together, and I hadn’t been with anyone for more than a month before then. Since then, I haven’t been with anyone else at all.”
He looked down at the photos again. “I’m no expert, but this looks like…”
“Twins.”
He met her eyes, his gaze unwavering and so intense that she had to resist the urge to lean forward, just to be closer to him, to know what was going on inside his head.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last time. I meant to, but—”
He shook his head. “I know now. At least we have privacy here.”
“Sam,” she said when his eyes dipped toward the photos again, “you have to tell me what you’re thinking.” A part of her sensed she was in real danger of passing out if he kept her in suspense any longer.
“I think my life is going to be changed completely, come April.”
“So you’re planning to … you know, be a dad?”
He raised his eyebrows. “What’d you think, that I’d run out of here as soon as you told me?”
“No. I don’t know. I didn’t know what your reaction would be. I was nervous, to say the least. I still am.”
“That makes two of us, but I’m not gonna leave you to take care of these babies on your own.” He raised the ultrasound pictures. “They’re as much mine as they are yours.”
Her heart fluttered, then began some semblance of a steady rhythm as she breathed a sigh. “Thank God. I don’t know how I’d raise one kid on my own, let alone two.”
Several moments of silence ensued, and her heart rate slowed, fading to a steady beat she could feel but not hear.
“Are you feeling up to dinner?” Sam asked, finally laying down the photos and meeting her eyes.
“You still want to go out?” That was more than she’d been counting on.
“I promised you a date, didn’t I?” His lips quirked up the tiniest bit at the corners.
“Then let’s go.” As she pushed back her chair and stood, she felt so light that she had to look down at her toes to make sure they were still touching the floor.
“One other thing,” he said, laying a hand on her shoulder as she stepped toward the door.
His touch was light, but it stopped her in her tracks and forced the air out of her lungs.
“Do you have a pair of scissors?”
“Yes.” She moved toward the kitchen, her head spinning and nerves tingling.
When she returned, he took the scissors from her hand and picked up the strip of ultrasound images from the table.
As he held both objects aloft, he met her gaze, and the look in his eyes seemed to ask, “This okay with you?”
She nodded.
He cut the last image from the bottom of the strip, took out his wallet and tucked it inside.
As they walked out the door together, Abby’s heart raced again. The soft snip of scissor blades had changed everything – there would be no reining in her hopes for something more than sharing parenting responsibilities.
CHAPTER 4
Dessert wasn’t interrupted, this time. They took their time finishing the apple pie a la mode and when they were done, a sense of possibility hung in the air, just like the sweet-tart flavor of apples, cinnamon and vanilla lingered on Sam’s tongue.
“When’s your next doctor appointment?” The question seemed safe; when he focused on her pregnancy, it was easier to keep his head on straight, to keep from dwelling on memories of the night that had led to it.
And in that dress she was wearing, the memories were inspired by her every movement. He couldn’t stop thinking about her naked and in his arms, even though she’d just altered his life completely with a single confession. Was there something wrong with him?
“Almost four weeks from now. My appointments are monthly, until I’m farther along.”
“Do you want me to be there?”
Her eyes widened a little. “If you want to be.”
“I do.” A sliver of memory sliced through the center of his chest, as sharp and unexpected as a knife blade plunging between ribs. He shoved sudden thoughts of the past away, but
He looked down at the photos again. “I’m no expert, but this looks like…”
“Twins.”
He met her eyes, his gaze unwavering and so intense that she had to resist the urge to lean forward, just to be closer to him, to know what was going on inside his head.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last time. I meant to, but—”
He shook his head. “I know now. At least we have privacy here.”
“Sam,” she said when his eyes dipped toward the photos again, “you have to tell me what you’re thinking.” A part of her sensed she was in real danger of passing out if he kept her in suspense any longer.
“I think my life is going to be changed completely, come April.”
“So you’re planning to … you know, be a dad?”
He raised his eyebrows. “What’d you think, that I’d run out of here as soon as you told me?”
“No. I don’t know. I didn’t know what your reaction would be. I was nervous, to say the least. I still am.”
“That makes two of us, but I’m not gonna leave you to take care of these babies on your own.” He raised the ultrasound pictures. “They’re as much mine as they are yours.”
Her heart fluttered, then began some semblance of a steady rhythm as she breathed a sigh. “Thank God. I don’t know how I’d raise one kid on my own, let alone two.”
Several moments of silence ensued, and her heart rate slowed, fading to a steady beat she could feel but not hear.
“Are you feeling up to dinner?” Sam asked, finally laying down the photos and meeting her eyes.
“You still want to go out?” That was more than she’d been counting on.
“I promised you a date, didn’t I?” His lips quirked up the tiniest bit at the corners.
“Then let’s go.” As she pushed back her chair and stood, she felt so light that she had to look down at her toes to make sure they were still touching the floor.
“One other thing,” he said, laying a hand on her shoulder as she stepped toward the door.
His touch was light, but it stopped her in her tracks and forced the air out of her lungs.
“Do you have a pair of scissors?”
“Yes.” She moved toward the kitchen, her head spinning and nerves tingling.
When she returned, he took the scissors from her hand and picked up the strip of ultrasound images from the table.
As he held both objects aloft, he met her gaze, and the look in his eyes seemed to ask, “This okay with you?”
She nodded.
He cut the last image from the bottom of the strip, took out his wallet and tucked it inside.
As they walked out the door together, Abby’s heart raced again. The soft snip of scissor blades had changed everything – there would be no reining in her hopes for something more than sharing parenting responsibilities.
CHAPTER 4
Dessert wasn’t interrupted, this time. They took their time finishing the apple pie a la mode and when they were done, a sense of possibility hung in the air, just like the sweet-tart flavor of apples, cinnamon and vanilla lingered on Sam’s tongue.
“When’s your next doctor appointment?” The question seemed safe; when he focused on her pregnancy, it was easier to keep his head on straight, to keep from dwelling on memories of the night that had led to it.
And in that dress she was wearing, the memories were inspired by her every movement. He couldn’t stop thinking about her naked and in his arms, even though she’d just altered his life completely with a single confession. Was there something wrong with him?
“Almost four weeks from now. My appointments are monthly, until I’m farther along.”
“Do you want me to be there?”
Her eyes widened a little. “If you want to be.”
“I do.” A sliver of memory sliced through the center of his chest, as sharp and unexpected as a knife blade plunging between ribs. He shoved sudden thoughts of the past away, but
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