"So, come to my place."
"You live with your parents." She pointed out.
"My suite is private and we have to find a middle ground."
So, she was spending nights with him. He would come over and read to his daughter and get her dressed and ready for bed. One night, she walked in on them playing Scrabble and making a big deal out of it.
They both had a penchant for languages and loved reading. Zoe no longer wanted her mother to read to her every night. She would give her grandparents a couple nights, but she mostly wanted her daddy.
One night, Abby stood just inside Zoe's doorway and stared at the two heads bent together as they did their coloring. When they both looked up, she felt her heart banging against her ribs. They both looked so alike, that it was uncanny.
Zoe was doted on by his family. They adored her.
As soon as they started going out, their first date was to a gallery opening at one of Jackson Colby's galleries, the press went wild. The next day, their pictures were in the papers. The story of their affair five years ago came out and the fact that they had a child together.
At first Abby was upset about it.
"They're going to hound Zoe. That's what I was running from."
"I'll make sure she's protected."
That had not assured her, in fact it only made her aware that Zoe was the daughter of a multi-billionaire and had potentially become a target.
"I also want her to have my name."
"This is happening too quickly." He had dropped by her office with a sandwich for her and to firm up a date for Friday. It was difficult to believe that they were now a couple.
They both had demanding careers and penciling in their daughter was another aspect. She felt as if she was running on fumes.
"What are you saying, Abigail?" It always gave her a jolt to hear her name in his deep voice. He was the only one who did not call her by the shortened version.
"I'm scared." she admitted.
"Of me?"
"Of this coming to an end and I'll have to deal with it all by myself."
Anger propelled him forward. Gripping her arms, he hauled her out of the chair.
"What the hell do I have to do to prove myself to you?" he shook her slightly. "I need you to believe that I am utterly and completely in love with you."
"I'm trying." She closed her eyes briefly and walked into his arms.
He held her, expression bleak. She still had not said the words, and he was trying to tell himself it didn't matter and he could wait. December had bled into January, the bitter cold increasing.
He was hoping she would accept him enough for him to propose. And he was impatient to be with her and his daughter. He was getting tired of running from one place to the other.
He wanted them with him.
Forcing a smile to his lips, he eased her back to cover her mouth with his.
"Give me something. I want Zoe to have my name."
"All right." She conceded. "It's only fair, seeing as you're her dad." Her hand went to his cheek, expression dreamy.
She did love him but had told Jillian she was afraid to commit.
"I'm scared. What I felt for him that night is nothing compared to what I feel for him now. He could break me into pieces if he left."
