Page 106 of After the Vows

Damn, I love this woman. She loves my little girl something fierce. It’s everything I ever wanted for my daughter to have.

“You won’t, have it?”

“Don’t make fun of me. I know how it feels to be raised by a narcissistic mother. How it feels to wake up every morning wondering what kind of mood she’ll be in. Will today be the day she lets you eat breakfast or will she lock you in the closet for asking for a bowl of cereal? Why do you think I don’t want children? I can’t become my mother.”

I shackle her wrist before sitting on the bed and pulling her on my lap. “You aren’t your mother.”

Her brow wrinkles. “I know.”

I cup her cheeks. “You said you’re afraid of becoming your mother if you have children.”

“Shit,” she mutters and glances away.

“No.” I pinch her chin and force her to meet my gaze. “No hiding from me. You can’t tell me you’re afraid to have children and then hide from me.”

Her eyes narrow. There’s my wildcat. “I said I don’t want children. I didn’t say I’m afraid to have them.”

I grin. “You love children.”

She scowls. “I didn’t say I love children.”

“Okay, I’ll edit my statement. You love my daughter.”

“Natalia’s easy to love.”

I chuckle. “She threw up on you on a rollercoaster yesterday.”

She shrugs. “It happens. Ask me about the time Sophia drank six shots of moonshine before getting on the rollercoaster.”

“Nice try, but you can’t distract me.”

“Distract you from what?”

I grin. This woman can amuse me even when we’re having the most important discussion of my life.

“Chloe Fellows, you are not leaving me.”

The sparkle in her eyes dies out. “I have to Lucas. I can’t risk you losing Natalia. I would never forgive myself.”

“I’m not going to lose custody of my daughter.”

“But Holly knows our marriage is fake.”

I growl. “Our marriage isn’t fake.”

“Correction. Holly knows our marriage started out as fake. She could use the information to persuade a judge to give her custody.”

I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I already spoke to a lawyer.”

“You did? When? Why didn’t you tell me?”

I pinch her nose. “Someone hasn’t been answering her phone all day.”

“Oh.”

“There’s only one attorney on Smuggler’s Hideaway who handles custody cases. Apparently, he’s been fielding calls all day from people on the island who want to testify about how our marriage is very much real. About how we’re in love and can’t keep our hands off each other.”

She frowns. “Can’t keep our hands off each other? Who said that?”

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