Everything but the Baby (Harlequin Superromance) by Kathleen O`Brien Page A

“Anything else right now?”
    Lincoln shook his head. “No, we’re fine, thanks.”
    The waitress walked toward the next table, tucking the tray under her arm. Allison watched her go—when suddenly a movement behind Lincoln’s shoulder caught her eye. Her gaze shifted briefly, and she gasped before she could stop herself.
    At the table right behind them, a man had just been seated. It was Mark Travers.
    She told herself she shouldn’t be surprised. She’dsent him a text message on the way to The Boathouse, letting him know what Lincoln had suggested.
    She hadn’t been asking Mark to come. She’d merely been sharing her triumph that Lincoln had nibbled at the hook. And yet here he was.
    Their gazes locked. Her cheeks flamed and she fought the urge to pull back her hand from Lincoln’s, as if she’d been caught doing something wrong.
    But that didn’t make sense. Romancing Lincoln was exactly what she was supposed to be doing. In fact, Mark looked quite pleased. He gave her a discreet thumbs-up before reaching for his menu.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Lincoln frowned. He started to swivel in his seat.
    She grasped his hand tighter, holding him in place.
    â€œNothing’s wrong,” she said. “It’s just that you haven’t said anything and I don’t know what you’re thinking. Talk to me, Lincoln. Tell me what it will take to get you back.”
    â€œAllie, I don’t know if—”
    â€œGive me a chance to show you how much I care. I know! I’ll buy a boat, Lincoln, just like the one we rented at the Cape. You loved that boat. We could sail off on it together. It would be just the two of us, just us and the ocean and the stars. It would be wonderful. Out there, I really think we could find our way back to each other.”
    He shook his head. “Allie, listen to me. It’s not that easy. We can’t just go right back to where we were…before.”
    Frustrated, she searched for another hunk of bait to dangle. She had to be careful. A few monetary temptations made sense—after all, she was supposedly trying to prove that the prenuptial agreement had been a mistake, and that she trusted him with all her assets.
    But if she just kept listing goodies, one after another, like a mother trying to get a picky child to eat, he’d see through it soon enough. He might be a liar and a thief, but he wasn’t an idiot.
    â€œAll right,” she said. “I understand. I’m willing to wait, as long as you tell me there’s still a chance.”
    He nodded slowly. “Of course there’s still a chance.”
    Her sigh of relief was only partly fake. She really was glad to hear his answer. She couldn’t read him. She couldn’t tell if he was just playing hard to get, testing her, or whether this plan was doomed because he had found a younger, prettier, richer target.
    â€œBut I want us to take it slowly,” he went on. “We both need to think. We need to spend time together, sort things out. We can’t rush into this again. We don’t want to make any more mistakes.”
    â€œNo,” she agreed humbly. “Of course not.”
    â€œHave you told the O’Haras about us? About the…the wedding, I mean?”
    She shook her head. “I’ve only just met them after all these years apart. We’re still like strangers, really. It isn’t something I felt comfortable sharing.”
    He seemed pleased. He probably feared that the O’Haras would prove to be just as thorny, as overly protective, as her father’s lawyer.
    â€œI’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell them anything yet,” he said. “We need to work this out together, just the two of us. With no outside interference.”
    â€œOf course,” she said again. She bit her lower lip, trying to find the perfect tone to take with this last question. “Lincoln, can I ask you one