"I'm sorry about your dad."
"I am, too. It's hard to think that he'll never see his grandkids, you know, if we ever have kids, or if you'll have me."
Guilt flooded through her that she still hadn't revealed his child.
Luke continued. "But I'm also relieved because now I'm free to make things right."
"What happened to him?"
She watched as Luke's face stormed over. "That's another reason I'm here."
She furrowed her brow and waited.
Luke told her about the poisoning, and how his grandmother suspected his mother had also been poisoned, as well as Larisa's husband. "There's no way to prove either of those, but the potential remains. I needed to make sure you were safe."
The new guests ran through her mind.Could they be responsible and that's why they were there?
"What?" Luke asked. "I know that look."
She waved her hand. "Nothing." She really didn't believe that Ezra and company were fake. "There's something I need to tell you."
The sudden fear in his eyes almost broke her heart. "Please tell me that you haven't moved on."
"No, I haven't." Her resolve slipped. "Luke, I could never love someone else. You have to know that."
"You thought I would marry someone else."
"I did," she responded. "But I don't have a king for a dad who can order me to do whatever he wants."
"Neither do I anymore. I know I sound cold-hearted, but I have missed you. It's like half of me has been missing without you."
She tried to formulate the words to tell him about her pregnancy.
"Can I hug you? Please?"
His request made her heart burst wide open. But if he hugged her, there was no way he wouldn't feel her belly.
"Luke, I... we..."
"What, Sarah?" He stood and tried to pull her up. "I need to touch you."
"But... you don't understand."
He leaned down and kissed her. It was the sweetest kiss that she had dreamt about for months. His scent. His taste. His aura. She tried to drink in everything all at once.
She finally broke away. "Luke, I'm..."
He pulled her up and into his arms. "I don't care. I just want to hold you."
She melted into his arms, not knowing how long it would last. She knew the instant he felt the difference in her body. He stiffened, and she closed her eyes. If he left, she didn't want to see him go.
"I'm pregnant."
He stepped back and pulled the blanket out of her hands. He stared at her belly and then looked back up at her. His eyes were wide as he ran a hand over her baby bump.
"Is this..."
She nodded. "This is our daughter."
