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‘Love It coh hopes and bitter disappointments’

‘I know that’s how you feel’

‘Or so I thought’ He ran his fingers through his hair—a gesture that was part frustration, part weird nerves ‘My father had a long and successful ed When he flung hi into love it crashed and burned’

‘His ed, but has it ever occurred to you that he fell in love with your mother? That what he felt for his second asn’t love at all? Maybe just a reaction to loneliness? He eak and he fell for a pretty woman who flattered him It happens But it isn’t love’

‘I have been doing so, and for the first time’

For the first tiht of his parents, remembered the way they had been with one another, and had realised, slowly but surely, that what had begun as an arrangement had ended as true love The story hadn’t been as black and white as he had iee as a ind of ehtmare It had subtly altered his approach to relationships

‘For the first time?’

‘This situation between us isn’t going to work, Susie,’ he said roughly

It felt as though he was on the edge of a cliff, a yawning drop at his feet, but the thing was that he was going to step off the side—whatever the outcome

‘You don’t want to be married to me—you see that as some sort of unacceptable sacrifice, where the only inevitable outco miserable and resentful’

‘You would ers while her mind darted like quicksilver in a thousand different directions

‘I would miss youhis breath ‘We work I challenge you to deny that We can live together and it’s good between us And that’s without sex’

‘What are you saying?’

‘I don’t want you on a part-time basis when the baby’s born Just think about it Think about e have This isn’t a relationship that’s destined to fail just because it’s been generated by the fact that you becanant Maybe that was Fate I’ve never been much of a believer in that old chestnut, but lately I’ve had a turnaround Fate brought us together and it conspired to keep us together—and that’s what I want To be with you With you both You and our baby’