The Matchmaker’s Match

by Nicole Flockton

  He controlled the urge to reiterate his offer. To be the one to help her achieve her dreams. Such a stupid thought. He was embarking on a new career. When he started, his focus would be on training his dog and learning all he needed to know. He didn’t have time to become a father. It was time to face the truth. The thought of having a child hadn’t left his mind since the doctor had announced at the emergency clinic Meredith’s pregnancy test was positive. And it scared the shit out of him.

  “What did you find out?” he asked, pleased that his voice was calm and even.

  “That I think I need to do a little more thinking about it.”

  Whatever he’d been expecting, that hadn’t been it at all. It would make sense for her to say she’d made an appointment and was going full steam ahead with her plans.

  “Tink, whatever decision you make, I want you to know that I’ll be here for you. My offer still stands too, by the way. I’ll be your donor.”

  Shit. This was insanity. But for Meredith, he’d do it. The truth was, he hated the idea of a complete stranger being the father of her child.

  “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Linc.” Her face crumpled and he moved quickly from his chair and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight as a shudder rippled through her.

  “What is it?” he whispered. “What’s wrong?”

  Her shoulders lifted and then dropped as she took a deep breath. “I thought I knew what I wanted, and now I’m not so sure. I’m so confused.”

  This conversation wasn’t one they should have in the middle of the restaurant. “Are you finished?” he asked, indicating her almost empty plate.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Okay, let’s get out of here and find a place we can talk without it being overheard.” Keeping her close, Linc reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He grabbed some cash and placed it on the table. It was more than enough to cover the cost of the bill and tip.

  He ushered Meredith through the restaurant, acknowledging Kerry’s wave with one of his own. When it looked like she was going to make a move toward them, he shook his head and she halted her progress. He mouthed a thank you.

  Once outside, he followed the Riverwalk path until he found one of the benches tucked off to the side, near one of the major hotels, away from the crowds.

  “Are you okay now?” he asked, once they were seated.

  Meredith took another shuddering breath and clasped her hands between her legs. He kept his arm firmly around her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I almost had a mini meltdown.”

  “You’ve got nothing to apologize for. It’s been a crazy few weeks for you. A lot has happened. Want to tell me why you’re confused?” She tensed beneath his touch and he added quickly, “You don’t have to, of course, but talking might help.”

  She sighed, and when she laid her head on his shoulder, he relaxed. The last thing he wanted to do was give the impression of a brick wall. She might decide talking wasn’t a good idea.

  “I almost didn’t go into the clinic. A lot of my second thoughts started as I was standing out in front. When I was on the plane back from Guatemala, having a baby was everything to me. I wanted someone to love me for who I am, and who better than a baby to give unconditional love? God, I know it sounds so selfish and wrong, but it made sense to me. And then I found out I was pregnant and even my body betrayed me.” She looked up at him with tears glistening like stars in her eyes. “Who’s to say that if I go through all the procedures and lay out a lot of money, I won’t still come up empty-handed?”

  Linc pulled her close for a hug. He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t tell her that everything would be okay and her dream would come true when he had no idea. But he did know her pain cut him deep.

  They’d used protection and she’d ended up pregnant. But if she did everything right, had the procedure at the right time, there was no guarantee that she would fall pregnant.

  “I’m sorry, Tink. The doctor did say the chances of an ectopic pregnancy occurring again was slim.”

  “You’re right. In my mind I know that, but I’ve been hurt so many times in my past that I can’t help but think that this dream will never come to fruition.” She pulled away from him and he let her go, even though he wanted to keep her close. “There’s something else too.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’ve got a new job at this great school. I can’t start until the new school year, but they’ve asked if I could sub if needed.”

  Okay, not as bad as he thought it was going to be. “And the problem with that is…? I thought I overheard Isabella talking about you needing a job now that you’re back.”

  “It’s true. But how can I get pregnant and start a new job?”

  Now he was confused. Wouldn’t this have been something she’d thought about when she’d made the decision to have a baby? “Okay, but you would’ve taken that into consideration when making your baby plans, wouldn’t you?”

  She plucked at one of his shirt buttons and he bit back a smile when it struck him that she was unaware of her actions. “Well, yeah. I had initially thought I would try to time it to have the baby over summer break. Then by the time students go back, the baby would be old enough to go to daycare.”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s now March and summer break starts, what May or June? So having the baby right now wouldn’t be feasible anyway, correct?”

  “You’re right. On the plane coming back from Guatemala, all I thought about was coming back and starting the procedures to get pregnant. I admit I got so caught up in the dream that where we were in the current school year didn’t cross my mind. Thankfully, because I’d been out of the country, the doctor insisted I have tests to make sure I was healthy and hadn’t picked up anything while away before I could start.” She sat back and lifted her head to the sky. The muted glow from the path light cast a golden hue over her, highlighting her slender neck. A neck he had nuzzled only a couple nights ago in Ethan’s driveway.

  “And I guess the next thing you found out was that you were pregnant with our child,” he surmised. The night of the rehearsal dinner she’d told the emergency doctor she’d been to her own GP.

  “Yes.”

  Silence descended between them as he tried to sort it out and read between the lines. Find out what she was trying to say, but couldn’t put into so many words.

  “Do you need to take the job?” he asked. “Can you, say, try to get pregnant now and instead of starting the new school year in a couple of months, you do it next August? The baby will be even older and you’d have been able to spend time with him or her.”

  Linc couldn’t believe he was suggesting she still go ahead with the artificial insemination. Still, he’d been fighting the images ever since the night in the hospital. Meredith’s belly rounded with his child, Linc rubbing her back when it ached. Making sure she rested. Holding her hand as she went through labor to deliver their child. Crying with her when they placed their child in her arms. Images and thoughts he never expected to consider.

  “I couldn’t take more than a year off work, not after paying for the procedures,” Meredith said. “I suppose I could get the odd substitute teaching job while I was pregnant. But I really like this school. I was excited when I saw their teaching methods.” Meredith turned to him, her face radiating a happiness he hadn’t believed was possible considering their conversation and her tears of a few moments ago. “The kids seemed so much more engaged than at my old school. Like they enjoyed being in the classrooms. I went into teaching to be able to inspire kids to learn, and sure, I’ve had some success, not as much as I’d hoped. At this school, it would be amazing to be part of the faculty.”

  He could tell she loved teaching. He didn’t know that about her. Didn’t know a lot of things. Like what made her laugh. Did she like comedy or action-adventure movies? Was she more a Dr. Pepper or Coca-Cola girl? He also wanted to find out more places wh
ere she sighed under his touch.

  “Do you think if you turned up pregnant at the beginning of the new school year, they’d fire you?” he asked. That question was guaranteed to dim her sparkle.

  “I don’t think it’s legal to fire someone for being pregnant. But I’m sure they’d be unimpressed.”

  “What if you explained what you wanted to do? Would the school be understanding if you said you were trying to get pregnant?”

  “If I had a husband, sure, they might not bat an eyelid. But I’m very much single, so I can’t say what their reaction would be.”

  “I don’t think they could do that either. Wouldn’t it be discrimination?”

  “Probably.”

  This was the opening he’d been looking for.

  Being in the military, he’d had plenty of close calls with his life. He appreciated every single second he breathed, and the coincidence of him and Meredith meeting again wasn’t one he could ignore. So Linc was about to take one of the biggest risks of his life. Bigger in his mind than quitting the army.

  “But what if you weren’t single? What if you had a partner? You don’t have to be married to have children together.”

  Meredith scoffed. He liked it. Liked that she had no issues being herself around him. “But I am single, and I put that current status on my job application. I can’t conjure up a partner out of thin air. And I’m not going to lie and make one up.”

  Linc couldn’t believe she’d totally missed the massive hint he’d given her. “Tink, you’re missing the point. I’m here, next to you. We’ve had dinner together tonight. Hell, we made a baby. I’m talking about me.” He grabbed hold of her hands and squeezed them, waiting until she looked at him. “I’m saying I want to date you. Find out everything about you. And even though everything in my career is as chaotic as yours, I don’t want you to have a stranger’s baby.” He paused, knowing what he was about to say was going to be as life changing for Meredith as it was for him. “I want you to have mine.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “What? Did you just say you want me to have your baby?” Blood rushed through Meredith’s ears. Surely she’d misheard what he’d said. “Haven’t we already been down this road?”

  Linc stood, pulling her with him, and she placed her hands on his chest, his warmth reaching through his cotton shirt, heating her fingertips. She inched a little closer.

  “This would be different,” he insisted.

  “How would it be different?” Could she believe everything he said about wanting to date her? Mark had said all the right things and she’d believed him for two years. Had believed they’d be getting married.

  Sure, even though she now acknowledged that marrying Mark would have been a huge mistake, leaping straight into a complicated relationship with Linc that included having a baby when they hardly knew each other was bound to crash and burn around her.

  “When you look at Buster, apart from acknowledging how cute he is and the joy he brings you, what do you think?”

  Damn, she didn’t want to answer that question, and how the hell did he know what went through her mind when she cuddled Buster? The night they’d been to dinner at Isabella’s place, she’d buried her face in his little furry neck when they got home. Immediately, she’d inhaled Linc’s spicy aftershave. She’d spent the next half an hour cuddling the dog so tightly she was sure she was going to squash him.

  Linc was never far from her mind when she looked at the dog. How could it not when Linc had been the one to give him to her?

  “I think of you,” she whispered. “I think of you, Lincoln.”

  She went up on tiptoe and captured his lips. His arms tightened around her and she sighed. This, right here, being in Linc’s arms, gave her the confidence to face anything. Yes, even admit that she wanted him to be the father of her child.

  It wasn’t the job that had caused the second thoughts throughout her whole visit to the center. It was thoughts of Linc and his offer. Thoughts of the baby they’d never had the chance to know. Thoughts of future babies with Linc’s mischievous smile and her curly hair.

  His tongue traced the seam of her lips and she opened to allow him access. Her hands crept up his back to cup the back of his head to make sure he wouldn’t move.

  Eventually, the need to breathe broke the kiss and another sigh rippled through her as he laid his lips gently against her forehead.

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  He stilled. “Okay what?”

  Meredith angled her head back so she could look him straight in the eyes, so he had no doubt about the true meaning of her words. “I want to date you too. I want to get to know you like you want to get to know me. You’re right—how can we ignore everything that has brought us together?”

  “And the baby?”

  Could she do it? What if things didn’t work out with her and Linc? What would happen then? The same thing that she was planning. She’d be a single mom, but she wouldn’t really be alone. Linc would never abandon their child, and would it be a bad thing to have the father involved?

  No, it wouldn’t. In fact, at least her baby would be loved by two people, unlike what she’d experienced growing up.

  Life was full of risks. Hadn’t she decided to grasp life with both hands after the accident? She’d been saved for a reason, and maybe the reason was this moment.

  This pivotal moment when she took another chance. “Yes, I want the baby too, but not right now. I think we should wait and see what happens between us.”

  “I’m happy to do whatever you want, and taking our time sounds like a great idea.” He smiled big. Why would he put himself out like this? With someone he hardly knew?

  She lowered her head, finding his happiness a little disconcerting. She doubted that true love really existed. Oh, she talked a good game. Had encouraged Isabella to try again with Ethan. After hearing that love had changed Caleb’s demeanor, she could almost believe in true love.

  And maybe Linc was that man for her. If not, well, she’d stumble and fall, but she’d pick herself up and keep going. Like she always did.

  Linc brushed his thumb across her cheek and she raised her gaze to his. “I know there are a million doubts going through your mind right now, Tink. I see the sadness in you. And I want you to know that when you’re ready to tell me everything, I’ll be here. I will listen without judgment. No matter how bad or awful you may think it is, I promise it won’t change a thing between us.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “How about I take you home now? I’m sure Buster will be eager to see you.”

  When, and that was a big when, the time was right and she trusted herself and him, she would explain all about her parents and the accident and how she killed them.

  But she wasn’t going to go there now. Not when a new chapter was about to begin for her.

  “Yes, let’s go.”

  Linc slipped his arm around her again and she snuggled into his side. She would hang on to this feeling of protection he created within her like it was a life preserver saving her from drowning.

  *

  Linc turned the motor off and turned toward her. She rubbed her hands together nervously. All during the drive home, she’d been turning over in her mind what she’d do when they arrived at her place.

  Would she ask him in?

  Would she say thanks for a nice evening and leave it at that?

  Ask him in. You know you want to. You want to kiss him again like you did on the Riverwalk. You want him, so stop denying yourself some pleasure.

  “Do you want to come in?” she blurted out.

  “Yes.” There was no hesitation in him at all.

  Taking a deep breath, she released her seat belt and before she could open the door, Linc laid his hand over her thigh, warming the flesh beneath with a simple touch.

  “Wait here. I’ll get your door.”

  Such an old-fashioned gesture, opening the door for a woman. Normally, she’d balk and say she was more than capable of doing it for herself
, but there was a sweetness in his action and she couldn’t deny she liked it—a lot.

  The door opened and he held out a hand, gripping hers as she stepped out of the car. They made their way toward her house. The porch light glowed in welcome. As she inserted her keys in the lock, she heard Buster barking behind the door.

  “Well, at least you get warning whenever someone is at your door,” Linc commented. “He almost gives the impression he’s a big, tough dog, not a little one.”

  Meredith pushed the door open and Buster practically leaped into her arms. “Oh, yeah, he’s very vicious.” She laughed as she held tight to his wiggling body. “I’m sure he suffers with small-dog syndrome.”

  Buster licked her face and scrambled higher on her shoulder as she stepped to the side to allow Linc through the door. Upon seeing him, Buster pulled away from her and leaned toward Linc.

  “Well, hello, buddy,” he said, scratching the dog on the head.

  Buster leaned farther out of her arms. “I think he wants you,” she said and handed her furry beast to Linc.

  “Aww, were you feeling lonely, little man? Well, it’s okay, Meredith’s home now and I’m sure she’ll give you lots of cuddles.”

  Seeing the way Buster had settled himself in Linc’s arms, Meredith doubted the dog was currently unhappy with his lot in life.

  She pointed to the direction of her living room. “Take a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “I’ll just have some water, thanks.”

  “Be right back.”

  She used the few minutes to get the water as an opportunity to center her thoughts. Did she want to take the next step with Linc tonight?

  It wasn’t like they hadn’t done it before. Sharing her doubts about having a child had taken their relationship to the next level. They’d both agreed they wanted to date each other. She couldn’t deny her heart rate had kicked up a couple of notches when he’d talked about getting to know her better.