I noticed how she included herself in that equation. “Congratulations,” was all I could think to say.
Her eyes never left his face. “You’re lucky to have him,” she said before turning to him. “That was a wonderful performance, Devlin. I think you get better every single time I see you.”
Devlin’s jaw twitched. I knew it was clenched to the point of breaking. Finally he rose from the chair. “I think I’m going to refill my drink. Can I get you another, Charles?” he asked and Father nodded.
“Yes, that is quite thoughtful. Thank you.”
Devlin nodded before he stalked away from the table. Before I could chase after him, Suzanne turned her focus towards me. “Let me guess. Darcy made your gown.” I couldn’t speak. I simply nodded. “Such a talented girl,” she praised as she looked over my outfit. She turned to Father. “You should snatch her up soon, Charles. Before anyone else has a chance to.”
Father didn’t look entirely convinced. “It certainly warrants consideration,” he finally admitted before he, too, turned to inspect my dress.
“When Devlin first took me under his wing, her clothes were the first thing he suggested I wear. I was so big back then,” she admitted, which only made me feel more conspicuous. “And yet her clothes made me feel beautiful. Such a magical thing,” she mused as she looked me over. “Wouldn’t you say, Coralie?”
I wanted to correct her, to tell her my name was CC, and that she couldn’t call me any other name, but it seemed an overreaction. Clearly this woman was sending me some signals, but I certainly didn’t have to respond to them, even when she was basically calling me a fat cow to my face.
“Together the Masters are a winning pair,” Suzanne said as she glanced across the room towards Devlin, where he stood in line for bar service. “And I ran a casino. I know winners when I see them.”
Father nodded as he referred to his phone, where photos of her magical transformation sat side by side, which he showed me. In her ‘before’ photo, she was about seventy pounds heavier, with overly blown out hair and makeup applied with a heavy hand. In the next photo, her body had slimmed down, her hair had been toned down and her makeup was practically nude. The difference was striking, but I knew what truly was behind her transformation. The look in her eyes in the ‘after’ photo clearly showed a woman who had known true pleasure in the arms of a man.
I knew that look because I wore that look.
“So when did you meet Devlin?” I asked her.
Her eyes met mine. “Why, four years ago, dear. When he came to work for me as a blackjack dealer.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I wasn’t sure if they even heard the gasp elicited by her answer, but for a full second I couldn’t say a word. I could barely breathe. In that one sentence, she had confirmed everything that I knew Devlin never would. I knew in that moment that Suzanne Everhart was Devlin’s first client, the one who had screwed him over and screwed Darcy over. She was the one who had strung him along, making all her grand promises. Because of her, he couldn’t fully trust anything I might promise.
“I’ve heard that before. From someone a lot richer than you.”
She owned a casino, which I was pretty sure made quite a bit more money than Cabot’s.
And from the way Devlin reacted when he had to face her, I was sure there was nothing but animosity left between them. From what little I knew about his past, I knew that his resentment, his anger, could only mean one thing. He hated her for what she had done to him, and to his sister.
“So in she rode in on her diamond-studded white stallion, promising to fix all of our problems. Darcy believed her. I believed her. We put all our eggs in her basket because we bought her sweet load of bullshit, which she hid behind the smile of a friend, the charitable heart of a benevolent benefactor. A lover. It was all an act, Coralie. Part of the fantasy. Her fantasy.”
I turned back to Suzanne, who spoke with a faint accent, the telltale hint of a Georgia lilt. This was a southern girl who likely came from old Southern money, who likely used charm to get exactly what she wanted. And I could tell by the way her eyes scoped over the hardened body of my husband that she still wanted Devlin.
“You certainly don’t have to sell me on Devlin’s qualities,” I smiled. “I think he’s exceptional, otherwise I wouldn’t have married him.”
I watched her eyes narrow as she stared at me. She got the hands-off, trespassers-shot-on-sight message loud and clear. “You are a lucky woman,” she purred.
“Indeed,” I said. “I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us. With Darcy’s designs, we can’t lose. That will free up some time so that I can ultimately stay home with our children. You know how much family means to Dev,” I added, sweet as sugar.
Her smile widened, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. I had made it clear that I wasn’t just any woman; I was Coralie Masters, Devlin’s wife. I held the ultimate ace up my sleeve. I was the only one on the planet who could stake a claim to his future, no matter how many vivacious, beautiful women had marked him as their territory in the past.
I won. He was mine.
It made me empathize a lot more with how angry Devlin got when we returned from Vegas, and Oliver manhandled me to stake his claim about two weeks too late. When you have something special, you hold onto it. You fight for it. You never let it go.
And I was never going to let Dev go.
I politely excused myself and headed straight to my husband.
That’s right. My husband.
I walked up behind him and slid my arms around his waist, resting my chin against his strong shoulder. “You okay?”
He nodded, but I didn’t believe him. “I had no idea she was going to be here,” he muttered as we inched closer to the front of the line. I said nothing as I held him closer. He turned to me with a curious glance. “No inquisition?”
I shook my head. “I know who she is, Devlin. I could tell by the look in your eyes when you saw her.”
He nodded and brushed his hands along my arms, both of which grasped him tightly around the middle. “I’m sorry,” he offered but I wouldn’t allow him to apologize.
“Not necessary,” I said. “I’m the one wearing your rings. That’s all that matters to me.”
He turned me into his embrace to kiss me softly. “Can we leave yet?”
I spotted Caz out of the corner of my eye. “Not yet,” I said before I disentangled myself. If Dev was mine to protect, then I supposed it was time for me to do what I needed to do. I walked over to where he stood, holding my aunt’s place at the table while she and Aubrey escaped to the ladies’ room to powder their noses. Father was preoccupied with Suzanne, so I could speak to him uninterrupted. His eyes glittered as I approached.
“Hello, CC,” he said. “Good to see you again.”
“Caz,” I nodded in greeting. “I thought maybe we could schedule some workout sessions. If you’re free.”
He chuckled at the term, and I supposed I could understand why. Of course he wasn’t free. “Given up on the tennis lessons already, Mrs. Masters?” he asked.
“I’m not really big on playing games,” I told him coolly.
“Of course not,” he agreed easily. “Just fair warning, though. My training program is pretty rigorous. Are you sure your husband can bear to share you week in and week out while we get you into shape?”
I gritted my teeth. “My husband’s going to be busy with our new clothing line.” I held up the flowing skirt. “What do you think?”
He scoped me over, before his lazy gaze came back to rest on my face. “Stunning,” he said softly. “I’d have to check my schedule, but I think I have an opening on Wednesday. Is that good for you?”
I nodded. I knew I’d have to make it work regardless. I had to keep this fish on the line for as long as it took to convince father about Darcy’s clothing line. “Sounds perfect. I sure hope you can help me. Physical agility isn’t exactly my strong suit.”
“I don’t belie
ve that,” he smiled.
“Sad but true,” I confirmed.
He stood. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to do a test run on the dance floor, then. Just so I know what I’m working with.”
“We’re going to go to the wedding next week, just like he will. And at the reception, he’s going to ask you to dance.”
Caz’s eyes practically sparkled as he stared down at me. Whether it was mischief or mayhem, I couldn’t be sure. I slid a glance towards Dev, who merely acknowledged my plan with an imperceptible nod. Only then did I follow Caz onto the crowded dance floor. He fit me easily against his body, his hand resting dangerously close to the curve of my ass.
“He’s going to hold you inappropriately, just to get to me, to make me lose my temper.”
I gritted my teeth as I followed his lead.
“See, that’s not bad at all,” he crooned softly as he pulled me closer, making sure I could feel him pressing into me. His fingers dipped down into the fleshy part of my hips. “Lots of raw potential.”
“He’ll flirt. He’ll test your boundaries.”
I steeled myself against him. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere, Caz.”
He chuckled, wearing that lopsided smirk shamelessly. “Says the woman in my arms, practically letting me grab her ass.” I started to move out of his arms but he held me tighter. “Fine, I’ll be good,” he promised, but I didn’t believe him. “You’re going to have to get used to the idea of being close to me,” he warned as his thumb absently drew circles against my back. “If you trust me, I can teach you anything,” he added with a heavy dose of innuendo.
“Shouldn’t you save those ‘lessons’ for my aunt?” I challenged.
He leaned forward. “I’m young. I know how to juggle.”
“I bet,” I chided. “All I need is a workout coach. Dev’s going to be busy with this new clothing line, and I’d like to get fit in the meantime. As fit as possible, as quickly as possible,” I added.
“Something big in mind?” he asked. I nodded. “Like a wedding?” he probed, likely trying to figure out how long he could keep me on the line, and milk me for money when the time was right.
Instead my eyes met his. “Like a baby,” I answered.
And I was only half-lying.
Either way I couldn’t argue with the effect. Caz Bixby no longer looked as smug as he had when he dragged me out onto the dance floor. “Isn’t it a little soon for that?”
I shrugged. “My mother was pregnant within months of meeting my dad. If they can do it…,” I trailed off, and let him fill in the rest. “So do you think you can help me?”
He studied me for a long minute before he nodded at last. “You got yourself a trainer, Mrs. Masters,” he said.
I leaned in just a little, pressing my full breasts into his chest. “Good. See you Wednesday.”
With that I pulled out of his arms and went to find my husband. We waited just long enough to see off Gus and Lucy, before he practically dragged me out to the car. I was in his arms before we ever reached it. I responded to his hungry kiss. “Let’s go home,” he growled against my mouth.
I nodded. It was definitely time to go home.
When we got to our place, he picked me up and carried me over the threshold, and didn’t stop until we landed on our bed. He kissed me like he had been waiting to do it for days, and I suppose, really, he had. All our arguments seemed so stupid now. When I was in his arms, life simply made sense. It wasn’t as complicated as I had always thought it would be. I wanted someone and I was with them. Easiest decision ever.
As he made quick work of my dress, baring my body for him, to tease and torment like he always did, I realized that soon I would have yet another decision to make. And I didn’t want to make it alone, or by accident. Before he could bury his face between my thighs, I pulled him up to face me.
“Devlin, we need to talk.”
He groaned. “Coralie. Don’t do this.”
“Not about the past,” I assured at once. I didn’t want to think about, or hear about, Suzanne Everhart. As far as I was concerned, she was irrelevant. “About the future,” I said instead.
His eyes met mine. “What do you mean?”
I took a deep breath, summoning all my courage. “I hadn’t got my period in almost three weeks,” I informed him, feeling the direct approach was probably best. “I went to the doctor yesterday.” I could feel Dev physically brace, so I let him almost immediately off the hook. “He said I wasn’t pregnant.”
Devlin practically sighed in relief, which gave me pause. “I guess we should be more careful,” he suggested.
I nodded. “We could. Or we could just let fate decide.”
Again his eyes met mine. “What are you saying?”
I wrapped my arms around him. “I’m saying I love you, Devlin. I want to be with you. I want a future with you. I never want to let you go. I trust us, whatever fate might bring.” He seemed to hold his breath, so I finally said the words I hadn’t been able to muster before. “I want to have your baby, Dev.”
“Coralie,” he breathed as he reached for a kiss. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Surer than I’ve been about anything in a long, long time. When I thought I might be pregnant, all I could think about was how we could fit a baby into our world. It’s not as hard as I always thought it would be, and I know that’s because I’m meant to be with you. We’re meant to be a family.”
He held me closely in response to that all important word.
“I’ve stopped taking my birth control. According to what I’ve read, my cycles will normalize within a couple of months.” I touched his face with my hand. “We could get pregnant in France,” I murmured. “Chateau du Cabot, where I was conceived. It’s perfect.”
He took my face in his hand to kiss me softly. “You’re perfect,” he corrected in a whisper. “I love you, Coralie Masters.”
I smiled. That was who I was now. There was no doubt left in my mind. “I love you, Devlin Masters,” I said, before I pulled him down to me for yet another kiss.
That night we made love with a condom, which is the only kind of birth control we’d use while we waited for my body to get back to normal.
Once we got to France, however, we’d cease using anything at all. Nature would take its course from there. I had no doubt that within a few short months I’d be pregnant with Devlin Masters’ child.
I knew at last that nothing in this world could make me happier.
CHAPTER TWELVE
My period showed up on Saturday, while we were out looking at houses. As if it was punishing me, this particular cycle nearly had me doubled over with cramps. It even sent me one whopper of a migraine. We cut our open house marathon short, and Devlin fussed over me and took care of me while I felt so shitty, using his phone to keep in contact with Darcy as she finalized the pieces she planned to model for my father on Monday. Devlin never left my side. He kept me propped up in bed or on our sofa, near him always, no matter what he was doing, while I muscled through the worst period of my adult life. He went to the store for me, buying all the products I’d need without complaint or reservation. He even surprised me with some chocolate to feed the beast.
Needless to say it was a first to have all my needs met by an intimate partner. Even though I was miserable, I’d really never felt closer to him. I could only imagine what it would be like to share a pregnancy with him. As he rubbed my feet in his hands while we watched TV together, I knew that he would be a strong, steady partner to assist me not only with the mechanics of getting pregnant, but the months-long journey to deliver our baby.
Late at night, when we lay together on our bed, we talked about what it was going to be like. He seemed excited by the prospect, even though it meant sleepless nights and restrictive days. Suddenly nothing seemed as scary as spring passing us by without having a baby of our own.
Since I had plenty of time lying around that weekend to plan, I calculated to the day when I might conceive. As i
t turned out, I could very well ovulate on August 8th, which meant that the twenty-four hour window to conceive our first child arrived on or around my birthday.
Could it get any more perfect than that?
This would give us a due date of April 30. It didn’t have the same kind of zing as Valentine’s Day, but it wouldn’t be that far off from Lucy’s due date, so we could still raise our kids together like we had always planned to do.
“We can even take the test while we’re in France,” I told him as I showed him the online calculator. “That way we can surprise Father when we come back home.”
He shook his head. “We should probably wait for a while, just to be safe,” he said. “We’ll tell them on Thanksgiving, when we reveal a new line of maternity clothes in extended sizes.”
That was my hubby. He was always thinking ahead.
He had also purchased pre-natal vitamins to prepare my body for the hard work ahead. We cuddled together that Sunday night, talking softly and dreaming about the future. It was so much better than freaking out–alone–waiting for a test to tell me that my fate was already changed, I’d just have to adjust.
Instead we were making plans. We were talking, perhaps for the first time ever, about the things that mattered to us. “I want a boy first,” I told him. “A big brother to look after and protect his little sister. Like you with Darcy.”
He stroked my hair with his hand. “I want a girl,” he admitted. “Who looks just like her mama.”
He kissed me then, softly, lovingly… reverently.
We discussed names, and Devlin surprised me by suggesting French names to appease my father, since his grandchildren wouldn’t be entirely French. We settled on Remi for a boy and Chloe for a girl. In fact, it wasn’t even that hard to decide. It was like they already existed in some alternate universe; we were just waiting to meet them in this one.
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