Cart Before The Horse Page 7

  “When your father gave me this, he said it was your great-grandmother’s wish that you have it as your engagement ring. And he knew it isn’t exactly your style, so I have permission to buy you a very gaudy diamond for your wedding ring.”

  She reached for the box. “I feel so stupid. I’ll take it back to him and explain.”

  “You’ll do nothing of the sort.” He took out the ring and set the box back on the table, then turned back to her. “You’ll wear it.”

  Gabe slid the ring on her finger.

  Her hand shook. “I can’t do this. It’s like I’m lying to my great-grandmother now.”

  “Let’s call it a promise ring, then. I promise to take care of

  you and our baby if you’ll make me macaroni and cheese for dinner every few weeks.”

  That made her laugh again. She wiped away her tears. “What will you tell people?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “That you’re an amazing person that I get to spend my life with. That’s no less the truth.”

  Disappointment actually shook her. A small part of her had hoped he’d ask her to marry him. “Holly, we’ll be sharing our lives no matter what. Marriage isn’t everything.” He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I didn’t tell your father about the baby. He didn’t ask, though it felt like he knew there was something else.”

  She nodded.

  “Tell them I gave you the ring. I won’t tell them that we’re not getting married.”

  She swallowed back the sting of regret. “Thank you, Gabe. You’re making this much easier than it should be.”

  “I like my macaroni and cheese really cheesy,” he said with a wink as he sat back down at the table.

  Holly lay in bed and held her hand out in front of her. The ring caught the lights from the city that filtered through her window. What a special surprise it had been. Had her father always planned that?

  She wondered if the uneasy feeling she’d had all day was the guilt of lying to her parents or her pregnancy. Either way she was both joyous and remorseful, and she didn’t know how to untangle the feelings.

  She rolled over, tucked her hands under her head, and looked out the window at the city. So many people. Gabe lived only a few blocks away and had for years. How many times had they crossed paths along the way? She eaten at Maguire’s in the past few years. Had he been there? Was she so focused on herself that she hadn’t noticed him?

  She closed her eyes and tried to force sleep to take over her

  body, but his face kept creeping into her mind.

  They were going to share their lives no matter what, she reminded herself. It didn’t seem so bad. The prospect of it made her even a little giddy. Would her son be Gabriel Maguire Junior? Or was Gabe a junior? She’d never even thought to ask. Would her daughter be as uptight as she was? How would she teach her child to be normal?

  She rolled onto her back and looked at the ceiling. How, in such a short amount of time, had her structured and organized life become so messy?

  She rolled again, pounded her pillow into place, and laid her head back down. She needed sleep. She needed to get up the next morning and go grocery shopping. The kitchen of Gabe Maguire needed staples so she could cook for him once in awhile, starting with macaroni and cheese.

  Gabe locked the door to the restaurant and waved to Chandra as she drove away. It was almost three in the morning, and it had been a good night.

  The wine order for next week would have to be bumped up, and so would the meat order. And even though the holidays were a few months away, he was going to need to think about his fish orders and incorporating them into specials. Business was even better than he’d hoped.

  He turned off the lights and double-checked to make sure the coffeepot behind the bar was off. The chef always made sure the kitchen was clean and cold before he left, but Chandra had more than once forgotten to turn off the coffeemaker.

  Gabe walked up the stairs to his apartment. He’d been surrounded by noise all night, and the peaceful sound of his feet on the floor made the tension he hadn’t realized was in his shoulders release.

  When he opened the door, he noticed the plates still on the table from dinner. They had forgotten to take them back down. What had sidetracked him?

  An anxious jolt surged through him and had him gripping the back of the nearest chair. That’s right, he’d gotten engaged.

  Yeah, right.

  He let go of the chair, walked to the refrigerator, and yanked it open to pull out a bottle of water. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d kept her secret or if he’d looked like a complete fool when Ed Jacobs had handed him that ring.

  He took a long drink from the bottle and then turned on the television to fill the silence. An infomercial showed him the latest gadget he couldn’t live without, but he was only

  thinking of Holly.

  What kind of mother was she going to be? Would she be the kind that made sure the kid’s face was always clean, or would she be more apt to make sure their child laughed a lot and were normal, since she’d been so gifted? And what did he have to offer? He didn’t go to bed each day until four in the morning. He rose at ten and started it all over again, just like every day before that. Would the restaurant make it impossible to coach football or make it to a piano recital? How would he and Holly exchange time with the baby? She’d have to keep the baby all night while he worked. And she worked all day. Was it appropriate to have the baby at the restaurant while he did his ordering and hiring? What would the perkies think of him as a boss when he wore one of those front pack things with the baby in it? They certainly wouldn’t take him seriously.

  He chugged down the water and turned off the television. He needed some Tylenol and a hot shower. It was going to be as if he and Holly were divorced and they hadn’t even had the pleasantries of marriage. Or any of the perks but one night of pure and wonderful lust.

  His current situation was about as far as it could get from his expectations of what his life should be like—a wife,

  a traditional family. Sadness clenched at his heart. He rubbed away the pain of having lost out on that life once again.

  At least he was getting macaroni and cheese. Really, what

  more did a bachelor need than a woman who was willing to make his favorite meal once in a while. No strings attached—except his and Holly’s child.

  Holly wasn’t really surprised when she opened the door the next morning and her father stood there, a large grin on his face.

  “Daddy, what are you doing here?” She stepped over the threshold and gave him a kiss before stepping back to let him into her condo. Her conscience had her slipping her left hand behind her back.

  “I just thought I’d drop by and say hi.” He gave her a careful scan and she lifted up her hand. “Oh good. I figured him for a smart man and I’m not disappointed.”

  “Oh, Daddy.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at the ring she wore with a deception attached to it. “I can’t believe you did that.”

  “It was important to my grandmother.”

  Holly took a step back and breathed through the sickness that washed over her because of the lies she’d woven together. “Thank you.”

  “Your mother is already making plans, you know. She might have been a little put off by the news, but she’s already sent lists to the caterer.”

  Holly felt the blood drain from her head. “Dad…”

  “I told her to let it be and when you were ready to start planning you’d let her know.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And when you’re ready for that baby shower, she’ll be prepared too.”

  This time Holly retreated a few steps and sat in the plush chair behind her.

  Her father shut the door and gave her an all-knowing nod. “I knew there was something else you needed to tell me. Do you want to tell me now?”

  Holly shook her head. “No. I don’t want to tell you.” She laughed through the tears that formed. “But you’re
going to make me say it out loud, aren’t you?”

  “It would be nice to hear I’m going to be a grandfather.”

  In an attempt to steady herself she pressed her hand to her stomach. “You’re going to be a grandfather.”

  “Thank you.” He knelt down in front of her. “I’m very happy, by the way. Very happy.”

  “Really?” She wiped away her tears.

  “You have no idea.” He pulled Holly into his arms. “I was sure that was what you wouldn’t tell me at lunch, and when I went to meet Gabe he did everything not to tell me either. Why would you feel you had to keep it a secret?”

  Holly clenched her fists and released them, trying to let go of the tension that riddled her body. “I was worried that you would be upset with me.”

  Her father’s lips curled into a warm smile that always calmed her. “You’ve established a wonderful life for yourself, and you’re very successful. First, a baby isn’t going to ruin that. Second, you’re old enough to have made your own decision on this. Had you been fifteen it would have been a different story. You’re not. You’re a grown woman in love with a wonderful man who vowed to your father that he was going to always take care of you.”

  Holly’s chest tightened. She sat back in her chair.

  “He did?”

  Her father nodded. “Oh, he’s scared. But he meant it. I saw it in his eyes.”

  Holly had seen something in his eyes too—duty.

  Her father stood and walked to the couch. He sat down and then patted the seat next to him with his hand as a silent invitation for her to join him.

  Holly sat down next to him, and he draped his arm over her shoulders. “You’re still going to have to be the one to tell

  your mother.”

  Holly dropped her shoulders and moaned. “Cart before

  the horse.”

  “That’s what’s always made you so special.” He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “It’s not so bad, Holly.

  It’s a gift.”

  Every muscle in her body began to ease as her father comforted her, patting her shoulder. He was an amazing man, Holly thought. She couldn’t have chosen a better father. Never had he belittled her or even put her on a pedestal as most did because of her intelligence. Her mother was often jealous of her ability to learn and excel. Not her father. She was still just his little Holly no matter what greatness she was achieving at any given age. And now she was going to be a mother, and he was embracing that too.

  “Holly, I know you don’t want a big fuss made over the wedding, but she wants to be part of it. She’ll never be able to tell you she’s proud of you. She wasn’t raised that way. I was the first person to come along and tell your mother that I was proud of her. Not even her first husband did that.”

  Holly adjusted to look at her father. She’d never heard him mention her mother’s first husband before.

  He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “It was okay to come along second. I got the prize. I got you.” He nudged her. “And I have Trudy.”

  “I love you, Daddy. Thank you. I feel better now that you know.”

  “But, like I said. You still have to tell your mother.”

  The muscles in her body tightened up again. She gave him a nod. “I will. I’ll drive up tomorrow and tell her.”

  “That would be nice. Now, have you had lunch?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” He braced his hands on his knees and stood. “I’m dying to try Gabe’s buffalo meatloaf.”

  Chapter Five

  Holly, accompanied by her father, carried her grocery bags through the door to Maguire’s.

  Chandra gave her a nod. “You don’t like the food we serve?”

  Holly smiled. “I promised to make Gabe dinner.

  Where is he?”

  “He just ran to pick up some more potatoes for tonight. We ran short last night. He should be back soon. Can I get

  you a drink?”

  Holly turned to her father. “Dad, sit down and have a beer. I’m going to run these up to his apartment, and I’ll be back down and we’ll have lunch.” She looked at Chandra, debating what she’d say, then deciding it would be out in the open soon regardless. “Can I have a cup of herbal tea? Something that will ease a queasy stomach?”

  Chandra raised her eyebrows and gave her a slow nod. “I’ll find you something.”

  Holly walked through the doors to the kitchen and up the back stairs to Gabe’s apartment. She opened the unlocked door and set the bags on the table. Quickly she went about putting groceries away wherever she thought they should go. One night she’d make him chicken piccata for dinner. It was the one dish her mother had taught her how to make, and she’d

  impressed a man or two with it. Although she’d only ever cooked for two men, and one was her father.

  As she put the milk away and closed the refrigerator door,

  she felt the sudden onset of sickness rush her body. She ran down the hall to the bathroom and let go of her breakfast. Could it get any worse?

  When her stomach had emptied herself, Holly looked into the mirror. Her face was pale now and her eyes were red. But like always, once it was over she felt fine.

  She rinsed her mouth and left the bathroom only to find Gabe standing in his kitchen, leaning against the counter. “I would have thought someone broke into my house, but only one person comes over and gets sick.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. It was amazing how his face was so familiar to her now. So much so, she dreamed of it when she finally did sleep.

  “Dad wanted to try that meatloaf you’re so tired of eating.”

  He laughed. “I saw him down there but snuck up here before he could see me. I thought I’d better find out what he knows before I make some silly mistake and mention my

  date tonight.”

  “You have a date?” Her head felt light again and she wasn’t sure this time she wasn’t going to pass out.

  Gabe was to her in a moment. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine.” She quickly composed herself. “You have a date?”

  “I was kidding.” He wasn’t laughing now, but looking her over. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

  “Fine. I’m fine.” She stepped back out of his reach. “He knows you gave me the ring. He knows about the baby, my mother doesn’t yet. I’m going up there tomorrow to tell her. And she’s already planning our wedding.”

  “Good. I hope she picks a caterer that makes those little crab wonton things. Someone could pass them on a silver tray to our guests. That would be awesome. You know, we could use the perkies.”

  “Gabe.”

  “I’m kidding. Lighten up, Holly.”

  “We’re not having a wedding.”

  “I know. I know. I only get to have a baby with you. I don’t get to kiss you, hold your hand, marry you, or have a fun party. Just the baby.”

  He was mocking her and it wasn’t funny. “Gabe, this

  isn’t a joke.”

  “You’re right. It’s not.” He walked to her and gathered her hands in his. “But until you’re ready to tell your father that, you’re going to have to be nice to me and let me be nicer to you.” He stepped even closer. “That means, Holly, you’re going to have to hold my hand. You’re going to have to let me smile at you. And, Holly”—he moved in even closer until their bodies were touching—“you’re going to have to let me kiss you once in a while.” He leaned in and brushed his lips across her.

  His mouth pressed against hers and her body slid next to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she let him take the kiss from soft gentle brush to a deep, earth shattering kiss. It was the kind of kiss, she remembered, that got her into her

  situation.

  She let out a deep breath as he pulled back. When she could, she opened her eyes to see him smiling at her. Where had her will power gone? “Gabe, that wasn’t nice.”

  “You’re wrong. That was amazing. Someday maybe you’ll rethink all of this and give me
a chance.”

  He let go of her and walked to the door.

  Her breath was caught in her lungs and she couldn’t argue. Was that what he wanted? Did he want romance and love? Did he want to get married?

  She certainly wasn’t going to marry a man she didn’t know. That was as ridiculous as having his baby.

  “Your dad is waiting downstairs for meatloaf.”

  “Right,” she said, coming back to her senses.

  “Looks like you’re ready to feed me tonight.” He gave a nod to the kitchen.

  “It’s the least I can do.” She walked past him and down the

  stairs. “You’ll have to give me a list of things you like besides macaroni and cheese. If you’re going to be so generous with your food at the restaurant, I could at least cook for you once

  in a while.”

  She’d need to figure out how to cook something besides macaroni and chicken piccata, though.

  “Careful, Holly. You’re starting to sound like a wife.”

  She knew when her father was happy. And by the way he nearly licked his plate clean, he was happy.

  She could also tell when he liked someone. Gabriel Maguire had won him over. That was exactly what Holly needed. She needed her father, and in time her mother, to like him. No matter what, Gabe would always be the father of their grandchild.

  “So, Gabe, did you run a restaurant in Boston too?” Ed sat back in the booth and rested his hands on his full stomach.

  “No. Boston was another life.”

  Holly saw the sadness that flashed in his eyes when he spoke of Boston. It broke her heart.

  Gabe rested his forearms on the table. “I was actually a real estate agent.”