‘That’s good. But I don’t see why we’d have to split up over it.’
‘You don’t?’
‘Unless …’ Sam fell silent for a moment, clearly struggling to gather his thoughts. She could relate. ‘Are you getting back with Ben?’
‘God, no. That’s over. He’s with someone else now. He’s going to be supportive and he’ll be there for Bean, but—'
‘Bean?’ Sam screwed up his face.
‘That’s what we’re calling the baby – for now. It’s just a placeholder.’
‘Cute.’
Sam dropped his gaze to his clasped hands, his thumbs twiddling. ‘So this is why you haven’t been coming for drinks after rehearsal.’
‘Yes. And I wasn’t throwing up because I’d eaten a dodgy kebab either.’
‘Ah, morning sickness.’ He smiled, not meeting her eyes. ‘And this is the real reason you’ve been trying to offload me onto Orla, isn’t it?’
Sive smiled sheepishly. ‘It might have had something to do with it.’
‘Because you thought I’d run for the hills once I knew you were pregnant?’
She couldn’t help thinking Sam looked a little hurt. ‘I wouldn’t blame you,’ she said. ‘I mean, you’d be perfectly entitled. But it wasn’t that. Quite the opposite, actually. I was afraid youwouldn’trun for the hills.’
‘Huh?’ Sam looked confused.
‘I mean, it wouldn’t be fair to start going out with you and then spring this on you. I didn’t want you to end up feeling you’d have to stick by me out of a sense of decency or something.’
‘First of all, flattered that you think I have a sense of decency.’ Sam smiled. ‘But is that the only reason?’
‘What other reason could there be?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe you think I’d be a liability … that I’m too irresponsible to have around a kid.’
‘No way!’ Sive gasped, horrified that he’d got it so wrong. ‘I don’t think that at all. I just couldn’t let anything happen between us when you didn’t have all the facts. It wouldn’t be fair to you.’
‘So bottom line … you will come to the wedding with me as my plus one?’
‘If you still want me to, yes. But it’s also fine if you want to change your mind and uninvite me. I get it if this is adealbreaker. Honestly, no hard feelings. You didn’t have all the information when you asked me and you don’t have to stand by that invitation because you’re too noble or whatever to back out.’
‘You really think I’m noble?’ He looked enormously pleased at the idea.
‘Of course. I know you, Sam. You’re one of the good guys. I can’t see you abandoning your barefoot and pregnant girlfriend, even when the baby isn’t yours. Not that I am your girlfriend,’ she added hastily, realising too late what she’d said.
He dropped his head again so she couldn’t see his face. She wished she knew what he was thinking. ‘Would you like to be?’ he asked, looking up and eyeing her hesitantly.
‘Do I want to be your girlfriend?’
Sam nodded.
‘I’d love to be. But have you really thought about what it would mean? You’re young, you should be playing the field, having fun. You don’t want to be lumbered with a pregnant girlfriend and left holding someone else’s baby.’
‘But it’s not someone else’s baby. It’ll beyourbaby.’ He sighed. ‘If you don’t like me that way, just say so – I can take it. But if the fact that you’re pregnant is all that’s stopping you … don’t let it.’
‘Really?’ She tried to rein in the smile that was creeping across her face because she didn’t want him to be swayed by how happy that made her.
He took her hand. ‘Truly. Pregnant, vampire, zombie, I don’t care – you’re what I want.’
