married.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“M ARRIED ?” Jack Frost zapped a frigid coating of ice over Abby’s spine. Surely she’d heard Dirk wrong. Hadn’t she been thinking earlier about how little she really knew about him? For all she knew, he could still have a wife and family back in Oak Park where he’d come from.
How could she be pregnant by a virtual stranger?
Only when he’d kissed her, made love to her, he hadn’t been a stranger. Far, far from it. He’d known her better than anyone, had touched her soul right along with her body. She’d looked at him and felt she’d known the essence of who he was, all she’d needed to know.
But she hadn’t. She hadn’t known he’d been married.
She was pregnant. Dirk had been married. Why wasn’t he saying more? Why was he sitting there with his hands tightly fisted in his lap, with his jaw clenched and his eyes glazed over as if he were fighting demons? Had his marriage been that bad?
Was . That meant he wasn’t still married, right? Why wasn’t he explaining his bombshell statement?
“You were married?” she prompted.
He took a deep breath, raked his fingers through his hair. “Sandra and I married too young. I was still inmedical school, gone most of the time, didn’t have two nickels to rub together, but we loved each other. Then Shelby came into the picture.”
Another layer of ice settled over Abby’s nerves.
“Shelby?” Was she a girlfriend? A mistress? A brief fling he’d had on the side? A—?
“My daughter.”
His daughter? Abby blinked, sure she’d heard wrong. He had a daughter? Why hadn’t he mentioned a daughter? How could she have not known such pertinent details?
Then again, why would she have known? She wasn’t important to Dirk. Why would he have told her? Disgust filled her. How could she have been so foolish?
Outside work she’d spent a total of four— four! —days with him. The day she’d gotten pregnant, his Santa stint, the Christmas party, and today, the day they’d found out she was pregnant.
God, what must he think of her?
Then again, she hadn’t been alone in that bed. She refused to abide by some double standard that said it was okay for him to sleep with a woman he barely knew, but that for her to do the same made her less of a woman.
He had a daughter. A wife, hopefully former wife, but the fact he’d not clarified that point worried her. He had a whole other life she knew nothing about. A whole other life he hadn’t shared with her. Would he ever have if she hadn’t gotten pregnant?
God, she was going to throw up.
“Do your wife and Shelby live in Oak Park?” She asked each word slowly, controlling each breath to keep from gasping air into her aching chest.
Was that why she occasionally saw the look of pain in his eyes when he treated a child? Was that why he never seemed completely comfortable in a child’s presence? Because seeing children made him miss his daughter? Had he and his wife had problems? She should have suspected something the moment he admitted to not liking Christmas!
“No, Sandra and Shelby don’t live in Oak Park. They don’t live anywhere.” His voice caught, his jaw flexed, he swallowed. “They died in a car accident four years ago. Shelby was only two years old.”
“Oh, God.” Which explained why he’d reacted so emotionally on the day they’d made love. The mother and daughter dying in the car accident must have stirred up memories of his own losses. Dirk had had a daughter who’d died. A wife who’d died. Abby’s heart twisted inside out at the thought of how much that must hurt, at what he’d been through. “I’m so sorry, Dirk.”
She placed her hand over his, hoping he sensed how she wanted to comfort him.
“It’s not your fault.” He pulled his hand free, raked his fingers through his hair, looked tormented, as if he was erecting every defensive wall around himself. “Just as this pregnancy isn’t your fault. I’m the one who’s sorry.”
She had
CHAPTER EIGHT
“M ARRIED ?” Jack Frost zapped a frigid coating of ice over Abby’s spine. Surely she’d heard Dirk wrong. Hadn’t she been thinking earlier about how little she really knew about him? For all she knew, he could still have a wife and family back in Oak Park where he’d come from.
How could she be pregnant by a virtual stranger?
Only when he’d kissed her, made love to her, he hadn’t been a stranger. Far, far from it. He’d known her better than anyone, had touched her soul right along with her body. She’d looked at him and felt she’d known the essence of who he was, all she’d needed to know.
But she hadn’t. She hadn’t known he’d been married.
She was pregnant. Dirk had been married. Why wasn’t he saying more? Why was he sitting there with his hands tightly fisted in his lap, with his jaw clenched and his eyes glazed over as if he were fighting demons? Had his marriage been that bad?
Was . That meant he wasn’t still married, right? Why wasn’t he explaining his bombshell statement?
“You were married?” she prompted.
He took a deep breath, raked his fingers through his hair. “Sandra and I married too young. I was still inmedical school, gone most of the time, didn’t have two nickels to rub together, but we loved each other. Then Shelby came into the picture.”
Another layer of ice settled over Abby’s nerves.
“Shelby?” Was she a girlfriend? A mistress? A brief fling he’d had on the side? A—?
“My daughter.”
His daughter? Abby blinked, sure she’d heard wrong. He had a daughter? Why hadn’t he mentioned a daughter? How could she have not known such pertinent details?
Then again, why would she have known? She wasn’t important to Dirk. Why would he have told her? Disgust filled her. How could she have been so foolish?
Outside work she’d spent a total of four— four! —days with him. The day she’d gotten pregnant, his Santa stint, the Christmas party, and today, the day they’d found out she was pregnant.
God, what must he think of her?
Then again, she hadn’t been alone in that bed. She refused to abide by some double standard that said it was okay for him to sleep with a woman he barely knew, but that for her to do the same made her less of a woman.
He had a daughter. A wife, hopefully former wife, but the fact he’d not clarified that point worried her. He had a whole other life she knew nothing about. A whole other life he hadn’t shared with her. Would he ever have if she hadn’t gotten pregnant?
God, she was going to throw up.
“Do your wife and Shelby live in Oak Park?” She asked each word slowly, controlling each breath to keep from gasping air into her aching chest.
Was that why she occasionally saw the look of pain in his eyes when he treated a child? Was that why he never seemed completely comfortable in a child’s presence? Because seeing children made him miss his daughter? Had he and his wife had problems? She should have suspected something the moment he admitted to not liking Christmas!
“No, Sandra and Shelby don’t live in Oak Park. They don’t live anywhere.” His voice caught, his jaw flexed, he swallowed. “They died in a car accident four years ago. Shelby was only two years old.”
“Oh, God.” Which explained why he’d reacted so emotionally on the day they’d made love. The mother and daughter dying in the car accident must have stirred up memories of his own losses. Dirk had had a daughter who’d died. A wife who’d died. Abby’s heart twisted inside out at the thought of how much that must hurt, at what he’d been through. “I’m so sorry, Dirk.”
She placed her hand over his, hoping he sensed how she wanted to comfort him.
“It’s not your fault.” He pulled his hand free, raked his fingers through his hair, looked tormented, as if he was erecting every defensive wall around himself. “Just as this pregnancy isn’t your fault. I’m the one who’s sorry.”
She had
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