"Cade--"
"Not yet." Backing out, he drove out of the lot and turned left.
The ride was done in silence. Turning her head to look out the window, she wondered if this was his way of making her feel guilty. Well, damn him then, she thought angrily. It was her body, and if she decided she wanted to have a baby, then it was her decision. He had no right to make her feel as if she had done something wrong.
After all, it took two to make a damn baby, right? She was so keyed up, it took her a while to notice that they had turned off onto a dirt road that led to a property belonging to his family. He had brought her here a few days ago when they were out to dinner.
It was a fairly remote area, with rolling hills and a stunning landscape. Snow, so white it hurt the eyes, was piled high on either side of the large clearing. There had been a broken down warehouse the time he brought her here.
"What happened to the building?" Forgetting her anger, she stepped out of the vehicle as he opened the door.
"Razed." Taking her hand, he led her carefully over patches of powdery snow. "It's quiet and large enough."
"For what?"
He turned her to face him. "What happened to not keeping secrets from each other?"
Shifting her feet, she looked over his shoulder. "How did you know?"
Curving a hand around her neck, he forced her to look at him. "Educated guess. You were not taking wine with your meals, and you had stopped drinking coffee. It was confirmed when your mother told me you were at a doctor's appointment." His blue eyes bore into hers. "I thought we decided you were not going to go through that kind of hell again? Losing you is not an option, Abigail."
"You won't." She gripped his wrist, her eyes pleading. "I want another baby, Cade. I want to experience being pregnant with you by my side. Dr. Manning assured me that there would be no complications." Her fingers tightened on his wrist. "I want this for us. You were deprived of the joy of seeing your little girl make her first appearance in the world.
You never got to hear her first cry or see her take her first step. Or hear her first word. I never gave you the option of deciding whether or not you wanted to be a dad. I'm offering it to you now."
He stared at her for a beat and felt emotions storming. She was so tiny, looked so delicate, he was always afraid of breaking her in two. He had wanted all of those things but was never prepared to put her life at risk. He was terrified of losing her.
"Cade, I--" The rest was cut off when he swooped her into his arms and crushed her mouth with his. Shattered with relief, she wound her hands around his neck and poured herself into the kiss.
Everything faded away, the stillness broken only by the shrill sound of a blue jay soaring upwards, the wind slicing through the leaves of the trees crowded together. The warmth spread and enveloped them as the kiss continued. Finally putting her down, he held her tight against him, his breathing unsteady, his heart beating like a jackhammer.
Pressing a kiss on her forehead, he used his hands to frame her face, eyes fierce with passion. "This is going to be our home. I have to admit that when I suspected you were pregnant, I was angry, an anger based on fear." He smoothed back the strands of hair the wind had whipped free from her tidy chignon. "But then I came to the realization that we're going to need the space." He turned her around.
"I hope you like it. It's not too far from town and our places of business. It's enough yard space for Zoe and our son or daughter to run around. A tree house over there." He pointed to an old oak tree. "What do you think?"
She turned in his arms. "I think I'm more in love with you than I can possibly bear." She whispered.
"Welcome to my world." His voice was thick with emotions. "If anything happens to you--"
"Nothing will." She interrupted hastily.
"If anything happens to you, I'm going to be royally pissed."
"Noted." She wrapped around him, inhaling his scent. "I love it."
*****
The weather cooperated. The sky was a clear unclouded blue, the air crisp and clean. The rain had started the day before and washed the last vestiges of snow and winter away. Everything looked green, flowers were blooming, the air was redolent of hope and radiance. They could not have asked for a better day to celebrate their union.
They had all decided on an outdoor event. The grounds of the manor were manicured, every blade of grass uniformed. The arbor had been painted a bright blue. Trees swayed in the slight breeze. Flowers were everywhere.
The women had been true to their word and had gone out to make everything perfect. Abby did not have to lift a finger.
The night before, they had ambushed her at the bookstore and surprised her with a wedding shower. It had turned ribald, complete with strippers and outrageous provocative lingerie.
Speeches had been made, the one from Eloise especially made her emotional. The beautiful woman had called her daughter.
Now standing in front of the mirror of the room she had called home for twenty-eight years, she studied the exquisitelybeautiful dress she had chosen to make her vows in. It looked simple. Ivory satin with Irish lace. Irish for the man she loved. The neckline was plunging, to her navel, fitting over her breasts and highlighting the shape of them.
