Valentine Babies (Holiday Babies Series) Read Online Free Page B

belly. At least her
stomach agreed with her sweet treat.
    “How are you feeling now?”
    “ Better, although...” Worry etched lines around her eyes.
Confused but trusting, and so incredibly beautiful. “There are too many things
to sort out, decisions to make.”
    “About the baby?” He pinned her with a questioning gaze.
Would she think about abortion?
    “The baby is the only good thing,” she answered without
hesitation. “We’ll live for each other.” She cradled her belly with a typical
motherly gesture.
    He released the breath he’d been holding. He was an
obstetrician who loved bringing babies into the world.
    He sat beside her on the bed and crossed his arms. “Where’s
the father?” He wasn’t walking on eggshell around her anymore. He needed to
know the truth to be able to help.
    A torrent of tears gushed over her face.
    Dread crawled up his spine. Had the man hurt her? Greg had
heard so many stories of abuse at the Women’s Clinic.
    “He di... died in...in an explosion. A suicide
bomber...Baghdad,” she managed to stutter.
    “Oh my God, Roxy. I’m so sorry.” Greg gathered her in his
arms and stroked her back. Her silken curls tickled his neck and her lingering
perfume teased his senses. She burrowed her head against his shoulder and
thoroughly wet his shirt.
    “Also... also...” She hiccupped between sobs. “His brother
too.”
    “His brother? He died too?” That was even worse than
anything he’d imagined. “Were they together?”
    She shifted in his arms and bobbed her head. “Blast...took
both. Horrible. Poor parents.”
    So she knew his parents? Was he a fiancé? No
one had mentioned Roxanne was engaged. More like a serious boyfriend, one she
met abroad. Greg had completely misjudged the situation. From now on, he’d stop
making assumptions until he gathered all the facts.
    He held and rocked her, caressed her hair and brushed
soothing kisses on her forehead.
    Finally her sobs subsided. He eased away and handed her a
box of tissues.
    “And now...” After blowing her nose and wiping her eyes, she
opened her hands. “I don’t know what to do.”
    “Why don’t you start from the beginning?” he gently
suggested, although the story of her relationship with another was the last
thing he wanted to hear. “It may help to share your sorrow. How did you meet
him?”
    “It started six months ago.” She folded her fingers over the
sheet and wrinkled the cotton. “I was in Baghdad covering the latest
development there. I got cornered in a narrow street by two ruffians. I ran and
screamed. An Iraqi officer heard me and rushed to rescue me. He beat them to a
pulp.”
    “You were lucky he came in time,” Greg commented, resigned
to hear her boast of the brave actions of another man. An honorable one, a hero
maybe.
    “Very lucky.” Her voice steadied as she held his gaze and
continued. “Nabil Diab took me to his apartment and introduced me to his
parents. A Christian minority family. His mother made coffee and insisted I
stayed for lunch. It was a shabby place, but I could see the remnants of a
wealthy past. His father and sister talked about their wretched life. They
asked me to inform the world about the situation in Iraq. I wrote several
columns and reported for KNR.” She was calmer as if talking about the past had
soothed her.
    “So far a professional relationship?” Greg studied the
blinking of her eyes and light twitching of her lips.
    “A platonic relationship. We exchanged emails when I was in
the States and I often called him on his phone. When I returned to Baghdad, we
spent time together, with his parents, or walking through the streets around my
hotel.” She stared straight ahead, recalling her sad romance. “He was handsome
and energetic. A decorated officer so confident and patriotic. Very different
from the guys I knew back home.”
    “Huh?” Did she bunch him with the guys back home ?
Greg’s impassivity deserted him. Jealousy pinched his guts. He tried