Page 47 of Hot in the City
What an absolute mind fuck that was. He’d never even thought he would be a father. Never entertained the idea, until Sinead came into his life. Still, it seemed like a mere possibility, far in the future. They hadn’t really discussed it in depth, with Sinead pursuing her studies, and his business’s foray into eco resorts. They both had so much on their respective plates.
And they had just . . . He’d taken her in the bathtub, rough, not caring about whether he might have hurt her. She’d seemed to enjoy it, but what if it was a terrible mistake? Damn it, could you hurt a pregnant woman by being too rough in bed? Or the bath, as the case may be? Maybe? If so, he was a first class arsehole.
His phone buzzed on the tabletop. Sinead. He grabbed it and answered the call immediately.
“Gabriel, where are you?” Her voice shook. Just a tremor, but he knew she’d been crying. He’d made her cry.
Arse. Hole.
“I’m in the bar downstairs. I’m sorry I left like that. I needed to process things. I had to call Ryan.” Pressing the phone to his ear, he rose from the table and started walking. “But that’s no excuse for being an arse. I’ll be right back upstairs.”
“Don’t bother.” Sinead was there, in the open doorway of the bar. Dressed in his oversized t-shirt, leggings and sneakers, she looked younger. Vulnerable. “I found you.” A hint of a smile graced her beautiful face.
He shook his head as he crossed the floor to her. “Can we talk? I didn’t mean to leave like that.”
She nodded, taking his hand. “Let’s walk on the beach. It’s stopped raining.” She seemed okay, mostly.
They crossed the hotel foyer in silence, their footsteps echoing on the marble floor. Chilled jazz still sounded from the speakers overhead and the whole scene was way too calm. His heart beat faster than when he was running around a track. He could hardly think but for Sinead’s words spinning around in his mind on a constant loop: “I’m pregnant.”
She squeezed his hand now as they made it to the wooden boardwalk outside the hotel and walked towards the waterline. It was almost dark now, just a hint of an orangey pink in the sky at the horizon.
Sinead blew out a breath. “I wanted to surprise you, but I see now how wrong that was. I should have told you straight up, no messing around. Getting sex all confused with this news was a mistake.”
Gabriel stopped and stared at her, grasping her other hand so both were linked together. “I was the one who bolted. You have nothing to apologise for.” He shook his head again. “It was absolutely the last thing I expected. I was ready to tell you about my surprise. I had a plan for us to live on an island for a year, in the middle of nowhere. To set up our first eco resort from the ground up. I wanted us to have more time together.”
Her mouth popped open on a silent ‘O’.
“The first thing that hit me when you told me that we’re pregnant, was to tell Ryan I couldn’t go ahead with that plan for the resort. And he’s my best friend, so I needed to tell him first. But I shouldn’t have called him before I even talked to you about it. I know that was a weird reaction. But I needed to tell my best friend because it’s the biggest news of my life.”
He watched her expression soften, the tension leave her shoulders. “Aye, you’re a strange man at times, my love. But did you say we’re pregnant? You really want this little family with me?”
Ah, shit. What sort of an arsehole was he? The biggest sort. He had to explain, to make it right.
He reached for her face, cradled her cheek in the palm of his hand. “There is nothing in the world I would love more than to make a family with you. If sometimes I act like I don’t know what I’m doing, it’s because I definitely don’t know what I’m doing. I never expected this. You. The love of my life.”
A tear rolled down Sinead’s cheek, glinting in the moonlight. He stepped towards her and wiped the dampness from her cheeks. Then he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. She trembled, until he placed his hand in the small of her back. Her breathing changed, slowed.
“I love you, Gabriel. But don't you scare me by running off again.”
“Never.”
His own heart rate returned to almost normal, then picked up speed again as Sinead snuggled into the crook of his neck, pressing a kiss to his skin. It made him want to throw her over his shoulder and march her straight up to their room. He cupped her jaw and stroked her silky smooth cheek, then pressed his lips to hers. Then, without planning it, he found his right hand cradling the slight curve of her stomach.
“Twins?” He stroked her over the fabric of her leggings. He really wanted to be naked, closer to her. “They’re going to be so cute.”
Sinead nodded against his neck, then pulled back with a startled look on her face. Her wide eyes had him worried. “Oh, you haven’t seen the scans yet! They look so cute already.” She moved to walk off, then grabbed his hand and yanked him forward when he just stood and stared at her. “Come on. Upstairs.”
His cheek muscles pulled upwards in a grin. “Great minds think alike.”
Chapter Five
Sinead sat on the bed and watched the smile spread across Gabriel’s cheeks, the real smile, so wide his whole face relaxed and creased up at the same time. His dimples came out in full force. Full of joy. This was the smile she didn’t see often enough.
A warm glow like a sunrise spread through her whole body at the thought of a new version of Gabriel she hadn’t met before: proud father.
“I can’t believe you can already see two distinct little heads.”
Gabriel stared at the printed copies of the ultrasound scans, the size of two polaroid photos. He sat on the edge of the bed next to her, turning to show her the same images she’d been staring at that morning.
