Page 53 of Bound By Her Shocking Secret

Mia’s heart-rate sped up. This time tomorrow she would be Mrs Devilliers. Lexi would have two parents who loved her. She would be part of a family.

In spite of everything, Mia felt a tiny flame of hope flicker to life. Maybe bybecominga family they could truly be one. Daniel could grow to love her.

And then Daniel said, ‘But first I need to give you something.’

Mia frowned. ‘Wha...?’

Her voice faded when she saw Daniel take a box out of his pocket—a small velvet box—and she tensed. He opened the box and she sucked in a breath. It was a circular cut emerald ring, with two small diamonds on either side, in a platinum setting. It was simple and...perfect.

Daniel said carefully, ‘This isn’t like what happened to you before, Mia. This is the real deal. I would be proud and honoured for you to become my wife.’

She hated the emotion that clutched at her chest.

As if he’d been waiting for her tacit permission, he took the ring out of the box and picked up Mia’s hand, sliding the ring onto her finger. It fitted.

Miaknewthis marriage was really little more than a marriage of convenience, and yet right now it was hard not to hope that perhaps it could become something else.

She looked up at Daniel, but his expression was unreadable. Very quickly she doused the rogue emotions. She was losing it. She had to keep it together.

‘Is it okay?’ he asked.

Mia pulled her hand back. ‘Yes, it’s lovely.’

‘You won’t mind wearing it?’

Mia felt exposed again. ‘I’m sure I’ll get used to it.’

Daniel took a step back. He became brisk. ‘I’ve arranged for a stylist and a hair and make-up team to come to the apartment. The stylist will bring a range of choices for you to choose a wedding outfit from. They’ll also have clothes for Odile, who will be our witness, and Lexi. I have to go down to the offices, and I’ll probably be working late, so you guys go ahead and eat dinner.’

Mia’s head was spinning with all the information by the time he walked away. She found Odile feeding Lexi a late lunch in the kitchen. The young woman was beaming.

‘I can’t believe you’re getting married tomorrow,’ she said. ‘It’s so romantic.’

Mia smiled weakly. It couldn’t be less romantic. ‘You don’t mind being a witness?’

Odile’s eyes looked suspiciously shiny. ‘I’d be honoured. You and Daniel and Lexi...you guys are amazing, and I’ve already seen so much of the world because of you.’

Mia gave her a quick, impulsive hug. She’d become very fond of the girl, and was glad of a grounding force when everything suddenly seemed to be spinning out of her control.

Within hours the apartment had become a hive of activity, with assistants from Daniel’s office bringing paperwork to sign, and then the stylist and her team coming to help Mia prepare for the following day.

Mia signed the pre-nuptial agreement, which to her eyes would be ridiculously generous if she should ever divorce Daniel. The outlined custody arrangements in case of a divorce were also fair, and skewed in Mia’s favour. She really had nothing to complain about.

By the time she and Odile and Lexi had eaten that evening she was wrung out, and more than happy to crawl into bed not long after Lexi had gone down to sleep.

It was only when she woke a few hours later, instantly aware that Daniel was in the bed beside her, that she realised that of course the master suite was his room too. And, as his fiancée, of course she’d be sharing his room.

She didn’t open her eyes and she held her breath, even so her body came alive, knowing Daniel was just inches away. But, as much as she was tempted to drown out all her concerns and doubts and fears by losing herself in the physical, she felt it was important in that moment to hold back. As if by not giving in to Daniel’s silent but potent pull, she could exert some last vestige of control.

Somehow—miraculously—she managed to fall asleep, and she didn’t wake when Daniel curled his body around hers and wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her to him.

When Mia woke the next morning she almost wondered if she’d dreamt that Daniel had been in the bed beside her last night. There was no sign of him now.

She heard Lexi babbling in her room and got up to tend to her, seeing a note on the pillow beside hers.

She picked it up.

Morning. I didn’t want to wake you.

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