Page 56 of Tempt Me-

“It happens.”I still look down, needing to gather myself as I say what I planned to say next.“Austin…”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t expect anything from you.”

“Mia,” he says, a definite warning in his tone.

I shake my head.“No.Let me finish.”

He waves a dismissive hand.“Go ahead.”

I swallow hard.“I know this happened to you before.”

A low growl escapes him, but I forge on.“You got a woman pregnant, and it wasn’t planned and you felt obligated to marry her and try to create a family for Bailey’s sake.And I admire and respect that about you, I really do.But I want you to know, I’ve heard you loud and clear.”

I look up in time to see him narrow his gaze.“You heard what?”

“I heard you when you told me you didn’t want anything serious, and more importantly, I heard you tell Ben you’ve done the family thing once and you weren’t going to do it again.”I run my tongue over my lips.“I wasn’t eavesdropping.I was waiting for the bathroom at Dan’s,” I say quietly.“And I respect you too much to ever put you in that position again.”

“Are you finished?”he asks, his tone low and brittle.

“No,” I say, my head buzzing, dizziness and emotional pain assaulting me.“There’s one more thing.I won’t stop you from having whatever relationship you want with our child.”I meet his gaze.“Now I’m finished.”

“Good.Because you have everything wrong.”

I blink up at him.The fluorescent lights from above my head are harsh, and I glance down.“I don’t know what you mean.”

I can’t imagine how I’ve been mistaken in any of this.

He jiggles the bed rail until he lowers it and sits on the bed beside me.He picks up my hand, and my heart rate spikes at the feel of his more calloused fingers entwined with mine.

“Let’s start with Kayla.She tricked me into marriage, and yes, I married her because she was pregnant, but here’s the difference between you and my ex-wife.”His grip tightens around mine.“I loveyou.”

I blink, and tears fall from my eyes.It is everything I want to hear, and I understand that, if we are going to have any kind of future, I need to start trusting in things I never quite let myself believe in.I need to trust in him.

I am overwhelmed by his words and the events of the day as I speak.“Austin, I—”

“Shh.”He leans over and kisses my cheek.“You’ve had a rough day, a shock to your body, and now this.I know you want to believe me, and you’re afraid.You might even think I’m saying I love you because you’re pregnant, but when you think about things, think about this.I married Kayla, yes, but I never told her I loved her.”

My eyes open wide as the meaning and import of his words sink in.

“Ms.Atwood?”A nurse pushes the curtain aside.“The police want to talk to you.We have to report all gunshots, you understand.”

I want to decline the visit, to focus on Austin and all the new feelings floating around inside me.Of course, the floating could be the painkillers, but the high caused by his words?Not so much.

“You can send them in,” I say, shooting Austin a regret-filled glance.

“Don’t worry.I’m not going anywhere,” he promises, his hand still in hers.

And though I haven’t processed what his proclamation really means for us, the baby, or my future, I squeeze his fingers tighter as I prepare to deal with the police.At least now, my heart is light and my entire body filled with hope.

***

Austin

I sit byMia’s side, refusing to leave when she speaks to the police.I grip her tighter when she repeats the details of the shooting.The entire incident has been running on replay in my head ever since.They take my statement as well, and I know I still have to talk to the district attorney, but finally the officer leaves, walking through the curtain, and we are alone until the doctor signs off on Mia’s release.

“Hey,” I say, treating her to a concerned half smile.“Are you okay?”