Page 62 of Serpent King's Revenge

I’d seen Abby cry often, yes—but I’d put her through unspeakable things. She was tough. And this…it was all off. Her exhaustion, the way she broke so quickly. Maybe it was just the emotion of it all, but I had this sixth sense that something was wrong.

I covered her hand with mine, grazing my thumb over her knuckles. I wanted to come around the table, take her into my arms, distract her in the best way I knew how—but she seemed too fragile for that, at least for now.

“Abby,” I breathed. “It’s going to be okay.”

She laughed, swiping at her tears with her free hand. “Of course you’re telling me that, when you’re the one who just spent weeks in prison,” she said. “Sorry…it’s probably just the pregnancy hormones…”

The whole world seemed to stand still.

She was still talking, unloading like she’d been carrying a burden this whole time—but my ears were ringing and I couldn’t hear a thing she said. I gaped at her, gripped her hands.

She paused. “Nathan?”

“I…” I shook my head. “What did you say?”

“I was just talking about the pregnancy hormones,” she said. “They’ve got me really…” She stopped once again. “Are you not happy about it?”

I blinked, every cell in my body screaming at me to hold her, to do something, damn it!

But all I could do was say, “I didn’t know.”

She stared at me like I’d stared at her a few moments ago…then her face fell, her voice a whisper when she spoke again. “I asked…I asked my dad to tell you. He didn’t?”

I shook my head. “We didn’t have a lot of time.”

“So you didn’t…” She trailed off, then her lips curved at the corners into a small, secret smile. “Well, I guess the word’s out then. You’re going to be a dad.”

I stood abruptly, my movements halting and awkward. I was normally so self-possessed, in control of every little detail…but right now I only needed one thing.

I needed to hold her, to touch her, to love her.

I rounded the table and knelt beside her, taking both of her hands in mine. I was still in those damn khaki scrubs from the prison, she was in a guard’s uniform. This was far from the right circumstances for this news.

But we’d never been conventional, had we?

“Abby,” I exhaled, finding myself choked on a lump in my throat. “Abby…”

I wrapped my arms around her waist and she moved to stroke her fingers through my hair as I pressed my face to her stomach. It was still flat, no sign of our child—but I could feel the difference. A subtle change in the softness of her skin, in the way she touched me, in the way that fateful heat simmered between us.

I wanted to know everything, had a million questions, but I couldn’t ask.

Because I was weeping.

I held her for a long time as she stroked my hair, the candlelight flickering across both of us. After everything we’d been through, this woman…she would be the mother of my child. It was a destiny I thought I’d known since I first laid eyes on her, but I’d mistreated her so horribly.

I looked up at her.

“When…when did you find out?”

“Right after you got arrested,” she said. “I started getting sick and I thought it was just anxiety…but Lily helped me figure things out.”

“She knows?”

Abby nodded. “All your siblings do, and Jack.”

“Of course. That explains why Jack was there.”

Abby laughed, still stroking her fingers through my hair. “I rallied the troops,” she said. “I wouldn’t let you go that easy, Nathan Zhou.”

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