Page 69 of Enemies, Lovers & A Valentine's Baby

“It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it.”

“No, we should. It’s only fair. You were honest with me. I should do the same.” She swallows, averting her gaze. Her fidgety hands clasp tightly around her glass. I feel a sense of dread curling in my chest. Somehow, I know that whatever it is will have an impact on me too. “You’re right. I’ve always wanted a family. A husband, lots of kids. But…” Lila pauses, her voice breaking as she takes a shaky breath.

Her hands tremble slightly, and I can see the struggle written all over her face.

“Recently, I found out I can’t have children. I can’t…” Her voice falters, and she swallows hard, blinking rapidly. “I can’t carry my own kids because of…health complications.”

She finishes in a rush, her words shaky and uneven, and my chest tightens like a vice.

Shit.

Her eyes glaze over, a sheen of unshed tears making them shimmer in the dim light. She doesn’t look at me, her gaze fixed firmly on her lap, as though meeting my eyes might make her break.

“Lila,” I say softly, leaning forward. “I’m so sorry.” I don’t know what else to say. I reach out, taking her small, trembling hands in mine, wanting to give her something—anything—that might ease the weight of her pain.

She squeezes my hand gently. “Me too,” she whispers, her voice barely audible.

“You know what? I’ve cried enough,” she says suddenly, her voice trembling but steady. “I’ve spent way too many nights feeling sorry for myself. I don’t think I’ll ever fully get over it, but…I have accepted it.” She lifts her eyes to mine, and they shine with unshed tears. “If I can’t have kids of my own, then maybe that’s my sign to love harder on the people already in my life. To pour all of that love into them.”

Her smile is small, shaky, but radiant, and it knocks the air right out of my lungs.

I stare at her, unable to look away, and before I realize I’m speaking, the words tumble out. “You’re incredible.”

“Huh?” she murmurs, her eyes snapping back to mine.

“You’re incredible, Lila. The way you’re handling this.” I shake my head, struggling to find the words. “Most people would let something like this break them, but not you. And that…” I pause, swallowing. “That says more about you than anything else ever could.”

Her lips part slightly, as if she wants to respond, but no words come out. Her eyes are wide, shimmering with unshed tears, and for a moment, the air between us feels charged with something I can’t quite name.

“Thank you, Cole,” she whispers, her voice constricted.

I shake my head, my grip on her hands tightening just slightly. “No. Don’t thank me. I mean it. You’re…stronger than you know, Lila.”

Her lips quirk into a small smile, and for a second, I forget the heaviness of the moment, lost in the warmth of her expression.

The room is quiet, the tension easing but the intimacy between us lingering.

“I think I left my phone in the cellar; I’ll be right back,” I say. I’m sure she could use a few minutes to pull herself together.

I release her hands gently, letting her have a moment to herself, but I can’t take my eyes off her as she shifts slightly, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

Chapter 28

Sweet Consolations

Cole

I return a few minutes later to find Lila on her feet again. Glass of wine in hand and blanket draped over her slender shoulders, she walks around my living room, glancing at the pictures on my side table. Most of them are college pictures of Greg and me, and a few from corporate events I’ve attended over the last couple of years.

“You must have at least one baby picture somewhere,” she says, turning to smile at me.

“Oh, I do, trust me. I just don’t keep that one out for display. But there’s a special album upstairs. I think you’ll find that I was just as handsome even as a baby,” I grin as she rolls her eyes at me.

“Cocky much?” She laughs.

“Is it really being cocky if it’s the truth?” I grin.

“How about you let me be the judge of that?” She smiles back.

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