with it. I was the responsible, serious one. I was in love with my books. I probably lulled them into a false sense of complacency thinking I’d never do anything outrageous. This is going to come as a huge shock to them.”
“Oh, boy,” Noah whispered, then regarded her with a renewed sense of determination. “Sweetie, we need to get this over with. Neither of us is on duty this weekend. It’s the perfect time to go to Chesapeake Shores.”
“But I have to study,” she protested.
He met her gaze. “With all of this on your mind, do you actually think you’re going to be able to concentrate?”
“I can always concentrate,” she insisted.
Noah thought that actually might be true, but he shook his head. “Cait, I won’t have your parents or anyone else thinking I’m reckless and irresponsible or that I’ve treated you carelessly. That would be a terrible way to be introduced to any family, but especially to one as protective as yours. I want them to like me or at least to accept me.”
“Noah—” she began.
Since a protest was undoubtedly coming, he cut her off. “I know how much you love and respect your family. If you’re determined to stay here and avoid this, go right ahead, but I’m going to speak to them. They need to know my intentions are honorable, even if we ultimately decide not to get married.”
She looked stricken by his vehemence. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would,” he told her solemnly. “I love you, Cait. More than that, I respect you. I’d like to prove I’m worthy of your family’s respect, too. They need to know that I’ll do whatever it takes to protect and support you and our child.” He lightened his tone. “And if you’re right about your grandfather and stepdad beating me to a pulp, at least I’ll have time to heal before our child gets his or her first look at me.”
She scowled. “That’s not even remotely amusing.” She sat down beside him and wove her fingers through his. “Look, I love you for wanting to stand beside me and face my family, but maybe that’s not the best idea.” She drew in a deep breath, then conceded, “You are right about one thing, though. I should probably go down there this weekend and fill them in on what’s going on, even get some of Nell’s sage advice. The whole family relies on her to put things into perspective.”
Noah frowned, not entirely pleased about her plan. “And then you’ll do what? Come back here and announce your decision to me?”
She winced at his caustic tone. “No, of course not. We’ll decide this together. I promise. Going home will help me to think everything through, though. I’m reeling right now. I need this space, Noah. You know how I am. I ponder things, especially important decisions, and I won’t be able to do that with you watching me every second. Please don’t push to go with me.”
He nodded finally, reluctantly accepting her decision. “As long as you swear you’ll come back and talk it over with me before you do anything crazy.”
She obviously knew what he meant by crazy, because she rested her hand against his cheek, tears in her eyes again.
“There won’t be an abortion, Noah. That much I do know. I swear it.”
A wave of relief washed over him at the sincerity he heard in her voice, at the commitment shining in her eyes. He knew he could trust her to keep her word. Now he just had to pray that whatever went on with her family would work in his favor.
With every mile that brought her closer to Chesapeake Shores, the knot of dread in Caitlyn’s stomach seemed to tighten. It was the first time ever she hadn’t been eager to get back to see her large rambunctious family. They could be overwhelming at times, but she’d grown up never doubting how much she was loved. In fact, that had given her the strength and confidence to choose the path she’d chosen for her future. She’d known there were too many children in the world who didn’t have that powerful support system, who didn’t even have the basic necessities.
She’d spent most of the drive trying not only to summon the courage to reveal her secret, but trying to decide the first person she should tell. There was little question that her mother would empathize. She’d had to make her share of difficult decisions to balance love and career and family. She’d even given up her dream job as a successful stockbroker in New York to take over the Baltimore office of her brokerage company so she could be closer to Chesapeake Shores and her new family with Trace.
Caitlyn pulled to the side of the road. She drew in a deep breath, then hit speed dial on her cell phone. When her mom’s delighted voice filled the car, she immediately felt her anxiety ease.
“Hey, sweetheart, how are you?” her mother asked. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot this week. We miss you.”
“I miss you, too,” Caitlyn said. “As a matter of fact, I’m on my way home. Are you in Chesapeake Shores or at the Baltimore office?”
“Lucky for you, I’ve been working from home today,” Abby said. “Why didn’t you let us know you were coming? I’d have cooked.”
Caitlyn laughed. “No, you wouldn’t. You would have called Aunt Jess and asked her to send over some food from the Inn at Eagle Point,” she teased. “There’s still time to do that. I’m about thirty minutes away. I could pick it up.”
“What a great idea! Why don’t you do that. I’ll call Jess as soon as I get off the phone.” She hesitated. “Caitlyn, are you sure everything’s okay? You never pop in unexpectedly like this. You always let us know when you’re coming. Has something happened at the hospital? Is your work going okay? Medical school’s not getting to be too much for you, is it?”
“Everything’s fine,” Caitlyn assured her automatically. She forced herself to amend that. “But maybe you and I could find a little time to talk after dinner. I’d like your advice about something.”
“Now I’m really worried,” Abby said, only half in jest. “I’ll tell Jess we’re going to need one of those chocolate decadence cakes to go along with some serious conversation.”
Caitlyn laughed despite her somber mood. “You always want one of those cakes. I’ve just given you the perfect excuse to order it without guilt. You can blame all those calories on me.”
“Too true,” her mom said. “My hips won’t thank you, but I do. See you soon.”
Caitlyn disconnected the call and sighed. There, she thought. She’d laid the groundwork. She doubted, though, that in her wildest dreams her mother could possibly imagine the news that she was coming home to share.
* * *
Noah didn’t have a lot of buddies, at least not the kind he could call and join for a beer and a serious discussion about what was going on in his life. He had a few basketball pals, but their conversations were superficial and mostly limited to medicine and sports. On top of that, they were rarely available on a Friday night. If they weren’t on duty at the hospital, they’d be home with their families or out on dates.
Since he knew he’d probably lose his mind sitting around his apartment and waiting for word from Caitlyn, he switched rotations with
