‘It’s not. Losing both parents at such a young age isn’t something anyone should have to live through.’ There was such sincerity in his voice that her fight only grew harder. ‘And not having family support must be difficult. I know I’m not offering anything traditional, but I can provide plenty more. A home. Security. Support. Anything—everything—you could want. And our child will grow up with bothof their parents in their life.’ He levelled her with eyes that suddenly seemed to be made of steel. ‘Which is as it should be, Serena. You know that. It matters to you that our baby grows up knowing who their father is, or you wouldn’t have told me about the pregnancy at all.’
She cursed his logic. And when had he moved so close to her? His sudden nearness sparked an attraction that flared too hot and fast for her to have any hope of resisting. Or, much to her annoyance, concealing. She could feel his heat and power and strength winding their way around her like the threads of a spell, rendering her immobile. She could only stare up at him, saying nothing but feeling everything. If Caleb saw or felt those shimmers of reaction streaking through her, he didn’t show it.
‘I’ll give you some time to think it over. I’m sure that with a little consideration, you’ll see it’s the right thing to do. I’ll see myself out.’
His eyes flashed down at her a final time before he turned away, stalking to the door, which he closed softly behind him. Only then did Serena realise how badly she was shaking, reeling from both his proposal and his presence.
The last thing she’d expected was for him to show up. She thought he’d be so eager to get to the South of France that he’d sprout wings and fly there himself, never to be heard from again. Just like Lucas. A brief pain pulsed in her heart as she remembered the agonising moment she realised he’d gone. And after that hurt had come the bruising disappointment. In him, but mostly in herself. For believing in Lucas so ardently that she’d ignored the warning signs that he wasn’t who she wanted him to be and dismissed words of caution from others, including her stepmother, that he wasn’t the right guy for her.
But she had been so in need of someone in her life. Someone to love her and hold her and fill that enormous empty space the loss of her parents had left. At least when she’d lost her mum, she’d still had her father. But when he died, there was no one. It was that aloneness that had been the hardest and scariest thing to deal with, and when, after only a matter of months, Marcia had started changing the house to suit her tastes, it had felt as if there was nothing left of the life she’d once known. Outside of her brother and sister, the only solace she’d been able to find was her friends, in the noise and laughter and fun that surrounded her when she was with them, drowning out the reality that she was suddenly an orphan. It was at that time that she’d met Lucas and he’d made her feel so much good that the bad had been pushed away.
But then he’d disappeared, forcing Serena to navigate another loss, followed quickly by the hardest one of all—her baby. The loss, which in her heart, she’d never stopped blaming herself for, and Serena didn’t want to make any more mistakes—couldn’t—and the only way she knew to do that was to stay separate, rely only on herself.
She’d been doing it so long already that it didn’t faze her—much. Financially it would be challenging, but emotionally it would be far safer. Not being tempted to open herself up, not getting attached to someone only to then lose them and have the bottom drop out of her world again.
But is that the best thing for your baby?
Caleb was offering support and security, a life where their child would want for nothing. A life with two parents, and she knew how precious a gift that was. She wanted that for her child. And as much as she feared she had messed up once again, becoming entangled with someone as charming and careless as Lucas had been, Caleb had shown up. And he was determined to be involved. That made him different.
Serena paced to the opposite end of the room. Had Caleb been right? Had she reacted with her heart, been led by her fears?
But how could she not be afraid?
Life had slapped her in the face time after time. Every time she thought she’d found some stable ground, it had shifted under her. She’d lost almost everyone she’d ever loved, except the twins, but even they were lost to her now too—unless marrying Caleb could solve that also?
But if she agreed—and it all somehow went wrong? And how would she manage her strange feelings for him? How would she managehim? He was impossible and arrogant and high-handed, waltzing in as he had and expecting her to go along with his plan just because he’d decided it was for the best.
She’d only just gotten her life back. The thought of surrendering it again was hideous, and she really didn’t want to. But if it was in the best interests of her baby, and Kit and Alexis, then could she really say no…?
Caleb would have preferred if Serena had agreed to his proposal straight away, but after his many years in business, he was used to dealing with difficult parties. He knew how impactful walking away from a negotiation could be, how it nearly always spurred the other side into a quick agreement to his terms, so as he made the journey to Serena’s flat the next day, he was sure that after a night to consider her options, she’d be eager to accept his proposal. Almost sure, anyway. After witnessing her stubborn resistance yesterday, he’d learned there was nothing predictable about Serena. Any other woman would have leapt at the opportunity to marry him, especially one in her predicament.
An orphan. Banished from her home. No family support. It was hard to comprehend how much she had been through. It had hurt him to hear it, and he’d been overcome by a surge of protective instincts he hadn’t known he possessed, wanting to provide the security and support that she’d been denied and to make everything bad in her life better, which was crazy, because when had he ever made anything better for anyone?
But he knew that their marrying would benefit Serena greatly, even if she was unwilling to see it. For one thing, she’d have a home that she couldn’t be evicted from, and one with more square footage then a shoebox. She’d also have financial security for the rest of her life, but more importantly than all of that, she wouldn’t have to raise their child on her own. She’d known enough struggles in her life already; he didn’t want her to have to navigate parenthood alone too.
As he prepared to press again for her hand in marriage, those emotional considerations were as strong in his mind as the practical ones. No longer was he only thinking of pleasing his father with the continuation of the family line, or of guaranteeing his child’s lifelong financial security, but of ensuring a better future for Serena too, free from any further angst. Caleb wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
He reassured himself that it was for the good of their child as much as anything. A contented mother would be a better mother, and he wanted his child to have their mother in their life. To never know the bitter pain that had lived in him.
That was the most emotion he was willing to acknowledge because the last thing he wanted was for emotions to be part of the equation. And they weren’t. He’d proposed marriage because he’d known instinctively it was what the situation demanded,notbecause of any desire to rescue her, or because knowing for certain that his child grew in her stomach had unleashed a fierce urge to claim her as his.
He didn’t like the thought of marrying any more than he had before. His stomach writhed with unease at bringing Serena into his orbit, where hurt was not just a possibility, but a reality, especially after everything she’d already been through. Paradoxically, that was the best way for him to protect her and their unborn child. That was the reason—the only reason—he felt such desperation for her to agree to be his wife.
And he had considered the situation at length, with his customary focus and attention to detail, figuring out how it would work, how he would paint clear and thick boundaries between them. Even once she was his wife, he would hold Serena at arm’s length the same way he did everyone. They would only interact wherever and whenever was necessary, and if it granted his child the emotional security that he had been denied, then that was what mattered most. The greatest thing he wished was for them to be whole and happy and loved and to know they were wanted. All of the things that he himself had yearned to know but never been sure of.
It was why he had awoken that morning even more aware of the importance of Serena agreeing to the marriage, and even more resolved to do whatever it took to ensure that outcome. It was with that determination powering his body that he alighted from the car and strode up the path to Serena’s flat, his movement faltering as he saw the front door was ajar and he detected raised voices from within. His first and only thought was of Serena’s safety, and without hesitating, he shouldered his way inside, every inch of his body primed to intervene in whatever was happening, before he slowed to listen to the heated argument in progress.
‘They are my brother and sister. You have no right to keep us apart. Theyneedme,’ Serena cried. ‘They’ve already lost their mother and father, the last thing they need is to lose me too. You have no idea what kind of negative impact this could have on them.’
‘I don’t see any negative effects of them being spared your vile influence,’ hissed a cold female voice in response. ‘Really, what kind of example are you, Serena? As if being pregnant out of wedlockagainisn’t bad enough, but to be pregnant from a fumble with someone you barely knew… It’s shameful. It is definitely not the example I want Kit or Alexis to be exposed to, and it’s not something I want to be associated with either. You knew the rules, Serena. And you chose to break them. You brought this on yourself. I wish I could say that surprises me, but you’ve always been headed for this kind of disgraceful, scandalous existence, and I will not let you drag Kit and Alexis down with you. I tried my best to steer you towards a better path, but…’
‘Nothing you ever did was to try and help me,’ Serena fired back, just as Caleb, having heard enough to understand exactly what was going on, stepped into the room, his protective instincts firing even harder. His sudden presence disturbed the taut, hostile air, and both women turned abruptly to look at him.
‘Caleb…’ Serena paled, blinking rapidly. ‘Now isn’t really a good time,’ she pleaded, the emotional tremble wracking her voice causing even more unfamiliar feeling to strain within him. Not just to protect, but to comfort. To reassure her that she hadn’t done anything wrong.
‘I can see that.’ He stepped to Serena’s side, casting his eyes across her face quickly and reading the full depth of her distress. Something sharp seared across his chest as he did, the instinct to raise his hand to her cheek and stroke away all the pain rising within him. He resisted,obviously, swivelling his eyes to fix his attention on the other woman instead. ‘You must be Serena’s stepmother.’
‘Marcia Addison,’ she replied imperiously, and with more courtesy that he knew he would have received had she not immediately been struck by his aura of power and wealth. She had been absorbing every detail of his person since he’d stepped into the room. He hadn’t missed her eyes dusting over him, noting his custom-made suit, Italian handcrafted shoes and limited edition watch.
