She wondered if somehow he knew about her struggle to put food on the table—not for her son but for herself. But then, how could he possibly know that? Was he talking about her car?
Anyway, she’d made sure Nathan had everything he needed, the most important thing being love. Tate may have killed her love for him when he kicked her out, but she’d never had reservations about her love for his baby.
“Tate, think about this. If we marry, do you really want your son living in such a stressful environment? Because it can’t be anything but. You know it and I know it.”#p#分页标题#e#
“He doesn’t seem too stressed out right now,” he said, directing her gaze to the quiet coming from the bedroom.
“That’s probably the anesthetic. It may not have worn off.” And she couldn’t help but add, “Look, I have no doubt all the attention he’ll get from you will be a novelty to him at first, but it can’t last. There’s more to being a father than claiming a child as your own.”
“You say that when you haven’t even given me a chance?”
“You were quick to drop me like a hot rock,” she said, surprised by how cool she sounded.
“The two things don’t compare,” he said dismissively. “And actually the shoe is on the other foot. I’d say you’re the person least likely to stick with parenthood.”
That stung. “I’m a very good mother.”
“And I’ll be a very good father.”
Stalemate.
“Who looks after Nathan while you’re at work?” he fired at her.
“He goes to a day-care center. And it’s a very good one,” she said defensively. “I wouldn’t leave him there otherwise.”
“And the job? I ran into your old boss ages ago, and he told me you’d left.”
Clearly he must not have been interested enough to ask where she’d gone. Why did that hurt now? “I work for a courier company. In the dispatch department.”
“A bit of a comedown, isn’t it?”
“There’s nothing wrong with working in a demanding environment. We all work very hard.”
“I wasn’t denigrating the courier business.”
Her top lip curled. “No, just me.”
His look said he acknowledged that. “As my wife, you don’t have to work.”
“I won’t leave them in the lurch,” she said, then could have kicked herself. She didn’t want to hint that she was prepared to give in to another of his decrees.
“I don’t think you’ve thought it through, Gemma. There are plenty of people looking for work, and some of them might not like a rich man’s wife taking a job that someone else needs. Would you be comfortable with that?”
She sent him a sour look. Why was nothing going her way today? He was right, damn him. If she kept working there, word might get out, then how would it look to work friends who struggled to keep their jobs and food on the table for their families? And now that she didn’t have a car, she could just imagine rolling up in Tate’s limo each day.
“Wouldn’t you rather stay home with Nathan?” Tate asked more quietly.
There was nothing for it but to admit, “Okay, yes. I miss being with him.” She missed every minute she was away from her son. She’d hated leaving him, even knowing it was good for him to be around other people and that he was in good hands.
“There you are then. Problem solved.” Tate had a results-driven mind set in everything he did. Nothing had changed there.
“It’s all black and white to you, isn’t it? There are no shades of gray. No room for error.”
“Things are what they are. For now, take the time off to stay home with Nathan and we’ll worry about the future later. He needs his mother, and you look like you could do with a long rest from performing two jobs.”
Inwardly, she slumped with an odd relief, knowing the one good thing about marrying Tate would be getting help. She was so tired. She’d been responsible for everything, with no one to turn to for so long. There had been the trauma of breaking up with him, then the realization she was pregnant, the acceptance that her parents would be no help. Then she’d had to move to somewhere less expensive, find a new local job that would give her time off to have the baby—all without any real break for herself. She’d do it all again, for her son, but it would be nice to lean on someone else for a change—until she could get back to normal.#p#分页标题#e#
“At least I know you didn’t deliberately get pregnant,” he said, surprising her with the backhanded compliment just as she’d started to relax.