eyes narrowed. “Don’t pretend it wasn’t personal, because I don’t believe that for a minute. The attraction has been building for a long time—since the kiss we shared under the mistletoe last Christmas, if not longer.”
“That kiss didn’t mean anything,” she lied.
He propped a hip against the counter and quirked a brow. “Wanna try it now—so I can prove you wrong?”
“No,” she responded quickly.
His lips curved.
She crossed the room, needing to put some distance between them. This trek down memory lane wasn’t doing any good and it certainly wasn’t helping to solve her current dilemma.
“Friendship and chemistry are both solid foundations for a relationship,” he said. “And if we got married, our baby would have a real family.”
He almost sounded like he meant it—as if he wanted to marry her and be a father to their child. And though she wished, more than anything, that she could give her baby a family, she couldn’t do it like this. Marrying Craig for all the wrong reasons wouldn’t be right for any of them.
“It’s the twenty-first century,” she reminded him. “Our child won’t be ostracized by society because his parents never married.”
She couldn’t believe they were even having this conversation. All this talk about marriage and family from a man who wouldn’t date any woman for more than a month in case she got ideas about commitment, was making her head spin. Obviously her pregnancy had shaken both of them.
“Can we both just take a step back?” she suggested. “Let the reality sink in before we make any definite plans for the future?”
For a moment she thought he was going to refuse, but then he asked, “How far back?”
“I don’t know. I know there are a lot of decisions to be made, but I need time.” She looked up at him, silently pleading with him to understand. “I don’t want to screw this up. I don’t want to ruin our baby’s life by making bad choices.”
“You won’t.”
“How do you know?” she asked, her words less of a challenge than a plea for reassurance. “How am I supposed to know what’s the right thing to do?”
“We’ll figure it out together.”
“I wasn’t sure—after that night…”
“What?” he prompted gently.
She just shook her head.
“Why are you so determined to forget how spectacular we were together that night?”
She looked away from the heat in his eyes and tried to ignore the answering warmth that spread through her body. Spectacular didn’t begin to describe the night she’d spent in his arms. “Because remembering won’t do us any good.”
“Don’t you think physical compatibility is important in a marriage?”
“I think you should have your head examined.”
“Why won’t you at least consider it?” he challenged.
“Because I still have a dress hanging in my closet as a memento of the last man who promised to love me forever.”
She saw the shadows pass over his face, like clouds blocking out the sun. “I won’t make you any promises I can’t keep,” he said. “But I will take care of you and our baby and I will be faithful.”
She felt as if her heart was breaking—not just because she wanted more than he was offering, but because he believed he wasn’t capable of giving more. She had faith in the healing power of love, but Craig’s statement proved that the scars left by his mother’s abandonment still hadn’t healed and she had to wonder if they ever would. And she refused to set herself up for heartbreak by marrying someone who couldn’t love her.
“We made this baby together,” he continued when she didn’t respond. “And we should share that responsibility. Not just for the next eight months, but forever.”
Then he kissed her lightly on the cheek and walked out.
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