“Good. It was supposed to. I can’t believe you’re here right now when I was just about to call you.” She took him by the hand and dragged him to her desk where her laptop was open. “I’m trying to register for fall classes, and it’s not working. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Maybe it’s a sign.”

“Of what?” Adam asked as he let her push him into the desk chair.

“That I’m not meant to go back to school.”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

“Do you promise not to tell anyone? That means anyone.”

“Yes, I promise.”

She nibbled on her thumbnail. “I don’t want to go back to school.”

“Janey—”

“I want to be a mom. I want to take care of my baby. Joe has the business, so we don’t need the money.”

Adam took her hand and squeezed it. “Janey, stop. Stop.” He waited until he was sure he had her attention. “Do you remember the conversation we had after 9-11 when I told you I didn’t want to live in the city anymore?”

“Vaguely.”

“I remember it like it was yesterday. You told me I’d just been through a traumatic thing, and it wasn’t a good idea to make big decisions after something like that. Do you remember?”

“It’s starting to come back to me now.”

“What you said made a lot of sense, and it kept me from making an impulsive move based solely on emotion.”

“I’m glad I was able to help you, but what’s that got to do with me?”

He rested a hand on her huge belly and received a kick from his niece or nephew. “From what I’m told, this is a pretty traumatic thing for a woman. It wreaks havoc on you physically and emotionally. This might not be the ideal time to be making big decisions.”

“Every time I think about leaving the baby for long days at school followed by longer nights of studying, I feel physically ill.”

“Who will take care of your baby while you’re doing all that?”

“Joe.”

“So he or she will have one parent available to him or her all the time, right?”

“I suppose so.”

“And what do babies remember about the first year or two of their lives?”

“Not much.”

“Don’t do anything rash, Janey. You’ve wanted to be a vet for so long, and you’re so close. Don’t quit now. At least wait until after the baby arrives and see how you feel then.”

She released a deep sigh that had Riley nudging at her hand. Patting his head, she said, “All right. You win. I’ll wait to decide anything.”

“I don’t want you to have regrets later.”

“The stupid website won’t let me do anything.”