Page 65 of Bought For The Marriage Bed

‘The money she asked for in exchange for Georgia,’ Lucia informed her.

Nina closed her eyes. ‘And…Marc? How…how is he?’

‘He is angry.’

‘I know.’ Nina bit her lip. ‘I don’t blame him.’

‘Where are you?’ Lucia asked. ‘He will want to see you.’

‘He told me he never wanted to see me again.’

‘That was then, this is now. Come around tonight. I will take Georgia home with me so you can have the evening together to sort things out.’

‘I don’t know if it can be sorted out.’

‘Just come home, Nina. This is where you belong.’

Nina was sitting on the edge of the sofa in Marc’s house when she heard his car come up the drive. She’d spent an hour with Georgia before Lucia had taken her with her, the baby settling as if by magic as soon as Nina tucked her into the baby seat in the back of the housekeeper’s car.

She heard Marc swear as he entered the house, the rough expletive cutting through the air like a knife. She rose to her feet as the lounge room door was pushed open, her hands in a tight knot in front of her body, her eyes hesitantly searching for his.

He came to a complete halt as his eyes met hers, his colour draining away as if he’d just been given the shock of his life.

‘Nina?’ He stepped towards her, then stopped. ‘It is you?’

‘Yes, it’s me.’

‘I was not sure…’ He pushed a hand through his hair, making it even more untidy than it already was. ‘I was expecting your sister. She called today, asking for more money.’

‘What did you say to her?’

He gave her a quick glance before looking away. ‘There is not much I can say until the adoption papers are processed.’

‘She’s letting you adopt Georgia?’

‘Yes, for a price, of course.’

‘Of course.’

He met her eyes once more, his expression guarded. ‘Why are you here?’

‘I wanted to see Georgia.’

He held her gaze for an interminable second or two. ‘Is that all?’

‘No.’ She took another breath and added softly, ‘I wanted to see you.’

‘Why?’ His one word held a note of accusation as if he thought she too was after his money.

‘I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for what I did. I thought I was doing the best thing for Georgia but…I can see now how terribly wrong it was. I thought you would take her away from me but I know you are not the hard man you pretend to be. You are…’ She tripped over a little sob. ‘You are the most wonderful man I have ever met.’

‘You are her mother in ways your sister could never be,’ he said, his voice suddenly rough with emotion. ‘I was wrong to speak to you the way I did. I was so angry at how you had deceived me. I never once stopped to think of what you had sacrificed in order to protect Georgia from Nadia.’

‘W-what do you mean?’

A shadow of a smile haunted his mouth. ‘You gave yourself to me. I had no idea what you were doing at the time. I simply assumed you had had a difficult birth with Georgia, never once suspecting that not only were you not her mother but that you were also a virgin.’

Colour seeped into her cheeks and she had to look away.

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