Page 19 of Santa's Baby

“No, you’re taking the bed,” he said. “I’ll take the loveseat recliner or the couch.”

He’d slept on both for many nights. Especially after the accident. He’d been unable to look at the empty bed.

Sighing, she stood and shuffled into the kitchen. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because you deserve someone to treat you nice. And you’re expecting my baby,” he said.

Taking the cellophane wrapper off the pizza, he popped it into the preheated oven. “Fifteen minutes and then we can eat.”

She nodded. “We need to talk.”

“Yes,” he said. “Are you up to it tonight?”

“I think so,” she said, sinking down at his kitchen table. “Are you angry with me?”

What could he say? He had to be truthful. “I was very hurt that you didn’t leave me your phone number after that night. And that you didn’t find me and tell me you were pregnant. But I searched for you and I couldn’t find you. I even went so far as to look at every Cheyenne lawyer’s website searching for anyone named Amelia.”

Shaking her head, tears welled in her eyes. “I should have left you my phone number. But I woke up and it was late. I had thirty minutes to get my stuff packed and get up on deck to get off the cruise. And then later when I learned I was pregnant, I thought you deserved to know. I contacted the cruise lines and they were no help.”

Reaching out, he took her hand. “We both made mistakes.”

“Yes,” she said gazing at his lips. “And now we’re having a baby.”

“Yes,” he replied. “I know we just found each other again. But can we try to see if this is going to work between us? Can we get to know each other and see if there is a future for us? That what we had that one night is worth pursuing?”

Though he was asking her, he knew his answer. He’d marry her right this moment if he could.

A grin spread across her face and he could see in her eyes that she was feeling the same way. Warmth spread through him and all he could think about was that night so long ago.

“Yes,” she said. “I’d like that very much. Regardless, you will always be this baby’s father. And I’ll share her with you.”

“So it’s a her?”

Pain rippled through him. Why couldn’t it have been a boy? Not because he disliked girls or wanted to have a boy who carried his name, but rather because of the accident.

“Yes,” she said.

With a sigh, he pushed the pain away. “Let’s just take things slow and see how it goes. I’ve already discovered one thing about you.”

“Oh,” she said. “What?”

“You have a stubborn streak,” he said hoping that didn’t make her mad.

“No, not stubborn. I just know what I want, and most of the time, I get it. But I will admit these last few months have not been great.”

“Why?”

“The reason you couldn’t find me on any lawyer’s website is because I was fired. Fired for being pregnant, though they said my work was not up to their standards. My work is above their standards. I’m top-notch in my field. But they were a bunch of conservative old men, who didn’t want an unmarried pregnant woman working for them. What an embarrassment.”

A grin spread across his face and yet he felt bad in some ways. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that. But I love the fact that you know that your work is good. I like that about you.”

“It is,” she said. “I graduated at the top of my law class. So they can kiss my very large pregnant ass.”

He started laughing. This was what drew him to her that first night. That hadn’t changed.

Just then the oven dinged.

“Thank God, this baby is demanding food,” she said.