Page 21 of Cayden

“Yes.” So, he was not going to mention the pregnancy. Well, then- tamping down the hurt, she slid her legs off the bed and reached for the jacket.

He stood there for a few seconds as if trying to decide whether to say anything else and then without a word, turned and left the room.

Fighting the tears, she slipped on the jacket and buttoned it up. The good thing about it was that it provided warmth and was able to cover most of her body. They were going back to the manor where, no doubt, the staff would be awake, if not the family and she just wanted the chance to slip into their suite unnoticed.

He was in the kitchen drinking his coffee and standing at the window when she entered.

“The tea is on the counter.” He did not turn around but continued to stare out the window. “The trip last night was hasty, and I did not get the chance to alert the caretakers of our arrival. Hence the empty cupboards.”

He turned around then, his expression carefully schooled. He looked so detached that she wondered if it was the same man who had unleashed such passion on her last night. The same one who had called out her name in the throes of ecstasy.

“We could stop somewhere if you’re hungry.”

She shook her head and went to pick up the cup of tea she did not want.

“I love you.” He said abruptly, expression bleak. “Whatever else is between us, I want you to remember that.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

He smiled grimly. “For now, yes.”

She swallowed hard, feeling the words, she wanted to say lodge in her throat like a stone. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken feelings and unresolved issues. Her fingers tightened around the cup, seeking some form of comfort from the warm ceramic.

Tossing back the rest of the coffee, he put the cup away. “I will be out in the car.”

Chapter 6

“Oh Maria, please set the tray over there by the window seat. I need to finish this before I think about eating.”

“I intercepted Maria.” The sound of the familiar voice had her spinning around, one had automatically flying to her untidy hair.

“Marianne.” As usual, her mother-in-law made her feel frumpy and awkward. It was early afternoon, and she always managed to look both cool and sophisticated. She was wearing a chic black and pink tweed skirt suit and had a string of luminous pale pink pearls around her elegant throat.

Setting the tray in the designated spot, she turned in a tight circle to take in the room. “I have not been here since you made the changes.”

Blair held her breath and waited for the subtle criticism. “You went with bold colors. The splash of red and blue is quitedistinctive.” Green eyes so much like her eldest son, zeroed in on Blair. “It’s lovely.”

“Thank you.” Shoving her paint-stained hands into the pockets of her smock, she rocked back on her heels. “I thought you were out for the day.”

“The boys are all out.” It always amused Blair that she close to lump all of them including her husband in the same category.

She gestured towards the unfinished painting on the easel. “It looks familiar.”

“A cabin that we stayed last night.”

The woman studied the painting for a minute, before walking over to drape herself gracefully on a padded chair. Sighing inwardly at the intrusion and unwelcome visit, Blair took a seat on the stool she had been using.

She shifted uncomfortably under her mother-in-law's scrutinizing gaze. The tension in the room was palpable as Marianne's presence always seemed to bring a certain level of unease to Blair's otherwise normal tranquility.

Marianne raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Just for the evening. Well, I have some business to deal with in town.”

Blair nodded, unsure of what to say next. The silence stretched once more, interrupted only by the distant hum of conversation from elsewhere in the house. She felt an overwhelming urge to return to her painting, to lose herself in the world of colors and brushstrokes where everything was under her control.

Marianne nodded thoughtfully. “Your work has always been... unique, Blair. You have a gift.”

Blair blinked in surprise. Compliments from her mother-in-law were rare, and she found herself momentarily at a loss for words. “Thank you,” she finally managed, her voice softer than she intended.

As Marianne continued to appraise her surroundings, Blair allowed herself to hope that perhaps, this time, their interaction might end on a positive note. But she knew better than to let her guard down completely. The past had taught her that much.

---