He felt her approach but did not look. Had she pulled on clothes or something to cover herself with? Was she naked? How much time could he spare to tumble her back into that bed and—
No. They hadappointmentsfor a reason. Lines. Boxes. Carefully constructed protections.
“I hadn’t thought…” She trailed off, somewhere behind him. She didn’t say anything else.
“Hadn’t thought what?” he demanded, feeling irritation scratch along his skin.
She slid her hands down his back, then around him, hugging him from behind. Her cheek pressed to his spine. “Iknewyour mother died in childbirth, but I did not really put it together. That you were old enough to understand what was going on. That it might have marked you.”
He froze. When he spoke, he felt as brittle as thin ice. “It did not mark me. It simply made me aware that pregnancy can be a dangerous time if one does not take care of themself.”
“You were so tense the day Evelyne went into labor. So…wound tight. It’s why you lost control, no doubt. You were terrified.”
He had not considered…but that was ridiculous. Yes, he had some concern for his sister, and learning that morning that she had gone into labor had left him worried. But only because she’d been away for so much of her pregnancy and had dealt with some stress during it. That didn’t mean he was…terrified.
“I will go to whatever doctor’s appointments you like. And I will give them permission to tell you everything.”
He pulled her arms off him, stepped away and fixed a glare on his face. “Ines, I am—”
“The king, yes, I know.” She was wearing a brief, silky robe that covered enough…and yet not enough, because he wanted to rid her of it immediately. But she beamed up at him, so happy and…different than he’d ever seen her. Relaxed? Like any walls she’d kept up were gone, and she was certain she could break down his.
He couldn’t let that happen.
“You could have all the information anyway, but I want you to know I’mgivingit to you.”
He stared at her, wondering how all this positivity and sweetness and acquiescence felt like little daggers being shoved into his heart.
So he left, while he had some semblance of sanity left.
Ines was in a marvelous mood.
Being home? Relaxing in a way the cabin just had never fully been.
Being able to immediately storm through all Alexandre’s defenses and have him in her bed—and meeting room—that very night? Incredibly satisfying.
She had not expected to be getting through to Alexandre on what was only the first day of Operation Real Marriage, but shehad. There were still mountains to climb, but they felt…scalable this morning.
She had an hour before her meeting with the doctors, so she went in search of Evelyne. She hadn’t seen baby Gabriel since he’d been born.
She found both of them in the playroom. Evelyne was stretched out on the floor with the baby laid on a little mat connected to a kind of arch that had things dangling from it. Evelyne reached out and sent one spinning, and the baby on the mat kicked his legs and gurgled.
The boy had grown by such leaps and bounds in four months, Ines’s heart gave a jerk. She’d missed so much. It was another wave of being happy to be home. Being happy to be part of this family. If there were things she had to fight for, so be it.
Her child would have a family. Not just a loving father, but an aunt and an uncle and a cousin—probably more than one. Her child wouldneverbe anyone’s pawn or bargaining chip. And it wasn’t justherwho would make sure of that. It was the entire family.
“Good morning,” Ines greeted.
Evelyne looked over her shoulder at Ines. She didn’t smile. She didn’t really do anything. Her expression remained a strange kind of neutral as she got to her feet and hefted Gabriel onto her hip.
“Gabri and I have an appointment,” Evelyne said, and for the first time in their entire acquaintance the stiffness in her voice reminded Ines of Alexandre. Because usually Evelyne was bright and vibrant and…warm. Welcoming. No matterwhatwas going on around them.
Now she walked past Ines without a second glance. Said nothing else. Ines watched her walk to the door and had the sickening realization something was not right.
“I… Are you angry with me?”
Evelyne didn’t turn to face her. But she stood still. For a moment, the stiff posture reminded Ines so much of Alexandre she assumed Evelyne would simply walk out of the room. That she had messed something up and would constantly be met with the cold detachment of the people she cared for.
Instead, the woman slowly turned. Her expression was grave. “You ran away, Ines. Without telling anyone. Not even me. You do not get to waltz back into our lives as though nothing happened.”
