Page 35 of Her Sweet Surrender
“But, he denied me even that,” he snarled. “Gray said he refused to act as my pain addiction.”
She sucked in her breath, remembering when Marquis Gray told her the same thing at the Collaring Ceremony.
“Why would he tell you that?” Rytsar snorted. “You are no masochist.”
“No, I am not.” Sir closed his eyes. “However, he was right.”
“Moy droog…” Rytsar protested.
Sir opened his eyes, his expression pained when he admitted, “My primal instinct is to kill Lilly and eliminate the threat to my family—but I fear it will change me. I believe that is the reason I sought out Gray’s counsel.”
“Oh, Sir,” Brie cried, reaching out to him in support.
Agony hardening his expression, he confessed, “It seems I must risk losing my family or I will become the very thing I want to kill. Neither choice is acceptable to me.”
Firsts
Sir asked Brie to invite Faelan and Kylie to join them for an afternoon on the beach. “It would be good for me to get Wallace’s perspective on the situation, and I’m sure Kylie would appreciate time relaxing in the sun before her life is no longer hers.”
Brie laughed. “She has no idea what she’s in for. Her life will never be the same.” Glancing at Hope, she added, “But, I have no regrets.”
He put his arm around her, gazing at their daughter. “No regrets.”
When the two arrived, Brie headed to the beach with Kylie and Hope so the two men could talk privately about Lilly. She noticed Kylie was already showing. “How far along are you?”
She giggled, looking down at her small baby bump. “Turns out I’m four months. Doctor Glas says the baby is healthy and is progressing well.”
“So, you did decide to go with my pediatrician.” Brie said, pleased to hear it.
“I did, and I do enjoy his Scottish accent! He’s been incredibly patient with me and my hundreds of questions.”
“Dr. Glas is great. I loved having him as my doctor for Hope and I’m grateful that he’ll be delivering our next baby, too.”
“So, you’re about one month along, right?” she asked.
“Yep. Sounds like I’m a trimester behind you.”
“I’m happy we’re in this together, Brie.”
“Me, too. We can share all the crazy little things that happen during pregnancy.”
Brie led Kylie out to the sunshade that Sir had already set up. Putting Hope on the beach blanket, Brie handed her a toy shovel and bucket to play with. Hope immediately began banging them together.
“While we enjoy the sun, she’ll get to stay safe under the shade,” she told Kylie.
“She’s such a lucky girl.” Kylie sat down on the low beach chair and laughed. “You know, I have no idea what I am going to do when I am eight months pregnant. I can’t believe how much my body is changing.”
Brie giggled. “You have so many changes ahead, girl. Our bodies metamorphosize into baby-making machines. It’s like you become part of a miracle, and when you feel them move inside you…” She sighed happily. “It’s pure magic.”
Kylie’s eyes lit up. “I didn’t know what that feeling was at first. It was like a little flutter. And then, when I realized it was the baby, I tried to get Faelan to feel it.”
Brie grinned. “Yeah, he won’t be able to feel it for a little longer.”
“Well, we spent hours trying.” Kylie laughed, then turned to the ocean and let out a satisfied sigh. “I’m so happy right now I can hardly stand it.”
Brie loved hearing that. “I’m happy for you both.”
“So, I do have a couple of questions…”
