winced even as the last words were coming out of her mouth. So much for being calm and cool.
“I’m at the hospital. I’ve just left Mother for a bit and am glad to say she’s doing well. They’ll be doing an angioplasty later today, and hopefully that will go smoothly and she’ll be heading home soon.”
“That’s wonderful news! Thanks so much for letting me know. I’ve been so worried.”
“I knew you would be, bella, because you care about everyone, even people you’ve never met. In fact, I have to tell you I took your advice and I’m impressed with your amazing insight. How is it you understand the inner workings of my parents’ brains when you don’t even know them?”
“What do you mean? What advice?”
“You told me you thought I must be wrong about them not being happy that I became a doctor. And you were right. I just about fell over when they were asking my opinion about Mother’s health and the upcoming procedure, and decided then to ask them, to tell them my perspective on it. Only because you’d suggested I do, so I thank you for that. They assured me they aren’t unhappy that I became a doctor, and I suspect my relationship with them will be a little less...turbulent now.”
“Oh, Rafael. I’m so glad you did.” She’d known his parents had to be proud of who he was. How could they not be?
“Me too.”
Gabby bit her lip, feeling the silence stretch awkwardly between them but not wanting to say anything that showed how much she’d been missing him. Definitely didn’t want to ask what his plans were, and prayed he’d tell her so she wouldn’t have to either ask or stay anxiously in the dark about it.
“Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update,” he said, his voice low and warm and not all that different from the way it had sounded when they’d made love, and she quivered in spite of herself. “I’m not sure exactly when I’ll be back. I’ll be staying here at least until she’s stabilized from the procedure—I’ll let you know how that goes.”
“I’d like that. And I’ll be thinking of all of you.”
“And I’ll be thinking of you, Gabriella Cain, both when I’m awake and asleep. You can be sure of that. Adios for now.”
“Bye.” She hoped her voice wasn’t shaking at his words as much as her heart was. “Talk to you soon.”
She hugged the phone to her chest and grinned like an idiot. Then, seconds later, a niggle of fear jabbed her in the solar plexus. When he came back, would she ready to put herself out there again? Let herself be in a relationship with a man, if that was what he’d been hinting at? Risk getting hurt all over again? There was a part of her that said no. The scared, wimpy part Rafael didn’t know about. He thought she was feisty and brave and wasn’t that who she wanted to be? Who she used to be?
Rafael had risked his family’s disapproval to go for what he wanted, which was to become a doctor. Wasn’t the chance to maybe, possibly be happy with him worth even more of a risk?
Yes. There was absolutely no doubt about that. It was worth that and a whole lot more.
She didn’t have to be at work for another eight hours. She felt beyond antsy, but it was a little too late to go out somewhere. How in the world was she going to fill the time?
Forty minutes of cleaning her apartment left it unfortunately immaculate. Chewing her lip, she had an aha moment. “My knitting stuff and the DVD on how to do it!” Surely learning something new would take up at least an hour, wouldn’t it? Then, with any luck, she could get some sleep.
Like that was going to happen.
She pulled the knitting things from a drawer she’d stuffed them into and was crouching down to stick the DVD into the player when one of the shows featuring stories about musicians and movie stars came on the TV. About to switch it off, she stopped dead when Rafael Moreno’s face filled the screen.
“And in other news, remember Prince Rafael Moreno and his former stripper girlfriend? Looks like he’s gone to the opposite end of the spectrum, dating a wholesome nurse midwife.”
Heart pounding, Gabby’s legs felt so wobbly that she tumbled back onto her rear as she stared at the bubbly blonde host of the show. How had they found out about her?
“But wholesome and midwife might not always go hand in hand, at least when it comes to Gabriella Cain, who works at the famous and prestigious Hollywood Hills Clinic.
“Our reporters have been busy doing in-depth research on the prince’s newest fling and found out that just two years ago she was not only pregnant with another man’s child but her utter disregard for her health led to her child being stillborn. A tragedy that could have been avoided, sources say, if she’d been focused on her unborn child instead of herself.
“Not something you would expect from a midwife who takes care of pregnant women every day, is it? We’re the first to bring you this breaking report and we are pretty sure that Rafael’s parents, and many others in the palace, will be furious all over again about his taste in women. After all, someone like Gabriella Cain isn’t the best choice to be the prince’s girlfriend or future wife, is she?”
A sickening, icy numbness crept across every inch of Gabby’s skin as she watched and listened. Saw the photos of her and Rafael together coming out of his house the morning after the night she’d fallen asleep. Photos at the charity ball. Photos in Vail. Heard the lies, and the truth too, about her mistakes and her loss and how Ben had left her because of her terrible choices. There was even a photo of her baby’s grave marker, and seeing it made her feel like she was dying inside.
She was shaking so badly it hurt physically, but she found she couldn’t move to turn it off. Had to watch the entire train wreck of her life unfold in garish Technicolor for all the world to see. And just when she was sure it couldn’t get any worse, it did.
Because some person, she had no idea who, was offering a loud opinion that someone like Gabby, a woman who’d neglected to pay attention to signs there might be a problem with her own pregnancy and baby, was totally unsuited to be a midwife anywhere, let alone at The Hollywood Hills Clinic, where patients had come to expect the very best.
Dear God.
She should have told Rafael. Should have told him their night together in Vail, when she’d only touched on the truth, telling him about Ben. Had decided she would when the time was right, if there’d been a time that was right. If she’d seen him again.
And now he’d find out this way. In this horrible, lurid, appalling way with exaggerated detail that made her sound like a monster. Not a woman who’d made a bad mistake and had had her heart broken because of it.
She had no idea if Rafael had planned for them to possibly be together as a couple, but it didn’t matter. Even if he had, after he heard about this he’d drop that thought fast and run as far as he could. And as she stared at the screen, the nasty things being said about her sounded very far away. A light year’s distance.
The same distance she now felt between herself and Rafael.
It made her realize that, even though she hadn’t let herself admit it, deep inside her stupid, lonely heart she’d thought maybe, possibly the two of them had something special. Something that might bud into a real relationship, even bloom into a forever-after. But her
