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When he went to leave, Lila caught his hand, holding him in place. Feeling emotional and a little weepy, she couldn’t stop a couple of tears from falling free. “Thank you.”
With warmth in his eyes, he sat beside her. “You never have to thank me for taking care of you. That’s my job. Mama bear, baby bear.” One of his large hands covered her stomach. “Papa bear. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for either one of you.”
His sweet words made her tears tumble faster down her cheeks. “I know you said I don’t have to thank you, but I’m going to. Thank you. For caring about me, for wanting this baby. Sorry I’m a weepy mess.”
“Hormones, babe. You got this, and I’m here every step of the way. You’re not doing this alone. You have me, and you have my whole team. We’re a family and we have your back.”
Unlike her own family.
She didn’t fit in there, but maybe she could fit in here.
Everyone had been so nice and welcoming. The guys were a little scary en masse, but beneath the muscles and the warrior attitudes, she sensed they were softies who cared about their family. A family they were willing to make her part of.
Her heart swelled with love. Not just for this man watching her so tenderly, but his whole extended family too. They were all wonderful people, and she was excited to have a real family for the first time in her life.
She and Christian hadn’t talked about their families in the month they’d spent together, but she knew they were going to have to sit down and she would have to tell him who she really was. Well, who she had been, she wasn’t that woman anymore, never really had been. Lila had played the role she’d been given until she’d found a way out.
Now she was out, free, and had a future with Christian and their baby.
“Can I say it?” Lila asked softly. It was so soon, and yet she’d known from the moment her gaze met Christian’s that he was hers. She didn’t even believe in love at first sight. Hadn’t even been sure she believed in love at all, but then she met this man, and Cupid shot an arrow straight through her heart and everything else was a forgone conclusion.
“Unless you want me to beat you to it.” Christian’s eyes sparkled with a mixture of love, affection, and cheeky amusement.
“I think I’m falling in love with you. I think I started falling that very first day. Does that make me crazy?”
“If you’re crazy then I’m following you onto the crazy train.”
“Really?” It was comforting to know she wasn’t the only one developing such strong feelings so quickly. The weeks they’d spent together had been the best of her life. Not what people who knew her in the past would believe. They hadn’t been glamorous or elegant, filled with expensive gifts or trips. But they had been real.
More real than anything else she had experienced.
There had been genuine talks, connections forged, and they’d played games and had picnics in the park. Christian had been funny and romantic. He’d taken her out for pizza and ice cream dates, snuggled on the couch watching movies, brought her flowers and chocolates, and even endured a marathon shopping trip with her. Everything that Christian gave her was exactly what she had always wanted.
“More than really, darlin’. What we have is real. As real as it gets. It wasn’t something I was expecting to find or even wanting to find, but it found us, and I couldn’t be happier. I didn’t know I wanted you, sweetheart, but I know that I need you.” He curled a hand around the back of her neck and lowered his head.
Quickly she pushed him away. “We can’t kiss, Christian. I just threw up, will probably throw up at least a couple more times this morning.”
Christian laughed and kissed her forehead instead. “Nothing could make me not want to kiss you, darlin’, but you wait right here, rest, call me if you’re going to be sick again. I’m going to go and make you some breakfast.”
“I might not be able to keep it down,” Lila warned.
“I missed out on four weeks of being there for you, I have a lot to make up for. But I am here by your side from here on out. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from you.”
“No wild horses, huh?”
“None. If you can’t eat that’s fine, but I need to take care of you. I already looked into remedies for morning sickness, ginger, crackers, there are these acupressure wristbands that relieve sea-sickness that have been shown to reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, I ordered some.” There was a thread of desperation in his tone like this need to be there for her ran deeper than she could understand.
Maybe he had his secrets like she had hers.
Secrets she was going to have to share with him sooner or later.
It wasn’t like she could keep them forever.
Assuming he proposed to her at some point, they would need to get a marriage license, and when they did, he would learn her full name and who she really was.
Once he did it could change everything.
Maybe she could keep her secrets just a little longer.
