He stepped backwards, and Sarah's heart started to fall out of her chest. "How could you... how... why didn't you tell me?"
"By the time I knew, you had already made your decision not to see me anymore. I haven't talked to you since then."
“You arepregnant, and you didn’t think I needed to know?”
“You told me to stay away,” she insisted. “I did just that.”
"But you could have..."
"Could have what, Luke?” Frustration fueled her temper. “Knocked on your front door like you just did here?"
He turned away from her. "I don't know. There had to be a way."
She folded her arms to keep herself from falling apart. "There was no way, and you know it."
"Does your family know?"
"That I'm pregnant? Yeah. It's kind of a hard thing to hide." Sarcasm kicked in to hold back the tears. She had dreaded this day, and the thing that she feared the most was happening right in front of her.
He turned back. "Not about that. About me."
She shook her head. "You know better. I've had many fights with them while I was keeping your name secret."
Luke sat back down on the couch; his eyes were riveted to her belly.
"Why did you call my family a bunch of thieves?" She sat back down in the chair, suddenly needing to change the subject.
“I have never.” His eyes met hers. "When?"
"My mother sent a message to the castle about finding the idol."
He frowned at her. "What idol?"
"The one my father was accused of stealing. The one that got us banished."
"You found it?" His expression was one of dumbfounded.
She watched him.If he's pretending, he's doing a damned good job of it."You didn't know?"
"No idea. Where did you find it?"
He listened as she told him the story about how the idol had reappeared. "That was one reason I came on the day of the gala. I wanted to tell you that my family was exonerated. I didn't know that Ma was going to send a message to your dad."
"But he became ill right after the gala and passed away a couple days later. He couldn't have answered your mother's message."
She frowned. "So, if he didn't, and you didn't, who did?" She told him word for word what the return note said.
"I have no idea, but I have a feeling it may be tied in with the poisonings."
They chatted about it for a bit before she stood. "I have to take a shower. If I smell this bread dough for much longer, it's going to start the morning sickness all over again."
"Do you need help?"
Heat flared deep within her. He stood up next to her, and this time, she kissed him. He pulled her tight, and they stood with her head on his shoulder for a long time.
Chapter Fourteen: The First Night
Luke Ardec
