“It’s all over, Amelia.”
Frown lines appear between her eyes, and I smooth them with my thumb. “All over?” There’s panic in her voice.
“Eoghan is taking care of business, States-side. I’m back to stay.”
“Wh-what does that mean?”
“It means that I want us to be together, Amelia. If you’ll have me. I thought about it a lot while I was away. I’m done with hiding how I feel. I’m done with sneaking you into my room after dark. Orla knows about us and she?—”
“Orla knows?” Amelia rolls off my lap and starts pacing back and forth in front of the log burner. “How? What did she say? Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
I smile and offer her my hand. Amelia glances at it and keeps on pacing.
I stand up. “She saw us on the couch together the night of the wake. She told me to be patient and give you time.”
Amelia stops and watches me intently. Then, “That’s it? That’s all she said?”
I go to her and fold her into my arms. She’s trembling. I know it’s a lot to take in, and I don’t want to pressure her, but from her reaction, I’m worried that she might not want people to know about us. Not yet anyway.
“Amelia, we don’t have to do anything about this right now. We can take it at whatever pace you’re comfortable with. I just wanted you to know that I’m here. I’m yours. And I’m not going anywhere.”
She rests her head against my chest, her heart beating like a sparrow’s. This is fear. I’ve dealt with it enough in my lifetime to recognize it when I’m holding it in my arms. But I don’t know what she’s afraid of.
Is it me?
Did something happen while I was away, and now she knows who and what I am?
I should’ve told her, but I was trying to delay this reaction until we’d established what we both wanted from this relationship.
I promised myself that if she changed her mind, if she chose not to take this any further, I’d handle it with maturity and dignity. But fuck it’s going to be hard. While I was away, I allowed myself to envision a life together, and it feels as if the bubble is about to burst.
“It’s alright, baby.” I stroke her hair and rest my chin on the top of her head. “Whatever you want. Nothing will ever change how I feel about you, and I’ll never stop protecting you. You have my word.”
“I’m pregnant, Declan.” She freezes in my arms, the only movement the frantic beats of her heart against my chest.
The words hover between us.I’m pregnant, Declan. Just words.
Until they rearrange themselves into a sentence that literally changes my entire world as I know it.
A baby.
We’re going to have a baby.
An image pops into my head. In my study. I asked Amelia if it was alright to enter her without protection, and she said yes.
This is closely followed by a fleeting thought that she planned for this to happen. That she manipulated me into falling for her, used her youth to trap her wealthy new boss. It’s what people will say.
But I immediately dismiss it as insane. Fuck em. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.
I’ve seen the way she looks at me. I’ve experienced her passion, her honesty, her innocence. And if conning me was her goal,she’d be standing here right now blackmailing me into handing over a shitload of cash to keep it quiet.
She wouldn’t be worried about my reaction, afraid to look me in the eye.
I release her and hold her at arm’s length. Excitement fizzes inside my chest. It’s been a long while since I held a baby in my arms, but this feels like a sign from the universe. Ruairi was stolen from me, and he can never be replaced, but a baby might just help us all to heal.
“Amelia, this is wonderful news.”
She watches me with eyes filled with tears, and I realize that I’m so caught up in what this means for me that I haven’t even considered how she must be feeling.
