Page 108 of Modern Romance Collection February 2025, 1-4

It all tumbled out—how their marriage was really only a marriage of convenience, but that Primo did want a family at some point, and Faye had no intention of telling him that could never happen so she was going to leave when the six months was up.

‘I’m so sorry, Faye... You’re in love with him, aren’t you?’

Faye nodded. ‘Pathetic, isn’t it?’

‘Not really,’ Sadie commiserated. ‘I suffer from the same affliction.’

‘But Quin adores you.’

Sadie made a face. ‘It wasn’t straightforward for us... But that story would require at least a bottle of wine.’

‘Mama! Luna is awake again.’

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.

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