Bloody.
Devastating.
She loved the man beside her with a deep, agonizing desperation that she couldn’t breathe without him.
How could she leave him knowing his baby was growing inside her, knowing that his actions were an outpouring of his own trauma, knowing that he was truly sincere in his remorse?
The truth was…she couldn’t…but she couldn’t live with him, either.
She needed space, time away to truly figure out how she felt about everything Gideon did and said—from the very beginning. She knew they would stay married, but what did that look like now that she knew the truth, now that there was a baby to consider?
First, she needed to take that first step before she could do anything else.
Leaning in, Kendra skimmed his jaw with her lips, making him moan softly.
“I forgive you, Gideon, I can’t not. I love you too much to let this fester because I’m not the one feeling the pain of it. And our baby…they don’t deserve a bitter mother and a brooding father, they deserve your dream of us filling that photo album.”
Peering down into her eyes, Gideon’s face lit up, relief and joy filling his expression.
“Thank you, baby,” he rasped, throwing his arms around her to squeeze her until she grunted.
She didn’t complain though, because being wrapped in her husband’s arms was amazing.
“That doesn’t mean things will go back to what they were before, though, Gideon,” she murmured, pained. “I’ll move my things to the guest room.”
He stiffened. “What the fuck does that mean?” he asked, his feature hardening. “If you forgive me, how the hell am I supposed to show you how much I love you if you aren’twith me?”
“I’ll still be living here—heck, I need to start setting up the nursery with all this stuff you got.” Her gaze flicked from item toitem, still shocked by the number of things the father-to-be had bought—like a madman in a baby-fever frenzy.
She smiled at that thought.
“But….” He thrust his fingers through his hair, his expression pinched. “Baby…I’ve gotten used to sleeping beside you, wrapping you in my arms when you sleep and you don’t know it.”
He grinned sheepishly, and her neglected lady parts took immediate notice.
Oh Lord, the man was fighting dirty.
“So you were only the cold lover when I was awake? Did you stealth snuggle me?”
He chuckled. “I couldn’t let you think I had any soft feelings for you…but I couldn’t not hold you. You were home to me, even in the dark and silent night, when only I knew what you truly meant to me.”
Ugh…he was lethal.
“So what does that look like going forward?” he asked, a plea in his eyes, a hope, a dread.
Laying her head against his shoulder, she closed her eyes and sighed.
“I looks like we live together, but we don’t sleep together, and when we’re awake, we work on rebuilding trust, being open with one another, and actually communicating. Also, it wouldn’t hurt for you to spend more time at home with me, especially since I feel a whole bunch of weird pregnancy cravings coming on that only my baby daddy can fulfill.”
He laughed, his face glowing, his smile bright and gorgeous.
Panties. Dead.
“I can do that…it’ll be my honor to get you your pickles and ice cream.”
She curled her face in disgust.
“No?”
