Gemma nodded. “Thank you, Deirdre. You’ve been wonderful.”
“You’re very welcome, love,” the nurse said. “Now, I see the doctor has just come in, so you should be able to take your little one home shortly.”
The younger man appeared at Deirdre’s side and glanced from Tate to Nathan, then back to Tate. “So you’re the father,” he said without question.
Gemma made a sound that could be mistaken for a sob, but all Tate felt was fatherly pride swelling up inside his chest. The doctor’s assumption was based solely on the sight of Tate and Nathan together.#p#分页标题#e#
Father and son.
Tate cleared his throat. “Yes, I’m Nathan’s father.”
The doctor accepted that, then turned his attention to the infant.
Tate sent Gemma a look that said it all: There was no going back now.
Two
“Look straight ahead and keep walking to the limousine.” Tate’s hand slipped around her waist as if he were shielding her from the man standing in the parking lot. Or shielding his son was more likely, she thought, trying to ignore the protective feel of this man beside her as she carried Nathan.
“Who is he?”
“A photographer. He was here for the dedication. I’m not sure why he’s still here. Probably just our bad luck he was leaving at the same time as us.”
The open car door loomed ahead, and it was sheer instinct that orchestrated their haste onto the backseat in a matter of moments. Then the driver came around and Tate pressed a button to lower the screen as the older man slid in behind the steering wheel. “Go straight home, Clive, but take it easy.” He was clearly thinking about Nathan, who now sat between them in the car seat the driver had moved from her car. The screen came back up.
Gemma finished checking that her son was comfortable and had his teddy bear, then she looked up. “I want to go to my home, Tate.”
“And lead the media straight to you and Nathan?”
“It was only one guy, and he can’t know anything,” she said, trying not to overreact. “You said earlier you would take me home and have someone collect my car. I’m sure you want to get back to the office. You can come over tonight and we’ll talk then.” She needed some time to herself to sort things out in her head.
He snorted. “And find you and Nathan gone when I return?”
She blinked. “Where would we go?”
“Your parents’ place, for a start.”
“You’d find me in next to no time.” Not that she would go there. Or even could. Her middle-class parents had cut her out of their staid and virtuous lives, but she couldn’t tell him that. Apart from it hurting too much, she wouldn’t give him that power over her.
And she had no other relatives to whom she could turn. With her parents starting a new life and coming to Australia from England straight after their marriage many years ago, distant relatives were exactly that. Distant.
He picked up his cell phone and began speaking to someone called Peggy, who by the sound of his instructions was the housekeeper. His last housekeeper had been an older lady who’d merely come in to clean the apartment a few times a week, usually during the day when no one was there.
Accepting that she couldn’t change anything right now, Gemma tuned him out. Lord, she was still reeling from everything that had happened today, and in her life in general over the past two years. She didn’t regret having Nathan—not at all—but her life had changed so much since meeting Tate.
Not wanting Tate to learn she was having his baby, she’d left her job in an architect’s office, downsized her trendy city flat and moved into a one-bedroom apartment in the suburbs. But getting to and from work in the city would have become impossible once she’d had Nathan, so she’d taken a job closer to home. At least then she hadn’t had to worry about the hour of traveling each way cutting into quality time with her child.
She’d done her best, and it had been good enough, but it still hadn’t been easy to stop herself from running to Tate and asking him to take them away from it all. She’d been more afraid he would only take Nathan away from her. Tate had kicked her out of his life once before. She had no doubt that if he believed he was doing the right thing, he would kick her out again—and keep her son.#p#分页标题#e#
Yet all this heartache could have been avoided if only Tate had believed her eighteen months ago. He’d given a party for his best friend’s birthday and invited her to play hostess. She’d been so excited. Later in the evening, she’d written a note to Tate, telling him to meet her in his study for a kiss, and asked the waiter to give it to him.