Page 61 of Claiming His Baby At The Altar

The tender encouragement throughout the birth.

The swirl of pride, relief and happiness that had lit his face when he first held their son in his arms.

Love had been there in every one of those images. Love for her.

Hadn’t she known it? His feelings for her?

And she’d run and run and run.

She’d been right to run, but not for the reasons she’d told herself. Alejandro would never cheat on her. He would never lie, not consciously. But she’d been right to run because the Alejandro she’d been running from hadn’t been capable of fully opening his heart and letting her inside it, not with the monsters that had plagued him for so long.

The monsters he’d just spent a long, lonely night torturing himself over. Admitting them. Banishing them...maybe not for good, but Alejandro’s determination meant he would succeed in banishing them completely. He would do it for her and their son.

He loved her. Truly loved her.

And she loved him.

Flora’s feelings for him had always been so rabid and greedy andterrifying, but as the picture reel faded and her eyes soaked in the proud but broken flesh and blood man who’d just opened his soul up to her, her heart bloomed like a giant rose and for the first time she realised all her fear had gone.

‘Wait,’ she called out to him as he reached for the door handle.

His back muscles tensed before he slowly turned back around to face her.

‘How long do we have to wait for the divorce to go through?’ she asked.

‘In Monte Cleure, divorce is allowed after a year of marriage,’ he said hollowly.

‘Is there a separation period?’

He winced but didn’t drop his stare. ‘No.’

‘So we can divorce in five months’ time?’

He inclined his head curtly.

‘And then can we remarry immediately after?’

He froze.

‘But somewhere nicer than Monte Cleure,’ she added. ‘And in a church. And I’d like to wear a wedding dress. And have a honeymoon. Do it all properly.’

His mouth moved but nothing came out.

‘And I suppose I’ll have to let my dad give me away. Unless you agree that Justin can do it?’

Flora held her breath while she waited for him to respond.

Alejandro attempted to clear his throat a number of times. He shook his head. ‘No. Your father will have to do it. Hillier will be my best man.’

For the longest time nothing more was said. Not verbally. Their eyes though... Flora could feel the emotions flooding Alejandro as vividly as she could feel the emotions flooding her, all warm and joyous and ballooning into her every crevice.

And then he moved.

In three long strides he was hauling her into his arms and holding her tightly enough to squeeze all the air from her lungs again. When his mouth found hers, his kiss was the most passionate and reverential she had ever tasted, leaving her clinging to him weak-kneed with giddiness as much as with need for him.

‘I love you,’ she said when he finally pulled his mouth from hers to rain kisses over her cheeks. ‘I love you so much.’

He cupped her face. ‘How?’ he asked simply.

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