1022 Evergreen Place - Debbie Macomber [88]
“You want to be a dad.”
He nodded. “Very much.”
She stared down at the floor. “You love Noelle.”
“You can’t doubt that, can you?”
“Never.” His love for the baby was apparent in everything he’d said and done ever since he’d helped deliver her on Christmas Eve. When she raised her eyes she saw his smile.
She met his look. “What about me?”
“What?” He blinked in confusion. “Are you asking if I love you? Mary Jo? You can’t be serious! I’m crazy about you. I’ve told you that more than once.”
“You’re crazy about Noelle. I’m just sort of…attached.” She didn’t like feeling so insecure and yet…she had to wonder. Furthermore, she’d prefer the truth. She wanted to believe he cared, but she’d been misled by David and could no longer trust her own instincts. She shouldn’t ever forget that.
“I love you,” he said, without hesitation or embellishment. “As soon as this mess with David is straightened out, I’d like us to become engaged. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
His words warmed her heart, but she refused to allow those warm feelings to sidetrack her. “After this mess with David is settled,” she echoed.
“Yes?”
She swallowed hard and found she couldn’t speak. The proposal was the reward he dangled in front of her to resolve the situation with Noelle’s father. She was the one who was supposed to take the risk of pressing forward on the very issue David had warned her against. No one except Mary Jo seemed to see David as a credible threat. She had to take him at his word in this, if nothing else. His intentions were clear—if she filed for child support, he’d make her life miserable.
“Have you talked to Allan Harris like you said?” Mack asked.
“No,” she admitted. “Not yet.” Mack had been at the fire station most of the past two weeks; otherwise, she knew he would’ve hounded her about this.
“And the reason for that is…?”
“I don’t trust David,” she said, although that didn’t really answer his question.
“You shouldn’t, because he can’t be trusted.”
She moved away and walked over to the picture window, crossing her arms. “Why are you waiting for me to deal with David? If you love me and Noelle and we love you, then why can’t we become engaged now?”
Mack took his time answering. He took so long that Mary Jo turned around to look at him.
“I have a good reason, Mary Jo.”
“I’d like to hear it.” She tensed, afraid she was going to have a problem with what he had to say.
“If David gets wind of the fact that I want to adopt Noelle, it might be all the justification he needs to refuse to sign the relinquishment papers. He isn’t willing to support his daughter, but as soon as he discovers I want to adopt her, you can bet he’ll do whatever he can to thwart that. Ben agrees with me.”
“You’ve talked to Ben about this?”
“And my father, too. They both said the same thing, and I respect their opinions.”
“What happens if David doesn’t sign away his rights as Noelle’s father?” she asked slowly. “Then what?”
“We’ll deal with that when the time comes. Why are you assuming the worst?”
Funny question. “With David I’ve learned that’s what I need to do.”
She couldn’t look at Mack, so she turned away again and walked into the kitchen. Needing to occupy her hands, she unpacked the picnic basket, setting the empty potato salad container in the kitchen sink and filling it with soapy water.
“Mary Jo, we’re in the middle of an important decision. I think cleaning up can wait, don’t you?”
She leaned against the counter. “If David refuses to sign the papers, would you still want to marry me?”
“Yes.” He didn’t pause for an instant.
“You’re sure about that?”
“Yes.” He sighed, obviously exasperated. “Let’s go back for a moment.”
“To what?”
“You haven’t talked to Mr. Harris.”
She should’ve guessed this was coming. “No. He’s been in court.”
“Has he gone into the office at all?”
“Occasionally,” she told him. “But he’s had other things on his mind. The trial only wrapped up on Friday, and I didn’t want to distract him before that.” This was true, but more than