by Abby Green
“That’s why I support her,” Val said broodingly. “Financially. That’s why she’s still part of my life even though she makes me crazy. I’m fairly certain what I went through was nothing compared to what she faced at different times in her life. There was a stepfather she refuses to talk about, and she moved to Paris alone at fifteen. If she’s self-serving and incapable of genuine connection or anything that resembles empathy, I’m sure she has her reasons.”
“That’s sad,” Kiara murmured.
“She pointed out something to me, though.” He rubbed his thighs. “While she was busy trying to save my marriage so you wouldn’t yank the money you’re giving her. That was a dirty move, by the way. Siccing her on me like that. It’s the sort of merciless attack I would use to get what I want.”
“I was genuinely worried about you.” And inclined to believe that Evelina would be strongly motivated to interfere in the best possible way. “What did she say?”
“She drew my attention to the fact she had fought long and hard to climb out of being victimized. She has never said it in so many words, but I’ve had time to realize how badly Dad took advantage of her, exactly like damned near every man she’d ever encountered. She was in her late twenties, worried her career would begin to fade, when Dad said he was breaking things off to marry Paloma. She did the only thing she thought she could to finally have some power and agency. I don’t agree with it, but I see why she did it. Then here I was, born into power and money. Influence. And because I felt victimized, I spent years trying to break away from it. That doesn’t make sense.”
“You were angry. Understandably.”
“But I had convinced myself I didn’t feel anything. And that’s the thing about emotions. You can’t pick and choose what to feel. It’s all or nothing. You have to take the bad with the good and when the bad is really bad?”
She nodded, heart sinking. “I understand. You need to protect yourself.”
“I want to. But when something feels really good, it’s hard to resist letting it happen.” He sighed and looked to the ceiling but opened his palm to her. “The way I feel about you… There aren’t enough words, Kiara. I wish I could paint. I wish you could see what I see when I look at you. When I touch you.”
Oh. She set her hand in his and his warm grip closed over her fingers, injecting a sensation of pure joy up her arm and into her heart.
“It’s not fair for me to say that love is a lie. I said that because I had never experienced it so I thought it didn’t exist. Then Aurelia—”
His eyes were damp as he met hers, and her own suffered a fresh sting of tears. They exchanged a knowing smile, both so powerfully smitten with their girl that only the other could possibly understand the intensity of love she inspired.
“She’s pretty amazing, isn’t she?” Kiara choked.
“She is pure magic. And I have to give you credit for that because her brand of pureness did not come from me.”
“Please don’t talk about yourself like that.”
“I’ve still been a bastard in many ways,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips.
“And I still love you. Exactly as you are. So much.”
“And I love you, Kiara. I love that you take your own pain and turn it into something beautiful. I love that fighting back is your last resort, not your first, but you’ll do it when you have to. I love that you rock my world when we’re in bed.”
“You rock mine,” she countered wryly.
“That’s what does it for me,” he said throatily, but sobered as he added gravely, “I love that you make our lovemaking feel right. That’s precious to me. You are precious to me.”
Oh. She sniffled, only becoming aware that her eyes were leaking when the tickling sensation brought her hand up to brush her emotive tears from her cheeks. She could hardly bear the pressure in her chest and throat, but she exulted in it at the same time.
“I don’t believe in fate, but I do believe you are the only woman who could have brought me out of the darkness like this. I want to be the better man who deserves you. I love you with everything in me and I’m going to stop fighting it. I’m going to embrace what we have.”
“I just want you to embrace me—oh!”
He grabbed her onto his lap and tumbled her down into the sofa cushions at the same time, kissing her surprised mouth with his smile.
“I am going to embrace the hell out of you. We have an entire week’s worth of lovemaking to make up for.” He lifted enough to open the buttons on her smock, glancing at the back of his fingers as he picked up a smear of the cerulean blue she’d mixed with titanium white to match his eyes.
“Remember to save some strength for your swim this afternoon,” she teased, filtering her fingers through his thick hair.
His eyes, which she’d gotten exactly right with her shade of icy blue, came up to stare with disgruntlement into hers. “Whose dumb idea was it to promise that?”
“I don’t know. A man who is far more generous and thoughtful than he would want anyone to believe, I think.”
“I do have a brand to protect.” He rearranged them so he was between her denim-clad thighs.
“Your chewy caramel center will be our little secret,” she whispered, tracing the lips that were making her strain with longing beneath him. “But speaking of keeping secrets…” She arched her neck as his mouth dipped to nibble against her throat.
He brought his head up abruptly, face blanked with shock. “Are you pregnant?”
“What? No. I was just going to ask you to close the blinds so people don’t see what we’re doing in here.”
“Oh.” The way his expression fell had her clasping his shoulders to keep him atop her as he started to push up.
“Wait. Did you want me to be pregnant?” she asked with a dip and roll of her heart.
His tongue ran over his teeth behind his closed lips as he considered.
“I think I did.” He nodded slowly. “I’m pretty sure I’m disappointed. But let’s save that conversation for when we have more time.” He dropped a kiss onto her mouth then rose to drop the blinds. “Right now I only have two short hours before I’m due with a toddler in a swimming pool and I want to make the most of it.”
And they did.
EPILOGUE
Two years later…
KIARA BLINKED SLEEPY eyes at him and sounded as petulant as their daughter did when she was resisting bedtime.
“I don’t want to sleep. I want to look at him.”
“I’ll look at him for both of us,” Val said, cupping her cheek tenderly and dropping a soft kiss on her pouted mouth before he stole their swaddled and sleeping son from her arms. “You need to rest. That was a lot of work you did.”
Watching Kiara deliver Rafael had been the most singularly overwhelming experience of his life, and Val had only witnessed his wife pushing their son into this world. She was the one who had labored long and hard to make it happen. He was so proud of her. So proud of their son. So happy he couldn’t describe it, only revel in it.
“You’re tired, too,” she said on a yawn. “Lie with me.” She scooted over a little in the narrow hospital bed.
He was tired. Apparently, babies didn’t always arrive at a civilized dinner hour the way Locke had. Sometimes they woke you at midnight and made their appearance at dawn.
“I’ll hold you until you fall asleep,” he promised, settling their son in his bassinet in case he dozed off himself. He had every intention of rising, though. That tiny boy was a magnet pulling his cast-iron heart out of his body.
“I should text Scarlett,” Kiara murmured as Val settled beside her. She snuggled her head onto his shoulder.
“I’ll do it,” Val promised, thinking he understood now why Javiero had been such a jackass that day. The only other person Val could stomach entering their tiny bubble of contentment was the daughte
r who was probably not even awake yet, but who had impatiently been waiting for her little brother or sister to arrive.
“Val?”
“Yes, my love?” He caressed her upper arm.
“I’m really glad you were here this time.”
“Me, too.” He turned his head to kiss her brow. “You were incredible.”
“You, too.”
He snorted and picked up her hand to kiss her fingertips. “You give me too much credit, bella, but I shall continue to do my best.”
She made a little noise of contentment, arm growing heavy on his waist as she drifted into sleep.
Meanwhile, he drew the bassinet a little closer to the bed so he could see the small miracle they had made together.
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