Page 174 of Filthy Rich Vampires: For Eternity

She carried the tray over and placed it next to me on the bed, on it a huge plate of pasta smothered in rich Bolognese. Its rich tomato-garlic scent wafted tendrils of escaping steam to my nose, and I groaned, stomach roaring.

“Julian asked what you would like.” Emotion laced her words.

“My favorite.” We shared a brief, shy smile.

“I’m glad. I...” She cleared her throat.

I reached for her hand, ignoring the jolt of magic that passed between us. “Not everything has changed. I’m still me.”

She studied me for a second, looking for proof. But what she said was, “You’re pregnant.”

I stilled, the racing of my heart drowning out my hunger, drowning out everything. “Can you sense it?”

“Julian told me.” Each word careful, delicate, like she was waiting for confirmation from my own lips. It must have been written on my face along with something else, because she added, “He didn’t want it to be a surprise... for me. I think he wanted to give me time to adjust to the news, so I didn’t upset you.”

That was possibly sweet, but I’d still be having words with him later. “He should have let me tell you.”

She swallowed. “So, it’s true.”

“Yes.” I forced myself to reach for my fork. I didn’t look at her as I spooled pasta onto it. But my heart continued to pound, my hand shaking as I brought the first bite to my mouth.

She’d made me choose when she found out about Julian, disappeared from my life, and emerged as someone else entirely. As much as I wanted to believe the woman I’d known was still in there somewhere, I didn’t dare hope. Because if it came to it again—if she disapproved of my child like she had in my mate—I didn’t think I could forgive that.

Slowly, she stood. I swallowed my food, unsure what to say, what to do, if she left the room. But then she leaned over and kissed my forehead. “No wonder you look exhausted. The first few weeks are the hardest.” She brushed back my hair, nodding to the food. “Eat as much as you can. If your pregnancy is anything like mine, you won’t keep much of it down.”

I stared up at her, at the concern and quiet joy and love shining down at me, and heat prickled my eyes. It turned to tears, and suddenly, I was telling her everything. The parts I had left out before and the things that had happened since. At some point, she’d taken a seat again. Not in the chair, but next to me, the tray shoved out of the way so she could run soothing hands over my shoulder, down my back.

When I ran out of words, her arm wrapped around my shoulder and she tucked me against her. She drew a shuddering breath. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

I sniffed, swiping at my eyes. “I needed you.”

She held me tighter. “I had to make choices, Thea. Not all of them were the right ones.” She peered down at me. “It killed me to let you go, to let you enter this world, to hope you were ready to face your destiny.”

“You told me to choose.” I couldn’t hide the accusation hiding there or the pain it still caused me.

Her eyes closed, but she nodded. “Because I knew you would make the right choice.”

“But... I chose Julian.”

“Exactly,” she murmured. “You have never made decisions out of fear, only love. I knew then that he was worth fighting for—even if I’m not thrilled to have a vampire for a son-in-law.”

“About that...” I screwed up my courage. “I know the wedding is going to be full of vampires, and I understand if you don’t feel safe, but I’d like you to be there.”

Tears lined her eyes. “You couldn’t keep me away, and I’ll be fine, I’m surrounded by vampires now.”

That was a good point.

“It’s tomorrow,” I warned her, screwing up my face with what I hope said surprise!

She laughed. “I’ll be ready. Are you?”

It was a question I didn’t have to ask myself. My smile answered for me, toppling when it hit me that I’d little-to-no-say in the plans. “Yes, although I have no idea what I’m wearing,” I told her with a laugh. “Hopefully Julian’s best friend picked the dress and not his mother.”

Mom pushed my tray back toward me. “Eat before it gets cold, and you can tell me all about them.”

Maybe it was the magic of my quarters, but the pasta was still piping hot. I ate until I was full, laughing with my mother until my heart was as well.

It was late when we heard a tentative knock at the door. I knew who was on the other side, knew it like I knew my own soul, but it still amazed me. He still amazed me.

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