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“Julianne, you can do anything you want If you want to take classes after the baby is born, we’ll make it work You’ll just have to take incoraduate school doesn’t like students taking incompletes”

“No, they don’t But they allow it, in certain circumstances I’ catch-up while studying for eneral exaht be challenging doesn’t mean it will be impossible As I said before, I will make this work I promise”

Julia looked up at him, at his warm and earnest expression “You willto tell you what to do You decide and I’ll speak to Greg, if necessary”

“No, I’ll talk to him But—” She paused

“What?”

“I need to tell you the good news Cecilia said that Katherine is co to Harvard”

Gabriel’s mouth opened in astonishment “What? I had an e”

“Apparently, she’s staying at Oxford next year and co to Harvard the year after That’s another reason why Cecilia thinks that a ood idea—Katherine will arrive when I coreat”

“It is But—” Julia shook her head “I don’t want to take amy exams”

“You won’t fail”

“I won’t be in tiptop shape either”

“Then we’ll get you into tiptop shape You’re going to have Rebecca and me here to hold the fort You can study for your exams and do what you need to do”

“I want to be a nore the baby”

“I’m sure you can find a balance” He kissed the top of her head before crossing over to the refrigerator He retrieved a bottle of ginger ale and quickly poured it over ice in a tall glass

He handed it to her “You don’t need to decide right now Register for the fall and if you feel like you need to drop the courses or take inco and not finish it I certainly don’t want to risk failing my exams” She looked up at Gabriel, a worried expression on her face “I don’t want to be an absent mother, like Sharon”

“You won’t be like her”

Gabriel looked down at the marble-topped island and traced a pattern on its surface

“Truthfully, I don’t knohat to expect e have the baby But as I said, I’ardless”

“Cecilialist for my dissertation prospectus I could work on that while I’es”

He lifted his head “I’hted to learn about Dante and also to be able to do hed and wrapped an ar out if I didn’t take part of a maternity leave Who knohat kind of et into?”

“Oh, you can be sure ill get into all kinds ofpossibility that shenanigans and hijinks of various sorts will also occur, with regularity”

“Perhaps you and the baby will need lanced at him

Gabriel’s eyes locked on hers