Another Man's Baby by Dyanne Davis Read Free Book Online

like that since I first saw the two of you together. If I were you I wouldn’t mess with that. It just might backfire on you and you’re going to wish you’d listened to me.”
    “I hear you, Pop.” Eric suddenly felt tired. He wanted to strike a balance between his love for Gabi and allowing her love to interfere with his job. That was a must.
    “No, Eric, I don’t think you do hear me.”
    “I’m just trying to protect Gabi from future pain. She could barely take my going to war. How do you think she’d survive having a child and have something happen to that child? I don’t want her to ever experience that.”
    “You can’t make that decision alone.” His father glared at him, making Eric blink. “Gabi has a right to know what you’re thinking. She’s a grown woman. She doesn’t need you protecting her from what ifs. What if you have a son and he grows up to be president? What if he finds a way to bring an end to all wars? Did you ever think about that, Son?”
    “Don’t tell Mom about my change of heart on having kids, okay? She’ll tell Gabi and I want to be the one to tell her. Besides, nothing is set in stone. I might change my mind again.”
    “I wasn’t planning on telling your mother.”
    “Thanks for listening to me. I heard all the things you said, but I’m still going to protect Gabi.” Eric smiled. “It’s my job to protect those I love.”
    He held his father’s gaze. When his mother yelled for them, ‘to come out of there,’ they both stood, knowing the time for male bonding had passed.
    The press of his father’s hand on his shoulder stopped Eric from opening the door.
    “Are you being completely honest with me, Son?”
    When Eric failed to answer his father put his arm around him. “When I was in Vietnam a lot of horrible things happened that to this day I have to fight to forget.”
    “They used babies, Pop.” Eric swallowed hard and held on to his father.
    “I know. When I was in Nam , the same things happened.”
    For a moment both father and son pulled back and stared at each other.
    “I feel so dirty, so unworthy to have a baby. I’m scared. Whenever anyone brings a baby near me, my hands shake and I have to make an excuse to leave. It’s all I can do to make it to a bathroom and puke. I can’t tell all of that to Gabi. I never want her to know. You know how she is, Pop. She loves babies. Knowing the things that happened would kill her. Who knows, it might even kill her love for me. I can’t take that chance. I love my wife and I love making love to her. But she’s determined to have a baby. She’s getting sick of me with one excuse after the other. I know it, but right now I don’t know what to do. My thoughts are muddled. Sometimes I’m not even sure what’s going on with me. There’s just so much going on in my head. I just need some time to figure it all out.”
    “Don’t wait too long, Son,” his father advised. “Either you tell your wife what’s going on, or she’s going to make up all sort of things in her head. The truth is never as bad as what a woman can imagine.”
     
    ***
     
    The ride home was just as quiet as it had been on the drive down. An almost three hour drive was much too long to not talk. The tension had eased a bit and the anger was in the background. Eric glanced at Gabi. Her shoulders sagged and she was looking out the window. He thought over what his father had said but he also thought about what he’d been doing during the most crucial moment of his life.
    “Gabi.” He called her name softly, allowing all of the love he had for her to seep into his voice. Yes, he was addicted, but right now his trying to give up the habit was hurting the woman he loved.
    “Gabi, I’m sorry.”
    He could see a tiny tremor around her shoulders and suspected she was trying not to cry. “It’s not you, baby,” he said. “It’s not your fault at all. I love you. I’m just so tired. At the base we’re swamped, there’s not enough