The Baby of Their Dreams (Contemporary Medical Romance) by Carol Marinelli Page B

don’t think for a moment that you were going to tell me. In fact, I’m quite sure you’d already got what you needed from me that weekend.’
    Cat’s mouth gaped open. ‘You think I deliberately got pregnant? What? That I’m some psycho going around pricking holes in condoms?’ She shook her head and then met his eyes. ‘I shouldn’t be surprised. My mother thinks the same. Well, not quite that scenario but she seems to think I got bored one weekend and popped off to the sperm bank.’ She dragged her eyes from his and looked at the menu as she spoke.
    ‘I never set out to get pregnant.’
    Dominic sat there and images of them making love danced before him—her hand rolling on a condom, another time, about to take her from behind, it had been Cat who had grabbed one and handed it to him.
    If anything, it had been he who had been about to be careless, so ready had he been to take her.
    It wasn’t the best thought to be having right now and he reached for a wine and gave a small nod.
    ‘Fair enough.
    ‘And I did try to contact you. I spoke to some cheery woman in Glasgow who said that Dom had moved on...’
    ‘It would have taken an hour tops to find me if you’d really wanted to,’ he said.
    ‘Have you told your wife yet?’ She smirked as she read through the menu. ‘Or were you hoping it wasn’t yours?’
    ‘Well, given my wife is all seeing and knowing now, I’d assume that she already knows.’ He watched her frown. ‘She’s dead.’
    Cat looked up.
    ‘She’s been dead for more than two years.’
    ‘And you didn’t think to tell me?’
    ‘Don’t even go there, Cat. You’re the one keeping the big secret. Anyway, I
chose
not to tell you.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Because I didn’t want
that
look.’
    He didn’t get to elaborate—the waiter was back and Cat ordered steak and a tomato salad and rolled her eyes because she really wanted seafood but it was on the list of noes that Gemma had given her. ‘I’m never going to get my paella.’
    ‘I’ll have it for you,’ he said, and ordered it.
    ‘Bastard,’ Cat said, even if she managed a small smile, but it soon faded as they got back to the serious talk once the waiter had gone.
    ‘I didn’t tell you at first because I wanted to make sure all the tests were okay...’ The water she took a sip of seemed to burn as it went down. ‘They were.’
    ‘That’s a poor excuse, Cat, because if they hadn’t been okay, a bit of notice that I’d be arranging my life around a special-needs child would have been appreciated.’
    Again, his reaction surprised her. He didn’t jump on results or demand facts. He had but one question.
    ‘When’s your due date?’
    ‘The nineteenth of April.’
    ‘Cat, I nearly bought a house in Spain last month. I was offered a job and that was going to be the starting date.’
    ‘You can still take it,’ Cat said, but rather quickly wished that she hadn’t as his finger pointed in her direction and he shot out one word.
    ‘Don’t!’
    He was doing his very best to stay level and calm but that she’d happily wave him off to Spain incensed him. ‘I was pointing out how bloody late you’ve left it. I know!’ Dominic said. ‘How about you have the baby, I take it to Spain and you can see it during your annual leave?’ He watched as her pink tongue bobbed out and she licked nervous lips. ‘Yeah, not a nice thought, is it, Cat, so don’t suggest the same for me. You need to get used to the idea that I’m not going to be some distant figure in my child’s life. I’m going to be there, not just for Christmas and birthdays. I’m going to be doing the school pick-up and homework and I’ll be there each and every parent-teacher night. You might not want me there and I fully get that we can’t stand each other, so we can do it through lawyers if you prefer...’
    ‘When did we get to not being able to stand each other?’
    ‘Oh, about the time you started snooping through my wallet, about the time I found