Page 57 of On His Bride's Terms

They heard the sound of Luna crying and Sadie rolled her eyes. ‘I’m sorry, it’s actually time for a feed—that’s why she’s restless.’

‘Go,’ said Faye, pushing her emotions down. ‘I’m sorry you had to hear all that.’

Sadie squeezed her hand. ‘We’re sisters now, no matter what happens. Okay?’

Faye nodded, feeling absurdly emotional again.

When she felt she was composed enough, she moved back around to the patio—and stopped dead in her tracks. Primo was holding one of the twins in his arms and Quin was showing him how to feed her with a bottle.

There was an awestruck look on Primo’s face that Faye had never seen before. And never would see again. Because now she knew that she couldn’t continue this charade. Coming here had broken something inside her, and she hadn’t even thought she’d had anything left to break.

Faye felt a spreading sense of hollow loneliness.

Damn Primo Holt.

She wished in that moment that she’d never laid eyes on him.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

PRIMOWASAFRAIDto breathe.

Quin chuckled. ‘They’re quite sturdy you know.’

His little niece was staring up at him with huge dark eyes, as if he held all the knowledge in the world, as she greedily drank down the milk.

‘Then you have to pat her on the back, Uncle Primo, but she might get sick on you.’

Primo tore his eyes away from the baby to look at Sol, who seemed like an old pro at this baby-feeding lark. Then something caught his peripheral vision, and he saw Faye walking quickly down the lawn towards the guest house.

She seemed in a hurry, and Primo would have called out, but he didn’t want to upset the baby.

After he’d been schooled in the art of winding the baby, and she’d let out an impressive belch, Quin took her back and said, ‘Well done, brother, your first feed. You can thank me for the practice when your firstborn comes along.’

Primo felt something uneasy settle in his gut.

He stood up. ‘I’m going to check on Faye.’

‘Come in for dinner around six? We’ll have a barbecue this evening.’

Primo nodded and left Quin holding one daughter and Sadie with the other baby. He thought he noticed that Sadie looked at him slightly strangely, but told himself he was being paranoid.

Maybe now was the time to have that conversation with Faye. Surely by now she would have to admit that what they had was good. And that it could endure.

But when he walked into the guest house the first thing he saw was Faye packing her bag. She seemed agitated.

‘Hey, what’s going on? Did something happen? Your father...?’

She went still. And then she stood up straight and faced him. She was pale. Her eyes looked huge.

She shook her head. ‘No, it’s not my father...or anything like that. It’s me. I have to go. I’m going to request a divorce, Primo. I’m sorry, but I can’t wait for the six months.’

Primo was looking at her as if she was losing her mind. She was. She was in full panic mode. She needed to get away from here and from Primonow. This place was the manifestation of the dream she’d always had of what family life could be, but it was also—cruelly—her worst nightmare. Because she could never have this. And she certainly couldn’t give it to Primo.

She took a breath in and forced herself to try and calm down. He deserved to know everything.

She said, ‘I saw you with the baby just now...’

Primo was shaking his head as if trying to understand. ‘A second ago you said you had to leave. You said you want adivorce.’

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