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A grin spread across Brian’s face "All you had to do was ask"

Chapter Twenty

If she and Mark were going to ht entail--Gabby knew she was going to have to get in a better ears back to the ti The excite she ht’ve found The One, and later, the peace and happiness of knowing, just knowing, that she had

The effort only worsened her ain, if she would only take it So as the problem?

The problem was three hours away The problem was tall and tattooed and built, and his child, their child, grew in her belly

Gabby turned sideways and studied her reflection in the full-lengthher hands down her stomach The little black dress she’d chosen was ed her almost nonexistent pooch--but then, most of the items in her closet would at this point

Ian had see away now? She wished she hadn’t told hiht about the whole situation, but should it reallyback here and living with roommates, as he’d said Well, poor baby She hadn’t wanted to h, and if he cared about her, really cared, he would do the same

Never in her life had Gabriella Ross been desperate Never Not even when Mark had left her under a ton of humiliation She’d been furious, she’d been heartbroken, but never desperate She could al absolute anguish churn in her gut at the thought of the night ahead and what it ht mean for a future with the father of her child

Could Mark really love this baby like his own? What did that mean for Ian’s place in the baby’s life? Hell, had Mark ever loved her?

In less than twentyon her door--she could only recall once that he hadn’t been on time, but he hadn’t shown up at all then There was tiave herself over to this Grabbing her phone, she called Ian

It began to ring, and she counted her heartbeats between those pulses of sound in her ear She counted

"Hey, this is Ian Speak" Beep

She disconnected just as a knock sounded at her door

Punctual as always Nerves flittered about in her belly, beginning to replace everything else Maybe Ian was busy with a client, h and skipped town co bar Maybe that wasn’t Mark but Ian standing outside knocking on her door Ha!

Fact was, she practically sat on top of her phone waiting to hear from him, even in class if it were at all possible She hated herself for it Especially now

That he didn’t afford her the saave herself one last look in the mirror and, satisfied, headed for the door, determined to open it to another possibility

"Oh yeah," Brian said casually froot my brother is in for the weekend"

Ian had already been staring slack-jawed at the nificent house since it ca in the circular drive "The lawyer"