Read Online Christmas-Eve Baby by Caroline Anderson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Caroline Anderson
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kitchen.Quite unnecessarily, because it was a cordless phone, but she wanted Nick out of earshot. ‘Lucy, your father’s worried,’ she said when Lucy answered. ‘He noticed your car wasn’t there. I said you’d probably gone out for a meal with friends.’
There was a heartbeat of silence, then Lucy said, ‘Um—yes, I have.’
‘I thought so,’ Kate said, reading between the lines. ‘You enjoy yourself—and don’t worry about him.’
There was another tiny hesitation, then Lucy said softly, ‘Kate, keep him off my case.’
‘Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Thanks.’
Kate hung up and went back into the sitting room.
‘Well?’
‘She’s out for dinner with friends—I told you she would be.’
‘She never goes out without telling me. I wonder if she’s with the father?’ Very likely, Kate thought, knowing that Lauren was out with Martin, Alison’s little one wasn’t well, and Chloe was on call, but kept it firmly to herself as he went on, ‘If I knew who it was who’d left her to give birth and bring up her child alone, I’d hang him out to dry. How she got herself in this mess—’
‘Oh, Nick, leave the girl alone. She’s a mature, independent professional woman. She’s perfectly capable of fighting her own battles.’
‘Is she?’
‘Yes, of course she is.’
‘So how did she end up like this? And how’s she going to manage? For God’s sake, I was only eighteen when Annabel got pregnant. We managed. And it was twins! And then we had Edward far too soon afterwards, but still we coped. Westuck together, we made a family—for all the good it’s done,’ he added despairingly. ‘Lucy’s pregnant and alone, Jack’s got some bee in his bonnet about cosmetic surgery, he’s been running around London with one tarty little it-girl after another and won’t speak to me, and Edward can’t hack it in the army. So why the hell did we bother? Sometimes I think it’s a good thing Annabel isn’t around to see it.’
‘Oh, Nick.’ Kate sat back with a sigh. ‘You really are down in the dumps, aren’t you? You and Annabel did a fantastic job bringing up your children. You gave them every chance you could, they’ve all ended up qualified doctors and they’re all doing well. You should be proud of them. What more could you want?’
‘To know my daughter’s marrying the father of her child? A man worthy of her? To know my sons aren’t going off the rails—although if either of them would talk to me it would be an improvement—’
‘And when did you last try and talk to them?’
He went silent.
‘I thought so. Give them space, Nick, contact them—send them a text, tell them you’re thinking of them. Tell them about the house. Anything. Tell them you love them. Just don’t nag.’
He snorted, and she took his mug out of his hand and stood up. ‘Come on, it’s time you went home. I need to go to bed and so do you. You look exhausted. It’ll all feel better in the morning.’
‘Will it?’
His face was bleak, and she realised he was thinking about Annabel, about going home alone to an empty house. She knew all about that. Oh, she had Jeremiah, and she adoredevery hair on his precious little head, but her bed was still cold and lonely at night.
‘Goodnight, Nick,’ she said firmly, and shut the door on him.
CHAPTER FOUR
‘W AS that Kate?’
Lucy nodded and sighed, pushing her hair back off her face and running her fingers through it absently. ‘I’m sorry. Apparently my father was worried. He must have seen that my car wasn’t there and my lights were off. I expect he panicked. He’s such a worrywart.’
She looked troubled, and Ben just wanted to hug her, but he didn’t want to push it. Instead he tried the gentle voice of reason. ‘I can understand his concern. He’s lost a lot of people in his family. That would make him overprotective even if you weren’t pregnant and alone. And if he didn’t know you were going out.’
‘Oh, I know, but I
There was a heartbeat of silence, then Lucy said, ‘Um—yes, I have.’
‘I thought so,’ Kate said, reading between the lines. ‘You enjoy yourself—and don’t worry about him.’
There was another tiny hesitation, then Lucy said softly, ‘Kate, keep him off my case.’
‘Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Thanks.’
Kate hung up and went back into the sitting room.
‘Well?’
‘She’s out for dinner with friends—I told you she would be.’
‘She never goes out without telling me. I wonder if she’s with the father?’ Very likely, Kate thought, knowing that Lauren was out with Martin, Alison’s little one wasn’t well, and Chloe was on call, but kept it firmly to herself as he went on, ‘If I knew who it was who’d left her to give birth and bring up her child alone, I’d hang him out to dry. How she got herself in this mess—’
‘Oh, Nick, leave the girl alone. She’s a mature, independent professional woman. She’s perfectly capable of fighting her own battles.’
‘Is she?’
‘Yes, of course she is.’
‘So how did she end up like this? And how’s she going to manage? For God’s sake, I was only eighteen when Annabel got pregnant. We managed. And it was twins! And then we had Edward far too soon afterwards, but still we coped. Westuck together, we made a family—for all the good it’s done,’ he added despairingly. ‘Lucy’s pregnant and alone, Jack’s got some bee in his bonnet about cosmetic surgery, he’s been running around London with one tarty little it-girl after another and won’t speak to me, and Edward can’t hack it in the army. So why the hell did we bother? Sometimes I think it’s a good thing Annabel isn’t around to see it.’
‘Oh, Nick.’ Kate sat back with a sigh. ‘You really are down in the dumps, aren’t you? You and Annabel did a fantastic job bringing up your children. You gave them every chance you could, they’ve all ended up qualified doctors and they’re all doing well. You should be proud of them. What more could you want?’
‘To know my daughter’s marrying the father of her child? A man worthy of her? To know my sons aren’t going off the rails—although if either of them would talk to me it would be an improvement—’
‘And when did you last try and talk to them?’
He went silent.
‘I thought so. Give them space, Nick, contact them—send them a text, tell them you’re thinking of them. Tell them about the house. Anything. Tell them you love them. Just don’t nag.’
He snorted, and she took his mug out of his hand and stood up. ‘Come on, it’s time you went home. I need to go to bed and so do you. You look exhausted. It’ll all feel better in the morning.’
‘Will it?’
His face was bleak, and she realised he was thinking about Annabel, about going home alone to an empty house. She knew all about that. Oh, she had Jeremiah, and she adoredevery hair on his precious little head, but her bed was still cold and lonely at night.
‘Goodnight, Nick,’ she said firmly, and shut the door on him.
CHAPTER FOUR
‘W AS that Kate?’
Lucy nodded and sighed, pushing her hair back off her face and running her fingers through it absently. ‘I’m sorry. Apparently my father was worried. He must have seen that my car wasn’t there and my lights were off. I expect he panicked. He’s such a worrywart.’
She looked troubled, and Ben just wanted to hug her, but he didn’t want to push it. Instead he tried the gentle voice of reason. ‘I can understand his concern. He’s lost a lot of people in his family. That would make him overprotective even if you weren’t pregnant and alone. And if he didn’t know you were going out.’
‘Oh, I know, but I
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