“Yes,” the three said together again.
“It doesn’t hurt that your ex-wife has burned a few bridges in Hollywood,” Walt added. “You should see the list Sandra gathered of people who can testify about Paige’s history of abandonment, both in jobs and in relationships.”
“Whileyouhave a stellar record.” Gretchen nodded.
“Except I didn’t go after Rue in the first place.”
“You keep saying that,” Sandra said from the doorway, sending Eb’s heart straight up into his throat. “She lied to you. And to prove it, we have affidavits from the nurses who were at the hospital the morning you returned to see your wife and child. It helps they thought what she did to you was awful. One kept talking about how sweet you’d been when you’d held Rue for the first time. And they remembered how heartbroken you were when you found Paige and the baby gone. One nurse also stated you were so broken up she had to help you read the note Paige left you.”
“You’re here.” Eb stared at Sandra. He tried to take a step toward the door, but his feet wouldn’t move.
So many thoughts swirled in his mind, especially those made by Gretchen and the Kinkades. His doubts still prevented him from settling on any of them. And Sandra could see it on his face. Her expression closed, like she’d locked it tight against the pain.
Shame flooded through Eb, and his body flushed with guilt.Hehad hurt her without meaning to. When Rue had come into his life, he’d turned on a dime to adjust and never looked back. How could he believe himself in love with Sandra and not be willing to do the same for her? If he couldn’t, then Gretchen was right. He wasn’t worthy of Sandra.
Eb glanced at the others, and all three were giving him anAre you an idiotlook. His mind finally settled on the basic question. Could he give up one dream to pursue another? Without consciously deciding, his feet unfroze, and he was striding to the door and covered her hand on the knob.
“I’ve just been told Walt won’t be doing the Santa Run this year after all.” Eb gently pulled her fingers free. “Gretchen wants me to do it instead, but I won’t. Unless you’ll come with me.” He brought her icy hand to his lips.
* * *
Eb’swarm mouth sent fire through Sandra’s hand and up her arm, setting her heart racing. What did it mean? Well, she knew what it meant on her end, but not on his. She was good at reading people, and she hadn’t confused the conflict raging inside of him. She wouldn’t be a pity project.
Sandra tried to pull back her hand, but Eb brought it to his chest. His heart was beating as fast and hard as hers.
“Will you do the Santa Run with me?” He held her gaze, his resolute, and everything about him seemed to have lifted.
“I can as a friend.”
“No. I don’t want to be just your friend, Sandra. As I told you before, I’m in love with you.”
She shook her head, her free hand instinctively going to her abdomen. Eb covered it with his.
“I don’t care about that.”
Tilting her head, Sandra gave him a flat look.
“Let me rephrase. I don’t care about it as much as I care about you.”
Conflicting emotions of doubt and relief battled inside her, turning her cold at the same time her cheeks flushed with warmth. All the old emotions she’d kept buried came rushing to the forefront, tightening her throat and making her eyes burn.
Eb lifted a hand and cupped her cheek with it. “Sometimes, you hang on to the dream of something for so long it takes over your life and thinking. I got locked in a certain way frame of mind, and it took the risk of losing something very important to shake me out of it. And by important to me, I mean you.”
“Do you mean it?” Her voice cracked. “I’m not normally so emotional. I only ask because I don’t want to be presumptuous about something between us—”
Eb put a finger on her lips. “Well, I want to beverypresumptuous about something between us.” He glanced to the side and then chuckled. “They left us alone.”
Sandra looked and found the three gone.
Eb dropped his hand. “I’m sorry I let surprise steal my brains the other night. I’m serious when I say I’m in love with you, and I hope you might feel the same for me. Otherwise, I don’t think you would be so emotional about having a baby.”
At her wince, he pulled her to the couch and tugged her onto his lap. “I did some research after you told me, just so I could understand a little about what you were talking about. I read that ten percent of all couples struggle to have biological children. Think about it. One out of ten couples. I don’t know if you’ll have me and if we’d ever reach the point of considering another child, but I meant what I said. Having more kids is not more important than having you in my life.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, Sandra.” He put all the power of his feelings into the word. “I want to be with you.”
“Oh, Eb.” She cupped his cheeks in her hands and pressed her lips against his.
