Page 40 of The Nicolaides Baby

“Of what?”

“Of this,” she said, opening her eyes to see he had scooted closer. “Of you hating me and…”

“And what,” he said low, moving close enough he was within arm’s reach.

“Of…” She stared into his clearing gaze. “I won’t let you take my daughter, and now this child,” she said, pressing her hand to her stomach, “away from me.”

He scowled. “Why would I take…”

He shook his head and then shocked her by closing the last bit of space between them to gather her in his arms. “I would never take your children from you.”

She pressed close and breathed him in as she wrapped her arms around his waist and burrowed into his chest. Nothing had felt so right in two months.

“I admit I’ve been angry.” She tensed in his arms. “But you can rest assured I’veneverhated you.”

She closed her eyes and let herself melt into him as the light press of his lips brushed against the top of her hair.

“I never could. Not even four years ago when I thought you’d left me and gone straight to another.”

She shook her head and pulled away from him to hold his gaze but didn’t get far as his arms tightened. “It was a foolish, absolutely stupid lie to tell. And then once it was out there and grew, I didn’t know how to take it back.” She searched his softening features. “And then I felt it was too late.”

“It would never have been too late.” She found herself pulled back into his embrace as his body shuddered and his arms tightened. “Ihavebeen angry. I was angry when you left me. I was angry when I found out Mara was my child and I had missed out on so much of her life.”

She squirmed to pull away from him. “I—”

“No,” he said, pulling her even closer, if that was possible. “I need to say this.”

She only nodded and settled back against him. Whatever he said, she would have to accept.

“Do you know what it did to me when I thought you had gone straight from my bed to another man’s and then gotten pregnant by him?”

She shook her head as tears pricked her eyes.

“It devastated me.” The steady beat of Leo’s heart under her cheek increased. “I wanted—no wished—with everything inside me when I’d heard you were pregnant that it was my child. Because if it was my baby, I thought you’d come back to me.”

Rowan held in her trembling lips.

“But Sierra truly believed what you’d told her, so I had no reason to doubt what you’d said.”

“I… I should have told her.”

“I wished to God you had,” he groaned. His breath whispered across her ear as he said low, “You and that stubborn streak of yours.” His light chuckle eased some of the tension running through her before he whispered. “But it’s part of who you are. That and your humor, your kindness, your love for Mara and Lukas. All of that, plus a beauty that is more than just skin deep. It’s just one more part of the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.” Rowan gasped. “The woman I love.”

Every bit of tension in Rowan’s body seeped away as happiness unlike any she’d known filled her. “Well,” she said, as she was finally able to lift her head in his loosening embrace. “It’s a good thing I love you too then.” She grinned at the smile spreading over his face. “Especially seeing how grumpy you can get.”

“I’ll show you grumpy.” His head swooped down and met Rowan’s as she strained toward him. It was a homecoming she had longed for but had been afraid to actually hope would ever happen. The kiss went from intense to searching and worshiping as they welcomed each other back and her body readied for his.

It had been too long.

“When,” he whispered across her lips before running his lips to her ear. “When is Mara expected back?”

“Not for another hour or so,” she panted as his tongue traced over the shell of her ear.

“That’ll have to do.” She held his heated gaze as he raised up and urged her backward onto the couch. Then she sighed in pleasure as the familiar weight of his body blanketed hers. “For now.”

Epilogue

“Evander Andreas Nicolaides.”

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