As I walk over to him, I catch a whiff of his musky aftershave that sends a rush of heat spreading between my thighs.
Goddamned pregnancy hormones.
Ronan’s eyes meet mine, and my breath catches as they darken.
I swear, sometimes this man can read my thoughts. But as much as I want to drag him upstairs to bed, I need to keep my attention on Mila.
She stops in front of Ronan. “Thank you again. For everything.”
“You are welcome here anytime.” He peels his eyes away from mine to give his full attention to my friend. “And if you ever feel unsafe, say the word, and I’ll send one of my guys over to bring you back.”
“I appreciate that.”
I wrap my arms around her. “Call me the minute you get home. Promise?”
“I promise.”
I pull back and glance at Cormac. “Take care of her.”
He dips his chin at me before picking up Mila’s bags and carrying them out to the car.
With one last hug goodbye, I stand in the doorway and watch the car disappear from sight. Even when the sound of the car is long gone, I can’t find it in me to move.
Ronan appears at my side.
He presses a kiss to my temple. “I need to go back to work. Will you be all right?”
I nod, though the absence of Mila already feels suffocating as I step back into the foyer and close the door behind me.
Ronan offers me one last kiss before disappearing down the hall, his footsteps giving way to silence once the door to his office clicks shut.
Then I’m alone.
I wander into the living room and sit on the edge of the sofa, my hands resting on my stomach. There’s no bump yet, but I know it’s coming, and the thought has my stomach fluttering.
“It’s just you and me right now, little one.” And just like that, the silence feels less lonely.
Still, fear creeps in, and I lean back against the couch cushions and close my eyes as I wait for it to pass.
Now that Mila is gone and we’re all starting to find our new normal, I can’t help but think of my future.
Even if Ronanishappy, even if he tells me he wants this, it won’t change the reality that I’ll likely be raising this baby mostly on my own. I don’t think it will be on purpose, but right now, even when he’s with me, I can tell he’s not mentally present. His mind is too distracted, too focused on work, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. If anything, it will likely only get worse, and I’m scared that I’ll grow to resent him.
I’m scared that one day, I’ll look into my child’s eyes and see all the pieces of my life that I gave up just to keep them safe.
But most of all, I’m scared that I’ll be left to raise this child alone while Ronan goes out to fight in wars that he might not win.
Chapter Ten
RONAN
The silencein my office is short-lived as my phone buzzes for the third time in five minutes. After checking my messages, I realize there’s been yet another delay with one of our shipments, and another has been canceled altogether.
A string of expletives leaves my mouth as I toss my phone down on the desk.
It’s not just the shipments that have been going wrong. Some of my most trusted clients, people I have been in business with for years, are hitting my reputation hard.
But this isn’t a problem I can solve while I’m in a rage.
