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“A baby?”
She nods as I glance up to see the tears running down her cheeks. “I thought that you wouldn’t want a baby with a girl like me. A poor girl. We come from such different worlds.”
Seeing her vulnerable is too much. I pull myself up, sit on the bed, and take her in my arms. Her head rests against my chest. I can feel how her body shivers as she sobs. I shush her some, rubbing one hand over her head and hair.
“You and the baby, you are both mine,” I whisper to her. “In my mind, you are both perfect for me. I don’t ever want you to go. These last few weeks without you have been hell.” The sobs causing her body to writhe lesson. “I want you to marry me, Mandy.”
She gasps and pulls back to look up at me. Her eyes are wide with shock. I run a finger under her chin, using my thumb to whip some of her tears away.
“I’m serious, pet. Please, marry me. Let me be part of your family.”
I can’t resist leaning forward and kissing her soft, pink lips. Some of her tears wet my face, but I don’t care. I’m as close to home as I have been in weeks, maybe more than I have ever been in my life. Mandy is my home.
She grabs one of my hands and places it on the bump of her belly. The taunt feeling to her body gives me chills. There is some connection between my child and me already. Through Mandy’s skin and muscle, I know he or she is there, growing and changing.
I look into Mandy’s damp eyes. She gives me a slight smile. “You already are part of my family, Christian. But yes, I will marry you.”
In that one second, my world is complete. “Oh, thank God,” I whisper, bringing my hands up to run my fingers through her hair, and pull her face to mine. “Thank God, because I cannot live without you, pet.”
Mandy lets out a choked sob. “So, you really want me…and my baby?”
I kiss her again, then pull her head till her nose is buried in my neck. “Our baby, pet. You two give me life. You give me a reason to live. You’re everything to me.” I can’t hold her close enough to me. Having my arms wrapped around Mandy is the only thing I want anymore.
She lets out a little laugh. “So, I’m not just your accountant.”
Her words cause my body to freeze. Sitting back, I take her face in my hands and look deep into her eyes. “I’m sorry I said that, pet, but let me explain. My father is a very bad man. He takes everything that is mine. That night, I was trying to protect you.”
Her mouth drops open as she frowns. “Are you serious?”
I nod. “Dad uses people. And what I didn’t realize was that I was acting the same way.” Gently, I brush my thumbs over her soft lips, taking in every detail of her face. “I’m so sorry, Mandy. I’m cutting him out of my life and trying to change my behavior. I promise it will never happen again.”
My pet smirks at me. “It better not, or I will have to punish you.” She giggles. It’s a sound that eases all the tension in the room.
“Are we okay?” I ask.
“Not quite,” she admits, “but we are getting there.” Mandy grins and I find myself grinning back at her. “We have a lot to talk about, but first, I’ve missed you.”
Gently, with my hand behind her back, I guide her down to the bed. “I missed you more than you could ever imagine. How long do you think your grandmother will be gone?”
She closes her eyes slightly as her head hits the pillow. “Bubby’s smart. She will be gone for the rest of the afternoon.”
After kissing a line up and down her neck — feeling how my touch made her body shiver — I whispered into her ear, “Good. I need to feel you, pet.”
Pulling at the fabric of her sweater, I run my hand onto the warm skin of her belly. The sensation of feeling my child within her is stronger. I take in how the baby bump feels, then let my hand wander up further. Mandy’s breasts are swollen. They are larger than they were before. That sends another little thrill through me.
Pulling at her sweater, I want it to be gone, quickly. The knit fabric pulls up over her head, followed by the t-shirt and sports bra that she had on underneath it. I sit back so I can look over the changes in my pet’s body.
Mandy looks up at me and smiles serenely. It’s a look that I never thought I would see again, and it fills me with so much joy.
