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And then she swayed.

Her knees buckled, and she was crumpling to the ground.

Nathaniel’s own heart dropped like a boulder. He dashed forward and caught her before her head would connect with the cobblestones.

With his whole being screaming from inner terror, he stared into her pale face, her eyes closed and unmoving.

* * *

Calliope was in heaven…or in a dream. She was sure the strong arms that held her were Nathaniel’s. She could smell him; she’d know his scent anywhere.

She opened her eyes, so weak she didn’t feel like she had strength to lift a single finger.

And there he was, his turquoise eyes luminous against the blindingly blue summer sky.

“I love you, Calliope,” he murmured, tears welling in his eyes. “How I missed you. Holding you. Smelling you. The feel of you against me.”

He gave her that smile…that Nathaniel smile that was just for her, not for his sisters or his dogs or his mates.

No one but her.

“Did you just say you love me?” she asked.

“I did,” he said, his voice rasping. “I should have told you I loved you the moment I felt it in my heart. I love you, Calliope.”

He kissed her then, a gentle, loving peck on her lips, but she was already melting.

And then she knew it. She didn’t need to go to America to run away from pain and from vulnerability. There she was, weak and incapable of moving, completely dependent on him.

And she didn’t want to run, to fight it, to close herself off. She wanted to dissolve in his embrace and let him hold her. There was something so oddly reassuring and even freeing, knowing if she fell, he’d catch her.

And then it was so easy to say the truth that had been in her heart for a while now.

“I love you, Nathaniel,” she whispered against his lips.

“I never want you to change who you are.” He leaned back and looked at her. “You. Fierce and courageous. Smart and resilient. Gorgeous and…so independent you don’t need me at all.”

She let out a long puff of air. “Except that I do. I need you.” She chuckled as she looked at her body, which he still held in his arms. “Clearly.”

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better now.” She smiled. “I think I was too self-confident. It is, perhaps, too warm today for a pregnant lady to be outside. I thought I’d shake this nausea off and would soon be able to eat and drink properly. But, I suppose, I am wrong. My body is telling me to slow down…for the baby I’m carrying.”

The grin that bloomed on his face had her melt all over, excitement dancing in her stomach…not nausea.

“The baby you’re carrying…” he murmured. “Is this for certain?”

“No,” she said, unable to stop her own grin. “But all of the signs are there.”

“I am sorry for calling your dream lunacy,” he said. “I certainly do not think you’re a lunatic. I will support whatever you want to do, love. Even if I will worry every minute of every day while you keep doing whatever sleuths do. I will also trust you to be able to protect yourself. To use your intuition. To be smarter than anyone who’s against you. I’ve seen you do it. I trust you.”

The words created a warm, sizzling effect in the middle of her chest.

“I want to come back to you,” he said. “To love you. To love our baby. To help you set up your agency when the time comes. To be the first one to tell you how proud of you I am. Proud enough to be your husband. To be your loved one. To be in your life at all.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and she kissed him with such vigor, she almost knocked her teeth against his.

“Yes,” she whispered against his lips. “Come back to me… I love you so much…”