They toasted their bargain.
“To old friendships and new ones.”
Chapter Twelve
* * *
CAMERON WAITED ON pins and needles in his office. He stared out the window lost in thought until the door opened behind him. Shelly entered, her image reflected in the glass, but he found himself staring at the ocean thinking about another woman entirely. Marti hadn’t been far from his mind since he’d met her at the restaurant. Emma asked about her constantly. She wanted to see Marti again and had asked him to call her over and over. Even if he thought he should, he didn’t know how to reach her. He didn’t even know her last name. He wasn’t about to call George to find out. Cameron had no business asking about Marti, even under the guise of Emma wanting to talk to her and see her again. Five-year-olds didn’t call grown women for a play date. Cameron wanted an entirely different kind of play date with her. The only thing keeping him from calling George every two minutes was the dinner invitation he extended for tonight. He’d get to see her again. Emma also reminded him multiple times over the last three days Marti would be there. Like he wasn’t just as anxious to see her again. He hadn’t felt this way about anyone since he chased every pretty girl in sight in high school.
God, three days. It felt like three months since he’d seen Marti.
He wished it had been three months since he’d seen Shelly. He rubbed at the back of his neck and turned around to face the woman who claimed she was having his baby.
Please, don’t be pregnant.
“Darling, you look tired. Having a bad day?”
“I’ve got a lot on my mind. What did the doctor say?”
“Exactly what I told you, I’m pregnant.”
“Do you have the lab results?” He put his hand out, waiting.
“What lab results? I peed in a cup. They tested it. It’s positive. That’s all. They didn’t give me anything. I have an appointment in a month for a checkup. She said she’d see me once a month until I get close to my due date.”
Caroline went through the same schedule of visits. Most of them, just routine checkups, she’d gone to alone. He’d gone to the appointment for the ultrasound and many others toward the end when she’d gotten sick.
“I told you I wanted confirmation.”
“I just gave it to you.” She dug in her purse and pulled out a slip of paper. “See, I went. This is the parking ticket from the hospital parking lot. Other than this, I don’t have anything. Except”—she pulled out some brochures from her purse—“the doctor gave me these to review.”
He scanned the parking ticket and array of brochures on breastfeeding and pregnancy and guessed she was telling the truth. Not exactly a lab report, but the best he’d probably get. Testing for pregnancy was so easy these days. You didn’t have to draw blood for lab results.
“The doctor did take blood to check for any underlying health problems. Once those come back, I’ll give them to you,” she said offhand, but her anxious tone told him how much she wanted to prove to him she was pregnant.
“I want to see the report as soon as you receive it.”
“The lab should send the report to the doctor early next week.”
Damn. He’d hoped for a negative result. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach, and he knew for the first time he was happy about having another baby. Already a single dad, he could do it again: