“Your kiss said otherwise.”

“Sorry, but you’ve misread the situation. I don’t know why I kissed you.” A blatant lie. “But trust me, it was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made.”

“I don’t think of it that way.”

“Stop!” she shouted, clenching her fists. Much more of this and she’d end up taking a swing at him. “Do you honestly believe you’re going to persuade me with…with lies? If you say anything else, I swear I will walk out this door and never return. That isn’t an empty threat, Will. I mean it.”

A pained look came over him and he nodded. Then, to Miranda’s astonishment, he stepped closer, held her face between his hands and kissed her.

When he broke it off, she nearly stumbled backward in both shock and wonder.

“I—I quit,” she stammered.

“No, you don’t. I expect you here by ten tomorrow morning.”

Twenty-Four

The Pot Belly Deli was decorated for Thanksgiving. Gloria glanced around at the dried cornstalk and gourd arrangements, nervously sipping her juice as she waited for Chad. He’d asked for this meeting, and she’d agreed, but she still wasn’t sure it was a good idea.

Since the ultrasound, there’d been no direct contact between them, although they’d exchanged a number of emails over the past few weeks. These were generally short messages in which she answered his questions about the pregnancy and her health.

Gloria resisted the urge to ask him about Joni. Every time she thought about the two of them together, her stomach twisted. But she was the one who’d rejected him, so she couldn’t blame him for dating someone else. Sometimes she didn’t understand her own actions and could only regret what she’d done. It was because of her shame and uncertainty that she’d run out of his bedroom last summer, after spending the night with him. Then, when she’d gone to tell him about the baby—and perhaps even try to reconcile—it was too late.

The door opened and Chad came inside. He looked around until he saw Gloria, smiling tentatively when he did.

“Hi,” he said as he approached her.

“Hi.” She didn’t meet his eyes but gestured for him to take a seat.

The waitress stepped up to the table with a coffeepot and he righted his mug. “Would you like a menu?” she asked.

“No, thanks, just coffee.”

She nodded and left them alone.

Now that they were together, Gloria’s nervousness grew more intense. Nausea attacked her stomach, and her hands shook.

“You look great,” Chad said.

He wasn’t the only one to say so. Roy had said that pregnant women really did have a glow about them, adding that she was more beautiful every time he saw her. Her biological father didn’t hand out compliments casually and his comment had taken her aback. She hardly knew how to respond to Chad’s words any more than she had Roy’s.

Finally she managed to say, “Thanks.” And left it at that.

“Would you mind standing?” he asked.

“Ah, sure.” She pushed back her chair and stood.

His eyes rested on her stomach, and a slow smile spread across his face. A warm, wholehearted smile that said Chad was going to love this baby. Seeing his reaction nearly brought her to tears.

“May I?” he asked, extending his hand toward her.

Gloria came closer and he pressed his palm against the small bump.

“Do you feel him moving yet?”

She smiled. “All the time.”

“Good.”

She sat back down and reached for her drink to hide how moved she was by what he’d done. She noticed that his hand shook as he picked up his coffee.

“So,” he said after a moment. “Have you given any more thought to the name?”

“A little. Have you?”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about it a lot.”

When he didn’t immediately make any suggestions or comment on other names he liked, she asked, “Do you want to share your thoughts?”

“No…I feel it would be best to wait until you make up your mind.”

“About?”

“About giving the baby up for adoption. Have you decided?”

Gloria held her arms protectively around her stomach. “I think adoption is a viable choice. I was adopted into a loving home with parents who badly wanted a child.”

Chad lowered his eyes, as if he couldn’t tolerate the idea, but didn’t want to argue with her.

“My mother gave me up because she was still a teenager with several years of school ahead of her. Roy didn’t even know she was pregnant.”

“I’m aware of that. But thanks to your father, I know about this baby.” Chad stiffened, apparently unable to keep quiet any longer. “And I’m entitled to a say in what happens to my child.” He emphasized the last two words. “If you decide you don’t want him—”

“Do you think that’s what adoption is?” Gloria asked. “Do you really believe a mother who gives her child to another family acts out of selfishness? Do you think that’s what Corrie did with me?”

“I…no.”

“She loved me enough to offer me a better life with two parents who yearned for a child of their own.”

“Our baby has two parents.”

“Every baby has two parents, Chad,” she said, hoping he’d see the humor in his statement.

“True. Every child has two parents, biologically speaking. What I meant is that times are different from when you were born. A father has legal rights and I intend to pursue mine. If you prefer to give the baby up for adoption, then I think it’s only fair to tell you that I’d take him myself.”

“As a single father?”

“Yes.”

“What about your hours at the hospital? Who’d look after him while you’re working? You make it sound easy. It isn’t.”

“And you know this how?”

“Because I’m a woman.”

“And I’m a doctor. I can pretty well guarantee I’ve handled more babies than you have.”

“You do have an advantage over most men,” she had to agree. “But you don’t know what it’ll be like to spend sleepless nights if the baby’s colicky—”

“Hey, I was an intern and a medical resident. I know about sleepless nights.”

“But…”

“I want our baby, Gloria.”

“The thing is,” she said, gazing down at her hands. “I do, too. I’ve decided to raise him myself.”

“I see.” Chad sounded disappointed and that disturbed her even more.

“You wanted him all to yourself, didn’t you?”

“Just like you did.” He nodded. “Okay, we’ll need to work out a parenting plan. My son will know his father.”

“Are you still dating Joni?” she blurted out, unable to resist.

His eyes locked with hers. “That has nothing to do with you.”

“You’re right. Forgive me for being so blunt but what will our son call Joni?”

“Does it matter? We’ll figure that out when the time comes.”

Gloria didn’t like it, but she couldn’t say so without sounding churlish. Finally she conceded, “Fair enough.”

He sipped his coffee.

She sipped her juice.

When she couldn’t stand the silence anymore, she said, “You asked to see me. Was there anything else?”

“Why are you so eager to get away? Are you meeting someone?”

“That’s my business.”

“You’re dating someone?” He frowned, as if the possibility hadn’t occurred to him until now.

“Like I said…”

“That’s your business,” he finished for her.

Clearly the thought unsettled him. Well, good. She hoped it did. Chad didn’t like the idea of her seeing someone else any more than she enjoyed the knowledge that he was dating another woman.

“Well, hello.” Roy stood in front of their table, shocking Gloria. She hadn’t seen him arrive.

“Nice to see you both,” he continued.

Gloria wasn’t sure how to respond. “Uh, hi,” she muttered.

“Hello, Roy.” Chad stood and the two men shook hands.

“What are you doing here?” Gloria asked.

“Troy Davis and I come here for coffee once a week. I certainly didn’t expect to find the two of you.”

Gloria knew the sheriff and her father were good friends, but she hadn’t realized they routinely met at this restaurant. Although she worked in the sheriff’s office, she wasn’t privy to Troy Davis’s schedule.

“Do you mind if I join you for a few minutes?” Roy asked.

Without waiting for an invitation, he pulled out a chair and sat down. “I’m glad to see you together.” He looked from one to the other, as though assuming they’d enlighten him.

“We don’t do this often,” Chad explained.

“In fact, this is the first time we’ve met since the ultrasound,” Gloria added.

Roy shook his head. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Roy, please. This is difficult enough.” Her father was making it more so by interfering with their conversation.

“I don’t mean to be rude or obnoxious, but can one of you tell me what went wrong with your relationship?”

“We don’t get along,” Gloria said, giving him the easy answer.

“It seems to me you get along just fine,” Roy murmured, “or at least you did.”

“This is between Gloria and me,” Chad said. “Discussing it with you isn’t going to solve anything.”

“In other words, you want me to butt out?”

“Something like that,” Gloria said.

“Okay, message received.” Roy stood, smiled down at them and turned away. He took a couple of steps, then turned back. “The thing is, that boy deserves a family. A mother and a father who’ll love him and raise him to be a fine young man. And…he deserves his grandparents, his aunts and uncles and cousins.”

“Yes, Roy,” Gloria said.

“Message received,” Chad said, echoing Roy’s earlier statement.

Gloria felt she needed to apologize. As soon as Roy was seated at another table, she whispered, “I’m sorry about that.”

“Not your fault. But it might be a good idea if we went somewhere else.”

Gloria nodded. “Any suggestions?” she asked.

“The Wok and Roll is down the street.”

She remembered that Chad liked Chinese food. The scent of fried food made Gloria feel queasy but she should be fine; she hadn’t thrown up in several weeks. “Sure, let’s go.”

They paid and waved an obligatory goodbye to Roy. Then, with his hand under her elbow, Chad escorted her to the Wok and Roll. The moment they walked in the door, Gloria was assaulted by the aroma of spices and frying meat, and her stomach instantly revolted. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed a corner of the front desk.