Part 8 (1/2)

Hannah smiled. ”Okay.”

”Everything will be all right,” Dianne said, her eyes strangely sad. ”I'll be back tomorrow.”

”Thank you,” Hannah said.

Angie spent the entire evening from the moment Paavo picked her up until halfway through the dinner speculating about Stan, Hannah, and their relations.h.i.+p. She could tell he was becoming bored, and she didn't blame him. Stan was one of his least favorite people, especially when he came to believe that Stan would have preferred to be the one engaged to Angie. She had to laugh at the idea of her and Stan, but Paavo was serious.

He was a lot more interested in her story about a purple cake and a stripper. To her surprise, he was especially intrigued that both callers were women. He seemed lost in thought at that point, and hardly offered any commiseration as she talked about her poor luck at finding the restaurant or banquet hall where her party would be held.

None of this, however, was the reason she'd wanted to go to dinner with him tonight, and it certainly wasn't why she'd chosen Moose's. The only problem was, she wasn't sure how to get to what she really wanted to talk about. She decided to take a diversionary route.

”What kind of engagement party have you always wanted?”

He had just taken a mouthful of food and nearly choked on it. ”Do you know how many engagement parties I've been to?”

She shook her head.

”None. Does that tell you anything?” She must have looked disappointed because he quickly added, ”The only party I care about is ours-after the wedding is over. Engagement parties, bridal showers, the wedding reception, even a stag party-I'd gladly do without them. I want you to be my wife, Angie. The rest is so much...what's the word? Frippery.”

She swallowed hard, unsure whether to cry or to hug him.

He took her hand and spoke. ”Being engaged is, for me, a time to show the world that a beautiful, warm, loving woman has agreed to be my wife. I know you want a fancy party and a big wedding. They're important to you, and for that reason alone, they're important to me. But to tell you the truth,” he said, and she saw the smile in his blue eyes, ”I'll be glad when they're over.”

What more could she ask for? She half stood to reach him for a kiss. ”You're right,” she said when she sat back down. ”I shouldn't get so wrapped up in...fripperies.”

”That's not what I said at all,” he protested. ”You should, because that's part of what makes you the charming woman I love. But that doesn't mean I should as well. Being engaged, being married, doesn't mean we agree on everything, or are in lockstep, it means we respect each other's opinions, and our differences. You love parties; I barely tolerate them.”

She nodded. ”That's the way my parents have always been.”

”That's right.” His mouth turned down. ”Your mother welcomed me with open arms; your father hates my guts.”

”Even after you had lunch with him?” she asked. ”Didn't that help?”

”We're working on it,” he said. ”But don't put much hope there. If you can think of anything I should be doing, let me know.”

”Become Italian,” she quipped.

He wasn't in the mood to laugh.

”I don't think there is anything,” she admitted, ”because the problem isn't you. When I was still living at home, I'd have a new date almost every week, it seemed, and the only ones he ever approved of were a couple of guys who were sons of friends of his. In both cases, I didn't go out with either fellow a second time.”

”So, it's hopeless,” he murmured.

”No, not at all. Mamma says he'll come around in time. He already admits, to her, that I'm happy with you and that's what matters most. He even admits, to her, that you're a good man. The next step is to get him to admit those things to us. He's a stubborn old coot, but his heart is in the right place.”

”I suppose,” Paavo admitted. ”But he's an expert at hiding it.”

Chapter 9.

”Wake up. Get the baby. We're leaving.”

Hannah opened her eyes to see Tyler Marsh standing over her. Fear gripped her. ”What are you doing here?”

”Let's go,” he said.

”I can't just walk out of the hospital.” She clutched the blankets as if they could protect her from him.

”Sure you can. No one's able to hold you against your will. Is the kid a boy or girl?”

She studied him, trying to determine if he was lying. If he'd looked in the nursery, he would have seen pink ribbons on Kaitlyn's crib. Or didn't he care enough to look for his own child? Of course not. Why should that surprise her?

She hated him even more than she thought possible. ”It's a boy.”

”A son. Good. Don't just lie there. Move.”

”I'm not going,” she said.

”Yes, you are.” He grabbed her arm and dragged her from the bed. ”Where are your clothes? Get dressed!”

She yanked her arm from him and backed away until the wall stopped her from going farther. ”The baby can't leave. There's something wrong with his lungs. He's in an incubator. He was very small.”

His eyes narrowed as if trying to decide whether or not she was lying. ”You said everything was going well, that the baby would be strong and healthy. h.e.l.l, woman, you got big as a house. How could the brat be a runt?”

She felt tears threaten. How had she ever loved this man? ”He'll be fine as long as the congestion clears up and it doesn't turn into pneumonia. He needs to stay in an incubator a few days.” She prayed that what she was saying made sense.

He gripped her shoulders, lifting her to her toes, his face too close to hers. She turned her head, sickened by the sight of him, by the memories of all he'd once meant to her. ”You're lying again, aren't you? We're wasting time.” He shoved her, and she sprawled onto the bed.

She scrambled over the mattress, trying to get far from him. ”It's not a lie. Believe me. The baby will be all right. In a couple of days we'll go with you.”

He paced, running long fingers through his hair. ”What are you doing here anyway? Why aren't you at that birthing clinic you talked about or SF General? How can you pay for a hospital like this?”

”The maternity ward at SF General was full. They moved me here.”

”Why didn't you phone me?”

”It...it happened so fast. I didn't think I was in labor. I went to emergency because I felt sick, and they told me. How did you find me?”

”You didn't want me to, that's for sure,” he growled.

She sat up straight, taking deep breaths and trying to bring some semblance of sanity back to their relations.h.i.+p. ”I was going to call as soon as the baby was healthy enough to leave.”

”Sure.” He leaned toward her. ”That's why I had to call all over the city to find you, and couldn't until I remembered that you often told people your name was Jones. Then I figured that if you were using a fake name, you'd probably left the city. On my third call, I found you.” With a quick movement, he clutched a handful of her hair, jerking her head close and forcing her to look him in the eye. ”Now, why don't I believe that you planned to tell me where you were?”

Tears filled her eyes. ”Of course I was going to tell you. Where else would I go?”

He gave a hard tug on her hair, hurting her. ”We made a deal. Don't ever forget it. All this makes me very suspicious of you, Hannah.”