To Make a Marriage by Carole Mortimer Page A

becoming translucently pale.
    Almost as if he had physically struck her with his suggestion…!

CHAPTER FIVE
    M ARRIAGE …
    How ironic.
    How amazingly, incredibly, unbelievably ironic. Marriage was a word Andie had never associated with Adam, and certainly had never matched with her own name.
    And it wasn’t now. Adam didn’t want to marry her, he didn’t want to marry anyone. He just felt that he had to…!
    â€˜Why are you smiling?’ Adam broke harshly into the silence.
    Smiling? Was she?
    Probably, Andie conceded. What else was there to do in the face of such irony? She loved this man, carried their baby inside her, and he had offered to marry her only because of that baby.
    She had known this would happen, of course, had known from the minute he became aware of her pregnancy that Adam would feel compelled to make such an offer.
    What alternative did he have? Her father was far from stupid, and, even if neither of them ever revealed to him that it was Adam’s baby, their strained manner towards each other, over the months—years?—ahead, would eventually become obvious to Rome. Especially to Rome…! Besides, the baby—son or daughter?—could just look so much like Adam when it was born that there would be no doubt that he was the father.
    She looked up at him. ‘Poor Adam,’ she murmured ruefully.
    â€˜Poor—!’ His hands tightened on her arms. ‘What do you mean by that?’ he demanded suspiciously.
    She gave a humourless smile. ‘A wife would be bad enough, but a child as well! However would you survive, Adam?’ she taunted.
    â€˜The same way every other father does, I suppose,’ he replied. ‘With little sleep and a lot of heartache.’ He bit out harshly at her questioning look.
    That was exactly the way her father had described his own daughters’ childhood! Somehow Andie had never thought of Adam in that light…
    â€˜You forgot the warmth and laughter,’ she told him huskily.
    His mouth twitched. ‘According to Rome that comes later—once the sleepless nights have stopped! He assures me he walked around in a daze for five years while the three of you were babies!’
    Andie gave him a sharp look. ‘You haven’t talked to my father about—’
    â€˜I very much doubt I would be here to tell the tale if Rome knew it was my child!’ Adam cut in drily. ‘I went to see Rome once I left your office—I needed to know where you had gone—and he assured me he’s going to strangle the man if he ever finds out who fathered your baby. Apparently you have been less than helpful on that score…?’
    â€˜I have no wish to see you dead—or my father in prison for murdering you!’
    Adam’s laugh lacked any real humour. ‘That could still happen,’ he admitted. ‘Although I understand your lack of enthusiasm for the latter,’ he added grimly.
    But not for the former, his words implied. However, despite what he might think to the contrary, she had no wish to see anything happen to Adam. She loved him, for goodness’ sake! She just knew it was an emotion he would never reciprocate.
    But that didn’t mean he couldn’t, wouldn’t, love their baby. In fact, she was sure that he would. Adam had no family of his own, at least, none that he had ever spoken of, and this baby was his own flesh and blood. His only flesh and blood.
    Andie just wasn’t sure she could live with him, knowing he loved their child but could never feel anything but affection for her! She wasn’t sure—but it was something she had known was going to be offered from the moment when she had decided, a month ago, that she wanted this baby, after all, already loved it with a fierce protectiveness that would allow no harm to come to it. Ever.
    But did that include avoiding the emotional trauma that a legal battle with Adam, over his own rights where his