Page 14 of Darla's Christmas Knight
Butknowingnever lessened the hurt.
Knowing never comforted her during the long, lonely nights.
And now, that agony of betrayal bubbled up from the deep hole she had shoved it in years ago, rising to the surface, rendering her incapable of containing it. “I’d’ve kept your secret,” she whispered, blinking rapidly.
*
The hurt in her voice tore at Bobby’s heart. “I know, love. I know.” And the way she flinched from his touch when he reached out and brushed away the single tear that trailed down her cheek, ripped his soul in two.
Hewas the reason for her heartache.
Every tear she’d shed was because of him.
“Please, Bobby, just go,” she begged, dropping her head.
“I can’t,” he replied.
She pushed away from the counter and lifted a tear-stainedface to him. “I wanted children. And a husband. A forever with you. I never hid that from you,Robert Bellerose.” He winced as she bit out his full name. “And you continued to let me believe we had a future. But you knew,you fucking knewthat one day you’d rip it all away with a few trite words.” She leaned across the counter and stabbed a finger into his chest. “Do you remember what you said to me? Do you? Huh?”
He remembered those awful words he’d forced over his lips.
Only too well.
They haunted him to this day.
But before he could reply, she spat them out, “It’s not you, it’s me.” She gave a bitter laugh. “How clichéd.Gah!It’s not you, love, it’s me,” she repeated in a sing-song voice.
He rounded the counter and dragged her into his arms. “I’m sorry, Darla. So bloody sorry.”
Bobby held on tight even though she struggled against his embrace. And then she issued a mighty sob and dropped her head to his chest. The floodgates opened, and she all but melted into him. He lifted her into his arms and moved to the couch and, cradling his precious cargo close to his chest, he sank onto the plush cushions. It took a while for her tears to dry up, during which he plied her with tissues from a nearby box and stroked soothing hands over her back.
Of course, once she cried out her hurt, the sass returned. “Don’t think this means I’ve forgiven you,” she snapped, glaring at him.
“I wouldn’t dream of thinking that.”
“Good.” She shifted to the cushion next to him and lifted her chin. “I’m gonna get cats. At least two, ’cause one would get lonely.”
He blinked at the left field declaration. “Cats?”
“Uh huh. Sullivan’s smitten with the princess, so I’ve lost my chance of having a baby and—”
“Whoa,” he burst out, twisting to grab hold of her biceps, holding her at arm’s length. He peered intently at her. “Tell me about this thing between you and Sullivan. Please.”
She let out a beleaguered breath. “I want …wantedto have a baby and considered IVF using a donor, but that’s not for me, so I asked Sullivan to be my baby daddy. No strings attached, ’cause we’re not in love with each other. But then he met the princess.” She huffed. “Now I’m gonna be a cat lady.”
A baby.
Darla wanted a baby.
“I’ll give you a baby. I can even throw in a cat.”
5
Andrastian Islands, Late November.
His brother frowned. “Let me get this straight. This woman—”
“Her name is Darla,” Bobby snapped, wonderingagainwhy he’d spilled his guts to Stuart.
