She watched him speed away before shutting the door and walking back into the kitchen. There sat the meal Regan had prepared -untouched.

The tears started from the pit of her stomach and burned her chest as they made their way to her eyes. Why did she even think a man like Curtis Keller would want to love someone? He was married to his job and his patients. Only someone like Cynthia who was immersed into that kind of life would understand him. He was good only for quick romps behind barns, a friend with benefits. Curtis Keller wasn 't the father type. He might be compassionate and caring, but not for the people who really mattered -the woman who loved him and the baby who would want to love him too.

Simone sat at the table and pushed the plate in front of her away. Why did she think she could do this? Why did she come all the way to America only to find out she should have stayed in Paris? Eventually she could have convinced her father he was wrong. Whatever it was that had driven her to Nashville had been a mistake. It was time to realize that it was a lost cause to think that Curtis would choose her.

Chapter Eleven

It had taken everything within Simone 's power to not throw dinner in 1the trash. She was mad and normally that meant making a scene. But wasn 't that why she was in Nashville in the first place? In a battle of words with her father she 'd lost her temper, lost everything she 'd ever know, and now sat alone in a horrible little apartment feeling sorry for herself.

She searched the kitchen for storage containers and packaged up the dinner. If Curtis did show up she 'd feed him. She 'd tell him about the baby, and then decide how she 'd make plans to head back to the life she knew.

"It smells good in here. " Sam stood in the doorway of the kitchen. "Got any left over? "

Simone let out a breath and smiled at him. "Of course. Sit down. "

Sam washed his hands and Simone made him a plate of food as he sat down at the table.

"Did you eat all ready? "

She sat down across from him and watched as he cut into the chicken on his plate. "I was trying to impress Curtis. "

"He got called out on the carbon monoxide call, didn 't he? "

She nodded.

"The clinic was packed. " He took a bite. "This is great. You make this? "

"Regan. " She watched him take another bite. "If the clinic was full, why are you home? "

"Shift was over, " he said with his mouth full.

And just like that she knew her fate was sealed. She 'd personally seen Sam work with his patients and he had just as much compassion as Curtis, but Curtis would always run out and back to the job he was married to -Sam would go home to his family.

"So, " he stood to retrieve the beer from the refrigerator, "what are you doing with the rest of your night? "

Simone shrugged. "Nothing I guess. "

"Star Wars marathon is on TV. Want to pop some popcorn and watch? "

Sam was easy to get along with and she was comfortable with him. Never in her life had she sat on a couch and watched a marathon of movies 1with popcorn. Suddenly her ruined evening didn 't seem so bad.

"Regan brought a cheesecake. We could just go in after it with two forks. "

Sam took a pull of his beer and then laughed. "That 's my girl. Go get something on that 's comfy. You look too uptight. "

He dumped his plate in the sink and headed out to the couch.

Simone looked down at her outfit. It was very obvious that she was out of place in Nashville. Even in her own home she was dressed as though she were on parade.

She 'd found a pair of pajama shorts in the clothes Regan had given her and a loose T-shirt. She knotted her hair on the top of her head and had taken a moment to wash off her makeup.

Sam was already sitting on the couch, his feet up on the coffee table, when Simone emerged from her bedroom. Star Wars played on the television and the cheesecake sat next to him with a fork stuck in the middle.

He looked up at her when he heard her. "Couldn 't help myself. I started it. "

He patted the seat on the couch next to him. He moved the cheesecake to the coffee table and Simone took the seat he offered.

"Have you seen these movies? "

She sat stiff and upright next to him. "Of course. "

"Cool. Sit back and relax. Kick your feet up. " He tucked his arm under her legs and lifted them up. "You need to relax. "

Simone sat back and tried to loosen up. Old habits were hard to break.

Sam picked up the cheesecake, handed her a fork, and began digging into the center of the cake.

Simone took a small bite.

"You have to dig in. You can 't just take little bites. "

She laughed. "I did not know there was an art to this. "

"Pigging out on the couch. Heck yeah. " Sam took her fork out of her hand and dug up a big piece. He held it to her lips like a parent feeding a child. "C 'mon1, open up. "

Simone parted her lips slightly and inched toward the fork.

Sam pulled it back. "You can 't do this can you? "

"Why would I want to? "

"To be normal. Now open. "

She opened her mouth a bit wider, but before she knew it he had taken another piece of the cheesecake and shoved it into her mouth like a groom would shove wedding cake into his wife 's.

An evil laugh emerged from him as Simone wiped at her mouth. "Oh, God, you 're a mess! This is great. How about another? "

"Are you crazy? ' She wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time. What was wrong with this man she shared a home with? "Why did you do that? "

"Because it was funny. "

"I do not see the humor, " she said fighting back a laugh as she tried to scrape the smashed cheesecake off of her face.

"Oh, someday you will. You have to let go a little or you 're going to go crazy when you have your baby. "

The humor in the moment was over. Simone sat there on the beat up couch. Her face was covered in cheesecake, and she stared at Sam. Was she over reacting or did he say what she thought he had.

"I beg your pardon. "

"You 're almost through your first trimester, right? "

Simone swallowed hard and tears welled in her eyes. She wiped at the desert that stuck to her skin. "I never said I was pregnant. "

"You didn 't have to. I work with pregnant women all the time. And I have four sisters. I usually know someone is pregnant before they do. "