Page 77 of Undeniable Temptation

“Which one?” The barb escaped without thought. “Marrying me? Or waiting too long to call it quits?”

“My mistake was letting you go.”

“Excuse me?” Her revelation didn’t faze him. It couldn’t. Not when he was lost to someone else.

“I made a mistake when I asked for a divorce.”

“No.” He shook his head and shot his attention to the kitchen window, unable to face her. He wasn’t going to do this. Not now. Not when she’d already dragged him through weeks of hell.Yearsof heartache. “I’m not in the mood for games.” He placed the stapled pages on the counter and slid them toward her. “If you read over this, you’ll find it’s a fair settlement.”

“You’re not listening.” She slid the pages back. “I no longer want a divorce.”

“Don’t do this.” He tried to keep his cool, tried to remain civil and in control even though his subconscious was demanding he leave the fray.

“I was hormonal,” she pleaded. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah, you were. You were thinking about how miserable we were. You were thinking about how you resented my career and hated me being away from home all the time. You were thinking that we’d gone too far to come back, and you were right.”

“No.” Remorse filled her eyes. “We haven’t gone too far. I just had to realize how wrong I was. I needed space to clear my head.”

“And while you took your time to figure it out, I moved on.”

“I don’t believe you.” She shook her head. “That woman isn’t your type.”

No, Felicity wasn’t, but Leah sure was. Leah was everything. She was the light in the darkness. The stability in a building tsunami.

“I want you to come home, Ryan.”

He cringed.

“Not right now,” she blurted. “I realize you’re on tour. But once that’s over…”

“Stop saying ‘home’ when you know full-well I haven’t been welcome here for a damn long time.” He couldn’t remember when she’d officially kicked him out of their bedroom. He’d been relegated to the couch or the spare bedroom, only getting a temporary return pass when she wanted a physical fix. Once the sex was over he always got shoved back to the doghouse.

She wasn’t entirely to blame. He’d willingly taken her shit. He’d gone along with it because he harbored the guilt of all their problems.

“Trust me. We’ll be happier once the divorce is final.” He took a one last visual sweep of the place they’d bought when happiness had still been a part of their lives. He relived the few fading memories of love and hoped they didn’t disappear entirely. Then he turned on his heel and headed for the hall.

“Ryan.” His name was a plea. “Please stop.”

He paused, her agonizing tone making him glance over his shoulder. The slightest shift in her position made his heart seize. The light streaming through the window hit her at a different angle. The tiniest change in perception turning his world upside down. She stood tall, her hand sliding over her abdomen, the placement pulling her loose dress tight over a rounded belly. The air left his lungs in a heave and he thought his stomach would follow suit.

“I’m pregnant.”

His blood infused with adrenaline, the heavy pulse of awe keeping him immobile. In an instant his life changed. Clarity skewed, perspective morphed, responsibility became a heavy weight, and fear and longing collided. In one revelation she crushed his dreams for a future with Leah and taunted him with the opportunity of a family.

“You’re going to be a father.”

Those words… That belly…

“How long?” He voiced the doubt bubbling to the forefront.

She lifted her chin, her hand possessive over her abdomen. “Five months.”

A knife stabbed deep into his chest, piercing skin and sinew. They’d slept together in that time. Once or twice, depending on the validity of his shadowy memories. Both emotionless sexual experiences he didn’t want to associate with the conception of a child.

“I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks, but you wouldn’t answer my calls. I didn’t want you to find out from anyone else, but the bump is getting too big to hide.” She stared at the hand on her stomach, a maternal smile curving her lips. “We’re going to have a baby.”

The knife plunged deeper, through arteries and organs.

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