Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69096 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
I turn and see the most beautiful woman in the world smiling gently at me. “Hi, Declan. Hey, Sean.”
“It’s good to see you, Abby,” Sean greets her before he gathers his daughter into his arms. “This little one needs her mommy because it’s feeding time. I’ll leave you two alone.”
As he walks toward my office door, he stops to give Abby a moment to admire his daughter.
“She’s lovely,” she says. “Congratulations, Sean.”
“Congratulations to you, too.” He glances back at me. “You know what to do, Decky. Don’t fuck it up.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Abby
I move aside as Declan gently closes his office door after his brother leaves.
“The baby is beautiful,” I whisper.
“Very.” He nods in agreement. “As are you.”
I manage a weak smile. “And you.”
He laughs that off as his hand skims the lapel of his dark suit jacket. “Now that we have all the compliments handled tell me how you are, Abigail.”
That’s not an easy question to answer, and a simple “I’m fine” won’t suffice, so I look into his eyes. “I’m sorry I haven’t returned your calls.”
He gestures toward one of the chairs that face his desk. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
I welcome the chance to sit so I can hopefully quiet my shaking knees. “Thank you.”
He drags the chair next to it closer and sits down too. His hands smooth over his thighs. “Tell me what I did.”
My head pops up. “What?”
“I said or did something that made you retreat, didn’t I?” he asks in a calm tone. “Or I put too much pressure on you regarding the Llura deal. If that’s the case, I’m sorry, Abigail. I wanted Llura’s condom division, but not at the expense of us.”
“No.” I shake my head. “It’s not about that deal.”
His gaze searches mine. “Why the distance, then?”
I skip past that because I still need a minute to collect my thoughts before I dive into the reason behind my sudden disappearance from his life. “Kalina is pregnant, Declan. She gave me permission to share that with you. She was only using Llura condoms for protection when it happened, so she doesn’t feel now is the time to sell.”
His brow furrows. “I understand. I’m happy for her if she’s happy about this news, but I’m more concerned about you... about us.”
“About us,” I repeat. “Us.”
“I’m not sure where you stand on that, but I suspect you just heard me tell my brother I’m in love with you.”
Stunned, I can’t stop my mouth from falling open.
Declan smiles. “Or you didn’t overhear that?”
I shake my head.
His hand jumps to cradle my chin. “I’m in love with you, Abby.”
Tears well in the corners of my eyes because I’ve longed to hear those words from him, but I can’t accept them as his truth until he knows mine.
“Declan,” I begin, searching his gaze for understanding. “I need to say something.”
“That you love me too?”
A grin tugs at the corners of my mouth. “I do, but…”
“No buts.” He stops me from talking with a gentle kiss on my lips. “I can handle any but you’re going to throw at me. If you love me half as much as I love you, we’ll tackle all the buts in the world together, Abigail.”
I want that to be true, but I did overhear him at Tin Anchor. I know where he stands on children of his own. “Declan, I really have to tell you something.”
“Tell me,” he coaxes me gently. “You can tell me anything, my love.”
My heart swells at those words, and I use that to pull enough courage from deep within me to stare into the eyes of the man I adore and tell him what’s been weighing on me for days. “My period is late, Declan. I’m on the pill, but it’s not foolproof, and we were using Llura condoms, so there’s a chance that I may be pregnant too.”
His response is instant and as unexpected as falling in love at this point in my life has been for me.
“Are you fucking serious?” He jumps to his feet. “A baby, Abigail? Our baby? Soon?”
I start to rise to my feet too, but he’s got his hands on my waist to help me before I can move.
He yanks me close to him. “I can’t believe this. You love me, and we might be having our first baby.”
Through a rush of tears, I laugh. “Our first baby?”
“I want three, my love.” He kisses me again. “I want you to marry me tomorrow, and let me love you forever, and we’ll show those three kids of ours how beautiful life can be.”
“You want to be a dad?” I cup his cheeks in my hand. “I overheard you tell your friend at Tin Anchor that you weren’t ready for daddy duty.”
His gaze locks on mine. “You knew then that you might be pregnant?”