“You were wrong!” she hissed angrily. But at least she was listening and not trying to walk to the stables. Or some other place that she assumed held the exit.
“I was wrong,” he replied, nodding to emphasize his statement. “In so many ways.” He sighed and stepped closer. Thankfully, she didn’t step back this time. “I let you walk away from me in Paris because I couldn’t keep you. I believed I couldn’t give you the children and family that I knew you would eventually want.”
She tilted her head, considering his words. “Are you telling me that you didn’t stop me from leaving three months ago because you thought that I didn’t love you enough to live a life without children?”
“Yes.”
She rolled her eyes. “You aresuchan idiot!” she hissed, pushing him away. He didn’t move, so she stepped around him. He caught her again and pulled her close again. Unfortunately, Amanda wasn’t finished. “Daniesh, you made decisions on our future without asking me!” she snapped, poking her thumb against her chest. “I cried every night for three months because I missed you so much.”
He watched with fascination as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Bigger tears now, but he didn’t doubt the sincerity of the previous tears, nor these.
“I was in so much pain because I fell in love with you in Paris. I fell madly in love with you and you just let me walk away because you thought you knew what was better for me! You didn’ttalkto me, you arrogant bastard! You just decided what I needed, what I would want in the distant future, so you put me through hell!”
“I was in hell as well, my love,” he admitted. “ I haven’t been sleeping well because I dream about you every night.”
“No!” she snapped, lifting her finger and backing away from him. “You don’t get to be sweet and charming now!” She took another step backwards. “I came here, terrified of what you might say. But I came here and put my heart on the line for you. What did you do with my feelings? You crushed them by calling me a whore!”
“I’m so sorry,” he said again, stepping closer. “I will never do it again. I will protect your heart with every part of my being.”
“You…you…!’ she swiped the tears away again with the back of her hand. “You decided I moved on to someone else. That this baby wasn’t yours! You just…assumed–”
Now she was sobbing, her head bowed and her shoulders shaking with the intensity of what she was feeling.
“I’m so sorry!” he pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. He had to protect her. He had to make this right! “I was an ass and an idiot! I will never do anything to make you feel that way again.”
“Yes, you will,” she cried, pressing her face against his chest. He let his fingers dive into her hair, reveling in the softness. “You’re a man. You’re going to hurt me again.”
He laughed, but nodded, accepting the truth of her statement. “Yeah, I probably will.”
She sighed, snuggling against him. “So…what now?”
He pulled her even closer, needing as much of her touching him as possible. “Now, I tell you how much I love you. Now, I give you a tour of your new home. Next, you tell me when you’ll marry me. And I will work so hard to make you the happiest woman in the world.”
Daniesh took her silence as acceptance of his plan. Smiling, he pulled her around so that they were walking back to his suite.
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I love you,” she whispered.
He stopped and looked down at her. “I love you too!” he replied. “So damn much!”
She lifted lashes that were heavy with tears, looking into his eyes. “And you…do you want this baby?”
“Hell yes!” he groaned, pressing his forehead against hers. “I want it almost as much as I want to marry you and keep you in my bed for the rest of our lives!”
She tried to laugh, but it came out a hiccup. “I guess that will work. We spent a whole weekend in bed in Paris.”
He laughed and kissed her. When she melted against him, Daniesh knew that this was going to work!
Epilogue
“No! You arenotallowed to tie up your brother!” Amanda called out, pulling the jump rope out of her daughter’s hands. “No tying anyone up!”
Her daughter lifted her beautiful, dark eyes, so like her father’s. “But Momma! He said it was okay!”
Daniesh walked into the playroom to find their five year old son eating a cookie while their eight year old daughter contemplated the best way to tie him up.
Amanda turned, putting a hand on her swollen belly while she shoved the jump rope into her husband’s hands. “Here!” she said and waddled out the door. “You handle this!”
Daniesh took the rope, but he wasn’t sure what was going on. “What am I supposed to handle?” he called out.