Blackie grabbed the jacket he’d tossed over the back of his chair and bolted down the stairs. If he begged and pleaded, Julie would forgive him for what he’d said. She had to, because he couldn’t contemplate living the rest of his life without her.

* * *

Julie lay on her bed in a fetal position, which she thought was fitting since as her baby grew, it would lie within her uterus in the same position. From here on out, it would be just the two of them. The thought brought fresh tears to her eyes, and she started crying again. She wished Blackie were beside her and holding them both in his arms. But he’d made his choice, and she had to live with it.

The doorbell pealed, the loud musical notes bouncing off the walls of her home and snapping her body taut. With a glance at her watch, she saw it was almost eight o’clock, way too late for solicitors, and she knew it couldn’t be Erin, who knew Julie needed to be sound asleep by nine. She groaned and sat up, her heart leaping with hope that it might be Blackie. How stupid was that? He had run with his tail between his legs, and right now he was probably thanking his lucky stars over a beer that she’d let him off the hook.

She finally felt better, at least. No nausea now that it was bedtime. She grabbed her robe and slipped it on as she hurried to the front door. After looking through the peephole, she stood frozen on the entryway rug and hugged herself. It was Blackie.

“I heard you come to the door, Julie. Please, just let me in. Please.”

A part of her wanted to tell the man to get lost, but another, more civilized part of her couldn’t do that. She took a deep breath and disengaged the dead bolt. As the door swung open, Blackie pressed closer and put his foot on the threshold. In that moment, he looked large, forceful, and so masculine she ached to throw herself into his arms.

“What do you want, Blackie? I have to be at my shop at five in the morning.”

He held her gaze. “I want to beg your forgiveness. I know what I said was awful and uncalled-for. I think I knew it when I said it. But there’s this other side of me, Julie, a side that can’t believe you’re truly in love with an old guy like me. You’re so young. So beautiful. And, damn it, I don’t think I can live the rest of my life without you. Knowing that scares me half to death and makes me feel—I don’t know—inadequate, I guess, and insecure. I can’t help but ask myself what the hell you can possibly see in me, and for just an instant, it did cross my mind that maybe you used me to get pregnant. I’m so sorry for allowing a thought like that into my head. The words were out before I could stop them. If you’ll forgive me, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I—am—so—sorry.”